Good Friday Podcast 2026 SD 480p

Hi, Mission Vineyard. My name is

Johnelli and I'm with Randall Panel.

It's Good Friday and we wanted to take

some time to look at the cross together.

Easter is coming like a famous Tony

Campolo quotes of his preaching times.

It's Friday, but Sunday's coming. uh and

we don't always get to experience Sunday

the way that we really I think God wants

us to because we don't take enough time

to focus on the road to Easter which at

the really core of it is the cross of

Jesus Christ. So we're going to take

some time in conversation today. We're

going to be looking at Mark 15 and um

just allowing ourselves to be sat in uh

and and present to the cross of Jesus

Christ. And uh I love having

conversations with Randall. I love um uh

just uh hearing from you and your ideas.

You've actually taken time in Israel and

uh I think there's just a wealth of

resource that we get to have because of

you and and your heart for Jesus

>> and your heart for for this this place

uh that God gives us this blessing

>> of the cross. In fact, you have a quote

by Frederick Beer.

>> I think that might be great to help us

just uh begin.

>> Okay, I'd love to do that. This is from

a book of his called The Faces of Jesus.

God so loved the world, John writes,

that he gave his only son that whoever

believes in him should not perish but

have eternal life. We've heard this

quite a bit in our lives. That is to say

that God so loved the world that he gave

his only son even to this obscene

horror. so loved the world that in some

ultimately indescribable way and at some

ultimately immeasurable cost he gave the

world himself. Out of this terrible

death, John says, came eternal life. Not

just in the sense of resurrection to

life after death, but in the sense of

life so precious, even this side of

death, that to live it is to stand with

one foot already in eternity. To

participate in the sacrificial life and

death of Jesus Christ on the cross is to

live already in his kingdom. This is the

essence of the Christian message. The

heart of the good news. And it is why

the cross has become the chief Christian

symbol. A cross of all things, a

guillotine, a gallows, but the cross at

the same time as the crossroads of

eternity and time. as the place where

such a mighty heart was broken that the

healing power of God himself could flow

through it into a sick and broken world.

It was for this reason that of all the

possible words they could have used to

describe the day of his death, the word

they settled on was good. And that is

good Friday.

that the cross has made a place for us

where God's love could come into time.

>> Yes.

>> And meet us. So God, we thank you that

on this Good Friday that you do meet us

and that it is a cross, God. You don't

just come with immediate victory, but

you come in uh pain and love

>> for us. And we thank you so much for

that. So help us, God, be seated in that

place and present to what you've done on

the cross this Easter, especially today,

this Good Friday.

>> Yes. Amen.

>> Amen. Amen.

>> Amen.

>> So, I'm I'm curious, Randall, as you

think about Good Friday, uh you've taken

time in in Israel in those places.

>> Um Good Friday comes after Monday,

Thursday. Monday, Thursday is time when

Jesus has time with the disciples, but

it's also when he's betrayed. I I love

that we get to spend time with the

Eucharist every Sunday because we are

reminded it was on the night that he was

betrayed. That's right. that he took

bread and turned over and uh betrayed by

Judas and and the Sanhedrin and he's

come before them for all Thursday night.

>> Yeah.

>> Uh and then that that brings us to Good

Friday.

>> Yes.

>> In the morning and that's where we're

we're coming from in Mark 15. But at

this moment when we come to that that

day, what are some of the what's some of

the impacts of the story that God gives

us in in in in the journey of Jesus to

Good Friday?

Yeah, it's, you know, first of all, you

know, this uh Monday, Thursday is the

beginning of Passover.

>> Yeah.

>> And so this is the greatest celebration

that Israel had

>> and all of the things that began then.

And of course, I think as uh in the

modern day with time, you realize that

at darkness, that's the beginning of

Friday.

And so that's, you know, when he is

crucified finally. I mean, they do all

the night stuff, but this is the

beginning of Pentecost. I mean, not

Pentecost, but you know, for this time,

the Passover.

>> Yeah.

>> And he is

>> the Passover lamb this time. Yeah.

>> But he goes through all the trials and

all of this and then, you know, the

cross, etc., you know, they have to get

him off the cross before

>> nighttime because that's when Friday

starts. And uh so it uh it's just such

an amazing

what's the right word? It's just how

does this began? But it's it's it's the

the just as Begner has said this is the

greatest thing that God

in his in his mind this is the greatest

thing he could do for us.

>> Yeah.

>> For us.

>> Yeah. I think it's important you're

naming that Passover piece that that

motif that God gives us, the actual

activity of Passover where the blood was

put on over the doorframes and the death

passed over and then Israel is brought

through the Red Sea and uh now Passover

again as they're celebrating it is

naming this is what's going on again.

>> That's right.

>> Blood the blood but the not just the

blood of the lamb over the doorpost. The

blood of Jesus over all of life.

>> That's right. That's right. gets to be

our pathway through into deliverance.

>> Yeah. and and how Jesus on the cross

pulls so many things together in a

sense, you know, as this Passover lamb.

Uh I I know, you know, the the the cross

itself, his hanging on the cross uh on

that day, and I'm a big fan of the

Psalms, and

>> you know, he uses that in a way that is

so horrific, but at the same time

sublime.

>> Yeah.

uh for example, you you you kind of know

the moment that he senses this

alienation from the father.

>> Now, we have to be careful because we

chop in our, you know, that God's the

father, the son,

>> but we end up talking about three gods,

right?

>> It's just one God.

>> Yeah. And so he is on the cross and we

know he says you know father why have

you forsaken me? So he's forsaken

himself for this time and as he I would

assume he's assuming all of the sin upon

himself.

But it doesn't take him long to get to

past that sense of feeling forsaken. But

then he also comes back

as God saying, "Father, forgive them

>> because they do not know what they're

doing." Now, in my mind, that's got to

be the greatest event that's ever and

ever will happen to people on the earth

because I, you know,

I've got a PhD degree in biblical stuff

and all, but you know, it's very hard to

not hear that.

That's a blessing of forgiveness for

everyone.

>> But that's like Big Bener said, this is

how he loves is by the way I put it.

It's kind of corny. You can erase this

off the tape if you want to, but

Jesus or God knew that if he were going

to have people that he could love, he

was going to have to do all the work.

>> Yeah.

because he didn't want us to be robots.

He wanted us to have free will,

but at the same time, he knew that if he

was going to have a relationship with

us, he was going to have to save us

himself.

>> I love I love that we're talking about

this just the background of Psalm 22. If

you've not read Psalm 22, Psalm 22 is

beautiful to read on uh Good Friday. And

then I I would uh encourage you to read

Psalm 23 on Saturday because Psalm 23 is

that leadership through the valley of

the shadow of death that I think that

God does for us.

>> Uh so many of the Psalms and I love your

love of the Psalms because I think it

does echo the voice of Jesus.

>> That's right.

>> Uh for us today in his uh surrender, in

his suffering, and in his worship and

and that movement of forgiveness. I

think that's all kind of claimed of

God's language that comes to us

>> prophetically through the Psalms.

>> Well, and as Jesus uses all these

psalms, it's like uh you know his great

great great great grandfather, however,

he was inspired by God to write these

psalms.

>> Sure.

>> Then

>> these psalms that Jesus uses are all

prayers to God. There are some psalms

that are not that,

>> but he

focuses on those. And so he's actually

praying for us but to himself. And so

it's these it's it's it's just such an

amazing thing there. it just hard. But

it h the the thing for me that has

always impacted me after maybe as I've

gotten older, but the fact that Jesus

has asked the father to forgive them and

I I don't believe that he's saying that

just to the people that are standing

around the cross.

>> He's talking about all of us.

>> Yeah.

>> And so,

you know, I've once saved, always saved,

all that kind of stuff. I that's not

where I'm going to go with this. But it

it sells me that if Jesus has forgiven

everyone and taken on everyone's sin,

then how can I not love those around me?

Now, I'm not Jesus, but I've got him in

me. I've got his spirit that he's given

us. And so my

uh I guess the thing that matters the

most is I cannot allow myself to judge

others. I mean I like it. I can see

things that's going wrong. But

God loves them. And Jesus has died to

prove his love.

>> Yeah.

>> For each and every one of us. And he

wants everyone to be with him.

>> We can't talk about Good Friday without

talking about forgiveness, can we? I

mean, cannot

>> and and it and if you haven't yet,

there's a video that's published uh on

our Instagram and Facebook uh from the

Alpha people on why did Jesus die and it

gives a great 30 minutes on why did

Jesus die and including that a lot on

forgiveness and what it means for us to

enter into that.

>> I think it's absolutely critical. It's a

good word.

>> One other word if I can then I'll I'll

quit. I'll shut up. But there uh I I

read uh an article a few years ago and I

I was trying to look for it, but the

phrase that stood out that Jesus on the

cross is the truth.

>> That what he does at that moment is the

truth of the entire world and of

eternity.

This is who God is. This is what God

wants to show us. But he also wants to

show what we can be in by his spirit.

>> Yeah.

>> So there's a there's a what's the right

word there? There there is a challenge

there. But there is a blessing there

that

if I could do this, you can love one

another.

>> So

that's how it's impacted me at this

stage of my life. Anyway,

>> well with that, I think let's get into

Mark 15. And uh very early in the

morning it says this is good Friday as

we would call the elders the teachers of

religious law the entire council they

met to discuss their next step and they

bound Jesus and led him away and took

him to Pilate the Roman governor and

Pilate asked Jesus are you the king of

the Jews and Jesus replied you have said

it what an interesting thing like so

many times the the why they're being why

Jesus is being arrested by uh the

leading priests and the religious laws

because of blasphemy that he was the son

of God. And there he says to Pilate,

"You have said it." And so then the

leading priest kept accusing him of many

crimes. And then Pilate asked him,

"Aren't you going to answer them but

about all these charges they're bringing

against you?" But Jesus said nothing,

much to Pilate's surprise.

>> Uh and there's some tension going on

politically in the backstory, too, where

um Pilate's not in the best graces with

the Roman uh governance. There's some

trouble. has already gone on in Judea.

Some of it because Jesus is

>> is confronting the religious

authorities. Crowds are coming into

Judea like never before. And so there's

a lot going on.

>> And the and

you know the Jews are threatening

>> Yeah.

>> that there if they don't do something

that there'll be pandemonium in

Jerusalem at in this this Passover time

and he's going to get

>> killed by the Roman.

>> That's right. He's getting it from both

sides. He is getting

>> from Caesar. I'm sure he's hearing it,

but from also on the ground with the

religious leaders.

>> Yeah.

>> And so this opportunity in verse six, it

was the governor's custom each year

during the Passover celebration to

release one prisoner. That's

>> right.

>> Anyone the people requested, he's trying

to to get him off get somebody off of

his back. And so one of the prisoners at

the time was Barabus, a revolutionary

who had committed murder in an uprising.

The crowd went to Pilot and asked him to

release the prisoner as usual. Would you

like me to release this king of the

Jews? Pilot asked where we realize now

the leading priest had arrested Jesus

out of envy which is interesting that

Mark Mark mentions that but at this

point the leading priest stirred up the

crowd to demand the release of Barabus

instead. Pilate asked them then what

should I do with this man? You call the

king of the Jews and they shouted back

crucify him. I so this conflict of good

Friday that the religious leaders wanted

the religious zealot the one that had

murdered people instead of Jesus who had

not

>> but isn't it interesting Jesus would

wanted Barabbus released too

>> oh wow

>> wouldn't he

>> wow

wow

that this is this is the movement of

Jesus

>> that he gives his life for everyone if

they receive him.

>> That's right.

>> For everyone.

>> That that's Jesus's preference.

>> Oh man.

>> And the life he gives us cannot be taken

away from us.

>> Wow.

>> For all eternity.

>> You know, like beer because we're we're

got one foot here, but we got one foot

in eternity when we have Jesus.

>> And so the first one to receive the

blessing of freedom from death

>> Yeah.

>> is Barabus.

>> Yeah.

Oh man,

>> what a paradigm.

>> Yeah, that hit me new.

>> That hit me new.

>> And so Pilate asks why? What crime has

he committed as far as Jesus is

concerned? But the mob roared mob roared

even louder, crucify him.

>> Yeah.

>> So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released

Barabus to them. He ordered Jesus fgged

with a lead tipped whip and turned him

over to the Roman soldiers to be

crucified. Interestingly, the Jews would

have only allowed 39 times, I think, to

be whipped. There is no Roman law around

how many times you would have been

whipped,

>> right?

>> Uh I can't imagine what it what it would

have been for Jesus and his punishment

already.

>> Well, you could die being flocked.

>> Sure.

>> By that. Yeah.

>> And so in 16, the soldiers took Jesus to

the courtyard of the governor's

headquarters, called out to the entire

regiment. They dressed him in a purple

robe. They wore wo thorn branches into a

crown, put it on his head, and then they

saluted him and taunted, "Hail the king

of the Jews." So this king of the Jews

language

is given to him ironically,

sarcastically.

>> Yeah.

>> And it's done in his punishment.

>> Yeah. Yeah.

But that's exactly what makes him the

king

>> in in God's kingdom. I mean,

he's taken all of this on and he is the

true king who's dying for all of his I

don't know that the right word is

subjects, but those who whom he

he's freed us all.

>> Yeah. He doesn't die for those who just

celebrate him. He dies for his enemies.

>> And not being just the king of the Jews.

He's the king of the entire human race.

>> Yeah.

>> That that's so important. I know we're

stuck on that. And this is unfortunate

because some of the wonderful things

that God did in say the Old Testament. I

mean, you know, sin is abounds from

cover to cover the Bible by God's

people, but there is this sense of

movement to saving from uh starting over

again. And but this time, it's not just

starting over again. It's to be cleansed

and to be set free from the power of sin

in our lives.

>> There there's th this is the pinnacle.

This is what God had in store from the

before he even created the earth to put

us in it.

>> I mean it's Yeah. It defies words

sometimes. Yeah. I like your

translation.

>> Yeah. This is New Living Translation.

>> Yeah. I like it.

>> Verse 19. And then they struck him on

the head with a reed stick, spit on him,

and dropped to their knees to mock

worship.

>> Yeah. When they were finally tired of

mocking him, they took off the purple

robe, put on his own clothes on him

again, and they led him away to be

crucified.

>> Yeah.

>> I just This is not a story line of

winners. I just I I think it's very

interesting how Christianity can

sometimes be very easily turned into the

faith of winners, that only winners can

enjoy Christianity. And if you're not

winning,

>> then you're not really a Christian.

>> Well, we've heard lots of preaching

about that kind of thing. Yeah. This

this is a faith for those and Jesus

suffers. He's mocked in every kind of

suffering. He's he's whipped. He's

beaten. He's

>> I mean stripped. I mean Jesus, if

anybody understands.

>> Yeah. Well, you mentioned Psalm 23 a

little earlier where you prepare a table

before me in the presence of my enemies.

But for Jesus, you have prepared

a certain kind of table before me in the

presence of those whom I love.

>> So there there is a sort of a paradox

even in that psalm with Jesus's actions.

I mean, he goes after the, you know, the

the one and leaves the 99 and all of

those things that Jesus's parables are

about. But that one, you know, look,

you're going to face your enemies, but

God can prepare a place for you. But

that place before our enemies is the

place that Jesus has created for us.

Right.

>> Yeah.

>> Right.

>> Oh, this is so important. This is so

important. So verse 21, the crucifixion

>> and the journey to the crucifixion

begins which is about you've been there.

It's about a half a mile or so, a little

less.

>> Yeah. Yeah. And there there are literal

stations of the cross where you go where

he falls the first time and then they

get now Simon Sirene to pick it and then

Jesus falls again and

>> you know Yeah. But those are Yeah.

They're all around ciruitously in in

that part of Jerusalem. Uh and then of

course you end up at the the where

>> Katha or wherever.

>> Yeah. Where the the church is there, you

know, and supposedly there. But there is

one over out of the um

which gate is it? the uh anyway, there's

a tomb and it's been built. It looks,

you know, they've discovered it and it

looks like it would have looked and

that's probably not the place, but yeah,

that big church supposedly is where

where he was. Yeah.

>> And so, like you named a passer by named

Simon who was from Sirene was coming

from in from the countryside just then

and then the soldiers forced him to

carry Jesus's cross which is I think

about 100 pounds or so. Yeah.

>> And Simon was the father of Alexander

and Rufus. And so this as Mark is

telling this, these are people that Mark

knows. This is this is family. I just as

the testimony of the Gospels aren't

fairy tales. They're not fantasy.

They're not fiction,

>> right?

>> These are firsthand accounts of of

what's happened.

>> Yeah. You know, many times,

not every scholar, but many believe that

Mark's source was Peter

>> or much of it anyway because there was

>> some relationship there. So, yeah, he

either he or

>> accounts. Yeah, that's right. Exactly.

>> And they brought Jesus to the place

called Golgtha, which means the place of

the skull. And they offered him wine

drugged with myrr and he refused it. So

that would have done what to him? Wine

drugged with myrr.

>> Well, it would have relieved some of the

pain. It may have made him not quite

coherent.

>> You know, the wine and the myrr together

would have made him a little drunk

>> perhaps, something like that.

>> Uh and uh but he was embracing this,

you know. I mean, he goes through the

agony as we mentioned while ago, you

know, why have you forsaken me? He knows

why.

>> Yeah.

>> But I think he wants to tell us that

he he's willing to be forsaken by him by

God himself. I mean, we we lose the

ability to put God in all those places

and then divide him up in pieces. But

he's saying that so we can hear this.

And then he's doing this not because he

has to, but because he loves us.

>> Yeah.

>> That's I think that's a great point.

He's not accepting this um

>> this drug to try to end the pain. He's

entering into the pain willingly for us.

>> And he's answering that question by

asking that question.

>> He he knows the answer,

>> but he has to ask that question out loud

somewhere in himself. maybe even to

remind himself. I can't pretend to know

God's mind, right?

>> But why have you forsaken me, but you

know why you're here? You you said the

night before, if there's any way that

this could pass from me, please have

that happen. So, he wants it. He is

struggling, but he is bound and

determined to go through this. So I

think he's these are prompts for him

that he's prepared himself for this

maybe his entire lifespan.

>> Yeah.

>> On the earth

>> place of obedience and surrender.

>> Yeah.

>> Awareness

>> because he is a man

>> right

>> I mean we we can't figure it out. You

know they used to say well the brain was

divine and the rest of him you know they

had to parse him out.

>> Well that's right. But yeah so

>> fully God fully man.

>> Exactly. Yeah. And the soldiers nailed

him to the cross.

>> Oh gosh.

>> They divided his clothes through dice to

decide who would get each piece. And

this is part of the prophecy. We haven't

spoken to each prophetic moment that's

going on here,

>> but this is definitely one.

>> Yeah.

>> To decide who who would get each piece.

And it was 9:00 in the morning when they

crucified him.

>> Yeah.

>> And a sign announced the charge against

him. It read the king of the Jews.

And so again, in his punishment, this

declaration of who he really is, but

even more than the king of the Jews, we

already named he's king of all.

And two revolutionaries

were crucified with him, one on his

right and one on his left. And the

people passing by shouted abuse, shaking

their heads in mockery.

"Ha, look at you now," they yelled at

him. You said you were going to destroy

the temple and rebuild it in three days.

Well, then save yourself and come down

from the cross.

Can you imagine?

It's not just false accused by the

Jewish leaders, not just false accused

uh by Pilate, by the Roman authorities,

but then just people.

Yeah, it's something in our nature of

kicking people when they're down.

There's something about us, isn't there?

Here he has received all kinds of abuse.

And then the leading priests, they take

a turn again. The priests and the

teachers of the religious law also

mocked Jesus. He saved others, they

scoffed. But he can't save himself. Let

this Messiah, the king of Israel, come

down from the cross so we can all see

and believe in him. Even the men who

were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

And so finally then at noon, no one can

articulate what's happened. There's all

kind of theories, but it was a full moon

and yet darkness fell across the whole

land.

>> Yeah.

>> At 12 at 3 uh at uh 3:00.

>> Yeah.

>> 3:00. Well, noon, darkness fell across

the whole land until 3:00. Yeah. And

then at 3:00, Jesus calls out with a

loud voice, "My God, my God, why have

you abandoned me?"

That word God is Eloh,

>> L is God, and O is my God.

>> Again, quoting from Psalm 22, he's, you

can imagine, he's praying the whole

thing.

>> Yeah.

>> And some of the bystanders misunderstood

and they thought he was calling for the

prophet Elijah. One of them ran and

filled a sponge with sour wine, holding

him up, holding it up to him on a reed,

a stick so he could drink. "Wait," he

said. "Let's see whether Elijah comes

down to take him down, still mocking

him." Yeah.

>> Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and

breathed his last. And the curtain in

the sanctuary of the temple was torn

into from top to bottom. This is one

sentence that Mark speaks that I think

is more profound to me about the kingdom

entering in, about what Meekner was

naming. Can you just tell us a little

bit about the meaning of this that the

curtain is torn in the temple? You

because the the the holy of holies is

segregated from the inner sort of

sanctum that only the high priest can go

in. And so it is sequestered.

But the ripping of that is that God is

available to any and everyone.

>> Because if you weren't the holy of

holinesses enough in God's graces

through your cleansing and all that and

he went behind that curtain,

>> you'd die.

>> Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. Well, they tie

uh, you know, a cord around the high

priest in case he was not so hot with

God and they could drag him out.

>> Yeah.

You know, when you when you think about

the the temple for a second, you know,

the holy of holies and then you've got a

outer perimeter a little bit where but

then you have the court of uh Jewish

men, then you have the gentile courts

>> and then the outer court is the court of

the women.

So the farther and farther away you go,

but you again think of all of the

ministry of Jesus,

it was a woman that he tells first a

Samaritan woman

>> that he is the Messiah.

>> Yeah.

>> So this is a turning everything upside

down, but at the same time opening up

heaven,

new life, real life to any and everyone.

>> Yeah. The curtain's not just torn from

the Holy of Holies. The curtain's torn

at every level of ministry that everyone

can come in from the outer gentile

courts of the women to everyone.

>> And as Jesus, I would say when he comes

back and they want him to, you know,

you've been walking through walls and

all of that, but he's if he goes, please

don't go. And he says, but I'm going to

if if I go, I'll send you my Holy

Spirit. So in a sense backwards a little

bit when that

temple you know that curtain is ripped

then God's Jesus's spirit is loosed in

the world.

>> Yeah.

>> Not it's not in that one little place.

It's loosed to the world.

>> I mean it's at that moment too I I can't

remember if it's Matthew or where else

in the gospels that people start seeing

dead people

>> Yeah. Yeah.

>> walking around. I mean really this the

veil between heaven and earth never mind

the holy of holies

>> and I guess life and death.

>> Life and death.

>> Yeah. I mean yeah

>> the whole existence the universe was

kind of shocked

>> by the power of this moment.

>> But that was God's plan all along when

he even before I mean he you know none

of this surprised him. He knew when when

he went down this road,

this is where we're going.

>> So amazing. You know, it it as much as

we know, it still boggles the mind.

Yeah.

>> So,

>> his last breath is breathed in verse 37.

The curtain is torn in 38. And then in

39, the Roman officer who stood facing

him saw how he had died and exclaimed

>> and the first testimony.

>> Yeah,

>> look at this gentile. I mean not just a

gentile Roman.

>> This guy was

>> centurion. I mean he

>> he was not a part of any clean list.

>> No,

>> but he articulates he testifies this man

truly was the son of God.

>> Yeah. this translation. I I'm I'm not I

hadn't looked at it exactly, but when

the centurion who was standing opposite

him saw the way he breathed his last,

>> he said, "Truly, this man was the son of

God."

>> Cuz he's a soldier and he sees how

people die.

>> Yes.

>> And he's never seen anyone die like

this.

>> Yes.

>> So gosh, because Jesus embraced it.

>> It wasn't like somebody took his life

from him, right? No, he laid his life

down

not to be a hero but because he loves

us.

>> Yeah.

>> Thank you, Lord.

>> And then, like you said, the women were

there

>> watching from a distance, including Mary

Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and

the younger Joseph and Salomi. And they

ended followers of Jesus and had cared

for him while he was in Galilee. Many

other women who had come with him to

Jerusalem were also there. Yeah.

>> How

how important is this that Mark takes a

whole paragraph to articulate the ones

that really cared for him with the women

around him and they were there at the

foot of the cross.

>> Yeah.

John was there.

>> Yep.

>> Uh Peter certainly followed that the

night before from a distance, but he's

not mentioned. And it is if Peter

somehow is a part of Mark's. It's

interesting that he's not

>> a part of this.

Of course, the gospels take turns

focusing on various parts of this. So,

>> thank God for all the different

testimony we have. How unique.

>> Yeah.

>> In any faith story.

>> That's right.

>> That we're given these different

perspectives, these different facets.

>> Yeah. And we tend to think that this one

is the first. Mhm.

>> Uh we also tend to think that Markx is a

little bit more geared toward the Romans

>> has a cuz we're not real clear as to

when these began to appear or how they

blossomed if you will, maybe added some

things as they went or remembered

things. Certainly when you have Luke

that's not even in this mix, he's had to

interview all kinds of people. And then

we know pretty much that John has waited

most of his life to write his gospel.

And it's more of a theology.

>> Sure. There's there it's not so much the

events, it's who Jesus is showing

himself to be in all of this.

>> So these are one in Matthew, of course,

is is it, you know, it's so Jewish. Uh

it's it's very thorough and he's he's a

tax collector. So weird.

>> I mean, why don't

>> who would have thought a tax collector

would have written the most Jewish

>> Well, he was he was

>> Well, I'd have to say he was the most

educated.

>> Sure.

>> Of all of the disciples,

>> but written off by

>> Oh, yeah. Because because of that. Yeah.

For sure. Yeah. Right. That's right.

That's right.

>> But 42 finally, this all happened on

Friday, the day of preparation. We were

talking about that for Passover, for

Sabbath.

>> Yeah. The day before the Sabbath, as

evening approached, Joseph of Arythea

took a risk, went to Pilate and asked

for Jesus's body. Joseph was an honored

member of the high council. And so this

interesting these background

um leaders within the Sanhedrin, within

the Jewish leadership, are followers of

Jesus, but at a distance.

>> Well, it was dangerous.

>> Yeah,

>> it's it's always dangerous following

Jesus, isn't it? It is

>> uh but he took a risk.

>> Yeah.

>> And uh Pilate couldn't believe that

Jesus was already dead. So he called for

the Roman officer and asked if he had

died yet. And the officer confirmed that

Jesus was dead. So Pilate told Joseph he

could have the body. And Joseph bought a

long sheet of linen cloth. So this is

expensive. Grave clothes are expensive.

>> Very, very small.

>> And Joseph has some money.

>> He's And we're going to find out just

how much right here. He took Jesus's

body down from the cross, wrapped it in

the cloth, and then laid it in a tomb

that had been carved out of a rock.

Maybe his own.

>> His own. Yeah.

>> And then he rolled a stone in front of

the entrance. And Mary Magdalene, Mary,

the mos uh the mother of Joseph, saw

where Jesus body was laid.

>> Yeah.

>> And so we have the end of Friday.

>> Yeah.

And then we wait. Now we know that we

wait, but for them it was

the end.

>> Yeah. I mean, they had not gotten the

fact that

>> he told them, but they hadn't gotten it.

>> Yeah. I mean, death is the finality of

everything for everyone,

>> right?

But in this case, death is the open door

to

redemption. But it death now becomes the

open door to life eternal.

I mean, he's turned the world upside

down. He's turned our perspective upside

down. And no wonder we get so confused.

And no wonder we get

we forget about the sublimeness here or

uh

what Jesus actually did for all of us.

And yet uh we have a hard time really

releasing our lives completely to him.

And I think all of us are waiting in

some degree.

>> Yeah.

>> For a perfect rescue from our suffering.

There's some there's some each one of us

carries some amount of

>> hunger for deliverance. We're all all

living in some piece of that death.

>> Yeah.

>> And thanks to Jesus, we're all also

living in some experience of life, too,

>> right?

>> But we're all still waiting, hungry.

There's I was talking with a friend the

other day. He's not a follower of Jesus.

And he just longs for justice to be done

in the world.

>> Yeah.

>> And I said, "Good. I think that's where

we're supposed to be.

>> I think that's where God asks us to be

because it's not done yet."

>> Right.

Well, yeah. Yeah.

It's uh Yeah. I mean, every time I like

in this these kinds of moments, there

just so many things that swirl

through our heads, you know, about

sets my I guess I'd say my imagination

on fire because of all the things. I

think

I think we'd like to see justice in the

world, but I think this cross

is God's justice

>> for the world.

>> For sure.

>> Cuz when we mean justice, we want the

bad guys to get it.

>> Mhm.

>> Put them in jail, do this so everybody

can, you know, we see it kind of back

and forth in our politics and different

things like that. But this cross is

God's justice. Yeah.

>> On all of us.

>> But for all of us.

>> And for all of us.

>> Yeah.

>> On all of us. And for all of us.

>> That's right. That's right.

>> So, as we end today, I thought reading

Psalm 23 might not be a bad blessing

into Holy Saturday before Easter. Do you

mind if I read that right now?

>> Oh, no. That'd be great.

>> Because we're just ending 22.

Um 22 begins with Jesus's words, "My

God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Why are you so far away when I grown for

help? But 31, it ends with his righteous

acts will be told to those not yet born.

They will hear about everything he's

done.

They'll hear about everything he's done.

There's a hope for the resurrection.

There's a hope for vindication that we

will see

>> the the the results of God's justice on

the earth. And so I pray Psalm 23 for

all of us as we're in waiting periods in

the in the in the already in the not yet

of the kingdom arriving in the cross.

>> That's right.

>> That the Lord would be our shepherd.

That we would have all that we need.

That he would let you rest in green

meadows. That he would lead you beside

peaceful streams. That he would renew

your strength. That he would guide you

along right paths bringing honor to the

name of God. that even though through

you walk through the darkest valley,

through the shadow of of death, that you

will not be afraid, for God is close

beside you. He's your rod and your

staff, protecting and comforting you.

That God prepares a feast before you in

the presence of your enemies.

>> That he honors you by anointing your

head with oil, and that your cup

overflows with blessings.

Surely the goodness of God and the

unfailing love of God will pursue us all

the days of our lives and we will live

in the house of the Lord forever.

>> And that wonderful phrase there that

death is only a shadow

>> that passes by.

So he's released us. There is

death. Where is your sting?

>> Yeah. You know, and death for us gets to

be a mere shadow

for the

for the ultimate kingdom.

>> Yeah.

>> Well, Randall, again, thanks for this

time. I I so appreciate a moment where

we get to engage the cross,

>> engage God's moment that he orchestrated

like a perfect architect to name before

us.

>> Yeah.

him himself coming for us, dying for us,

being the blood uh that covers death,

the shadow of death.

>> Yeah.

>> And welcomes us into a place of waiting

and hunger for deliverance.

>> Yeah.

No, it's just Yeah, it's mindblowing, I

guess you'd say. Uh but it's

again the cross

is the greatest love story

>> that the world has ever seen and ever

will see.

And so we hope and pray that this Good

Friday you would get to experience some

of that love. That you would uh be

longing in this time, especially before

Easter, in hope for God's arrival, for

his resurrection, for his ascension, for

his power to come in your life, uh for

his kingdom to come in fullness. I pray

that he would be your shepherd. He would

guide you along and give you all you

need. Amen. Amen.

Thank you. Amen. Thank you. Thanks for

having me.