Daily Devotional For Friday, March 28, 2024

Today is Good Friday. I don’t know anything good about it. Jesus was brutally scourged and executed by crucifixion and then died.  What is good about that? Why do we call it “Good Friday?” It has to do with linguistics. In Old English, which we no longer speak today, “good” also meant “holy.” So, a better way to refer the Friday Jesus was crucified is “Holy Friday.” It was a holy day when the holy Son of God died for our sins. 

We have been looking at the last seven statements Jesus ever made and He made all seven from the cross. The third statement Jesus made was directed towards care for His earthly mother, Mary. Look at John 19:26-27,

“When Jesus saw His mother standing there beside the disciple He loved, He said to her, `Dear woman, here is your son.' (27) And He said to this disciple, `Here is your mother.’ And from then on this disciple took her into his home” (NLT). 

Seeing her Son on the cross had to be horrible for Mary. Mary had seen more than her share of sorrow in her life with Jesus. Now, seeing her grown Son hated by people and forsaken by friends. Look at John 19:25, “Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene” (NLT). We have a principle we believe in deeply: parents should never have to bury their children. Though He had tried to teach her and inform her of what was to come, it still had to be difficult for her. 

Yet, even from the cross Jesus is still taking care of His mother. In Judaism, it was the oldest son’s responsibility to care for his mother in her later years. Jesus said this in Matthew 5:17, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose” (NLT). 

And in this case, even from the cross, Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament Law on this as found in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you” (NLT). The Old Testament Law also says this in Leviticus 19:32, “Stand up in the presence of the elderly, and show respect for the aged. Fear your God. I am the Lord” (NLT).

Seeing her Son on the cross may have brought back Simeon’s words to her when Joseph and she dedicated the baby Jesus at the temple in Luke 2:34-35:

“Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, `This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose Him. (35) As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul’” (NLT). 

Indeed it did that day. Following Jesus is no easy task. We are never free or exempt from the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. We are supposed to honor our parents all the days of our lives, no matter the kind of parent they were and are. Jesus did this. As a mother, Mary at times was not always supportive of her Son. Look at Mark 3:20-21:

“One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon He and His disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. (21) When His family heard what was happening, they tried to take Him away. “He’s out of His mind,” they said” (NLT).

The Greek New Testament word translated as “seize” or “take away” in verse 21 is [κρατέω, krateo]. It means “to lay hands on; to wrestle.” Pastor and author John MacArthur writes this:

“Of the fifteen times it is used in Mark, eight refer to Jesus being seized, including His arrest. It is also used of the seizure of John the Baptist when he was arrested and imprisoned (Mark 6:17). Jesus’ family was intent on rescuing Him, by force if necessary, from the oppressive multitudes that threatened to smother Him, as well as from Himself. he family’s desire to protect Jesus from self-imposed danger is reflected in their conclusions about Him” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Mark,” p. 177).

Why would they think, “He had lost His senses?” Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll writes this:

“This is what a family does with someone who can no longer care for himself and is too deluded to see the truth. Jesus’ family thought that He was crazy! To be fair, Jesus’ movement had all the marks of a personality cult. He gathered around Himself the outcasts and disenfranchised. He challenged the accepted norms of religious and cultural tradition and called Himself the ultimate authority. He set up headquarters in Capernaum instead of Jerusalem. People were leaving their occupations to follow Him; some even sold all their possessions! From a distance, Jesus showed all the signs of a manic disorder. Unfortunately, His family was neither close enough to Jesus’ intentions nor discerning enough to know better” (S ource: Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, “Mark,” p. 97). 

Mary knew what the angel Gabriel had said to her at her the announcement of her pregnancy in Luke 1:30-32:

“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! (31) You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you will name Him Jesus. (32) He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. (33) And He will reign over Israel forever; His Kingdom will never end!” (NLT).

Well, that was 30 years ago. I don’t know if she forgot Gabriel’s words to her from God or Simeon’s words to her in the Temple. To think Jesus “had lost His senses” is possibly understandable. Jesus knew He was God’s Messiah. Mary had been told twice He was the Messiah. We are not sure what His brothers and sisters had been told. Even if they had forgotten, Jesus did not forget His responsibility to His mother from the cross. 

Questions To Consider

1. Whether you had good parents or not so good parents, do you honor them? Why or why not?
2. We tend to love and admire Jesus Messiah for going helping us get to heaven and for eternal life, but do you honor His sacrifice with obedience for the rest of your life? Why or why not?
3. Take your Bible and read Matthew 10:34-36. What do you think of this and has this ever happened in your own family? Has your own family ever challenged your relationship and commitment to Jesus Christ? If so, what happened and how did you handle it? In the end, did you still honor your parents?

Scripture To Meditate On: 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I want to honor You by honoring my parents. I want my commitment to You to be such that others, including my family, may not understand. I want to be so sold out to You out of gratitude for “Holy Friday” — the day we remember your crucifixion and death. And even if my family does not understand or support me, I promise You I will not dishonor them. Thank You for dying on the cross for me and especially for coming out of that grave on Easter. I owe everything to You. If You had not saved and redeemed me, I do not know where I might be. Thank you and I love You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside! — Pastor Kelly