33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

This image was taken from the Church of England, Good Friday on X (formerly known as Twitter) from 2020. It was loaded by the Bishop of Norwich.

Good Friday is when we remember the crucifixion and death of Jesus. We have so many images of that painful and shocking event but there was something about the rawness of this image that is profoundly powerful. So many images give us a sanitized view of the crucifixion maybe because otherwise the horror would be unbearable to contemplate.

We speak about the beauty of the Cross because we can see it in light of the resurrection, but without that certainty it would be very different. There was nothing beautiful about crucifixion. It is hard to imagine anything more painful, humiliating, or inhumane so much so Roman law did not permit a citizen of the Empire to die by crucifixion. The cross is only beautiful because it conveys a love far greater than any other. 1Peter 3:18 says ‘For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.’

Each of the Gospels have a different account of the last hours of Jesus on the cross and his final words but as Stephen Cottrell in Godforsaken, points out ‘We need them all. They enable us to see Jesus from different angles.’ We know his death was relatively fast and took a matter of hours rather than days as he had already been so severely beaten and during the time he suffered on the cross, he was mocked and insulted, soldiers cast lots for his clothes and according to John 19:25 he spoke to his mother and the disciple whom he loved. Both Matthew and Mark tell us his last words were ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani? which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Although the bystanders thought he was calling Elijah, he wasn’t questioning God but rather quoting the first line of psalm 22. Someone ran to get a sponge filled with wine vinegar which he puts on a staff and offers to Jesus to drink.

From noon until 3pm, darkness covered the land and as Jesus breathed his final breath, an earthquake shook the ground, the temple veil ripped in two from top to bottom, the rocks split and the tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life’. These 4 miraculous events couldn’t have gone unnoticed leading some to exclaim ‘Surely he is the son of God. At the time, it was a usual practice for Roman soldiers to show mercy by breaking the criminal's legs, causing death to come more quickly. John (19:31) tells us when the soldiers came to Jesus, he was already dead so they pierced his side and blood and water flowed fulfilling the scripture ‘ ‘Not one of his bones will be broken and they will look on the one they have pierced.’

Stephen Cottrell explains why the death of Christ remains so important for the world today, ‘ Our whole world needs to be built differently. It cries out in its own agony for a different set of values, an identity that is something more than the ones we create for ourselves or are imposed on us by others, and for a sense of belonging. The painful singularity of Christ on the cross offers a place to start: this rejected stone can become again the foundation of who we are and the world we wish to build.’

As you stand at the Cross how is Jesus speaking into your heart today?
What burdens are you carrying that you can lay at the foot of the Cross?
How have you been transformed through relationship with Jesus? What are the things you would like to express gratitude to God for?