Guest Writer: Rev. Karl Decker
Scripture: Mark 15:24-37
They crucified Jesus. They divided up his clothes, drawing lots for them to determine who would take what. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The notice of the formal charge against him was written, “The king of the Jews.” They crucified two outlaws with him, one on his right and one on his left.
Thought for the Day: This passage has always intrigued me. I wonder why the soldiers would have divided up Jesus’s clothes… I did some research and found that although most artistic depictions of the crucifixion show Jesus in a loincloth, persons who were crucified, generally were done so completely naked. This was one more way to humiliate the person as he was hanging on the cross. Can you imagine that, our Lord and Savior, a man who committed no sin, nailed to the cross naked, stripped of all he owned? And then to add insult to this, he was placed between two “outlaws.”
We find the good news in this by reading Luke 23:42-43, And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” Jesus, in his final hour, close to death, stripped of all his glory, forgives a criminal.
Having just finished a weekend of prison ministry, I know what it means for the lowliest criminal to find out there is hope for him, and this also means there is hope for us all! This is not through anything we do, but simply believing that Christ is Lord of all! He took on our debt and gave everything he had for all of us.
Prayer: Father God, I give you great thanks for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ. Who even at His lowest, most desperate time, during his darkest hour, showed unconditional love to a prisoner. Allow me to have the same attitude that even when things are not going well with me, that I might be able to spread the Good News and give others hope. I ask all these things in Jesus’s Holy Name, Amen!
GOOD FRIDAY EXPERIENCES
These are self guided,
and you can come as
you have time…
…if you’ve got 15 minutes, great!
…if you’ve got one hour, great!
