Friday 2nd April 2021. Read Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Psalm 31, Hebrews 4:14-5:9 and John 18:1-19:42
“They cried out, ‘Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!’ Pilate asked them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but the emperor.” (John 19:15)
Today is Good Friday; the day we remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. On Good Friday, Mary cried, John the Beloved cried, the other disciples fled, Veronica and all the women of Jerusalem wept for Jesus. Satan laughed through the lips of the many who mocked and scorned Jesus. Satan felt like a winner that day.
Whether we like it or not, we are bound to experience Good Fridays in our lives. There are some days that it would seem as if the world is falling apart on us. There are days that our enemies may appear to be having the upper hand; days that we get the direct opposite of our prayers; days that our faith is so terribly shaken and we begin to wonder if God is still powerful.
Honestly, in moments like this, the easiest thing to do is to give up on God. Some of the crowd felt very disappointed in Jesus. They said: “He saved others, yet he cannot save himself. If truly he is the Son of God, let him come down from the cross and we would believe in him.” (Matthew 27:42, Mark 15:31 and Luke 23:35). Jesus did not come down from the cross so they shook their heads and went away. What do you do if prayers are not working? If the miracles are not forthcoming and your case appears to be going from bad to worse?
You see, while Satan was having fun laughing at Jesus in the passion, little did he know that Jesus had a plan; that the cross, the object of ridicule and shame would eventually, become the victory of Christ. Satan thought the cross would be the end of Jesus not knowing that by dying on the cross, Jesus was like the seed that is planted on the ground only to eventually grow into a tree yielding a great harvest.
Our celebration today may appear sobering but it is actually a consolation in disguise. Whenever you are going through a Good Friday in your life, just think of Jesus. Do not drop the cross. Do not listen to the crowds, do not allow their mockery and insults to get to you. Do not abandon your faith. Just hold on. Tell yourself, “If God has allowed Good Friday to come to me, then Easter Sunday can never pass me by.”
Cheer up. The sufferings you are experiencing now for the sake of your faith is your cross. For now, everything seems shameful, painful and difficult. Don’t worry, just as we are venerating the cross today, people will come from north, east and west to listen to your story and congratulate you. Do not give up on God just because it is Good Friday.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, give me the grace to believe even in moments of dryness. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Good Friday Bible Study: Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Psalm 31, Hebrews 4:14-5:9 and John 18:1-19:42).
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