DAY 29, MARCH 29, 2024, THANK GOD, IT’S GOOD FRIDAY!
Good Morning, Everyone,
I contemplated how it must have been for Jesus when he knew his time was up. I don’t believe he said, “Father, get me out of here as soon as you can. According to the Gospel written by Matthew, in the garden of Gethsemane, he pleaded with God as he asked Him if there was any other way to do what he had to do besides going on the cross.
He knew the disciples weren’t ready for him to leave the earth. They were still looking for him to gather an army to defeat the Romans. However, when I look at Jesus’s prophetic words to them, I see they had no clue that that night would be the night that destroyed their dreams of overcoming the Roman Empire and would throw them into a state of perplexity.
Jesus knew this would happen, and like the loving Lord that He is, He asked God for more time, which was denied. I look at Jesus’s prophetic words, “One of you will betray me,” or as he told Peter, “Before rooster crows, you will have disowned me three times.” Peter’s vehement declaration was that he was willing to die for him.
I am astonished at how many times I unknowingly or knowingly disowned Jesus, the power of what He did on the cross, and the power of His resurrection. And by the way, all the disciples agreed, like Peter, that they would die for Jesus too, except one, ––Judas, who had gone off to complete his task to betray him. None of them were aware of what would happen.
And so was it with my own life in the beginning. If you had asked me some years ago, I would have said that a walk of faith is like a sprint. After you have won three or four of them, you could retire and live off of what you have accomplished.
But the faith walk is different. It is a complicated process: walk, run, stumble, run, stumble, walk, filled with your purpose.
You start out walking. The day is sunny and bright, only to come upon dark clouds that douse you in the rain. There is no shelter to hide in, so you keep walking and notice ahead the sun is shining again, and you start running only to realize the more that you run toward the end, the farther away it is, and because you’re running, you don’t take a look at the path, and you stumble and fall. You lay there wondering what to do. You’re perplexed.
However, like the disciples, we have a loving Lord who looks after us. He picks us up. And like with Peter and the gang, He showed up right on time at the sea of Galilee. He fed them, reinstated Peter, and showed them what to do next.
This is why I love Good Friday. Jesus paid my debt entirely, and now I walk out my purpose daily, knowing that I am cleansed, healed, justified, redeemed, and sanctified by the lamb’s blood, which was Jesus going to the cross. He was the sacrificial lamb, and on the third day, He rose.
He would have been limited in time and space if He had not gone to the cross. Now, He’s everywhere.
Thank God! It’s Good Friday.
Have a lovely holy day.
Shalom shalom,
Pat Garcia
We have all been caught in the rain. This gives it glorious context.
You explain the Last Supper well Pat. I can tell that you get a lot out of it.
Nina Simone’s daughter — nice!
Good Morning, Shirley,
Thank you. That makes me happy, and I will pass the praise upward.
Yes, Nina’s daughter has a voice just like her Mama.
Take care.
Shalom shalom
Pat, your post was amazing. The path to Jesus is full of places to stumble or even turn around. It is our faith that ultimately leads to our redemption. Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, so I will celebrate the resurrection along with you and all the faithful. Truly, we are all saved by His grace.
Happy Easter!
My Dear Karl,
Yes, indeed! We are all saved by His grace if we belong to Him.
I hope you have had an amazing Easter.
Take care.
Shalom shalom
Oh, Pat, thank you for sharing this beautiful piece! And you described the walk of faith just as it is in my life, sprint, run, stumble, fall… then get up, and start all over again. That’s the way it is in my life. But you know what, Pat? No matter how many times I stumble and fall, I know that I am allowed to get up and try all over again.
Thank you for sharing that beautiful piece by Nina Simone’s daughter. I didn’t know she had a daughter, but her voice is beautiful, just as I remember her mom’s to be, and I loved hearing her sing that song!
After writing my own post, then reading yours, I feel as if we are having church in this challenge!
Amen!
Thank you so much for the pingback.
All the best.
Shalom shalom
Pat–You have expressed what so many of us have felt. I have so often thought how easy it might have been for Jesus to refuse to be crucified. Even Pontius Pilate knew he shouldn’t be crucified, but the people demanded that Jesus be handed over. Mob mentality. Always the most horrific thing that can overtake a group of people. But it was the most necessary thing so that He could die for our sins.
Crucifixion was a form of terrorism. It was used to show anyone who might be any kind of an insurrectionist or criminal that he would have to undergo that most horrible death. Anyone who was crucified was made an example to others who might want to commit similar crimes. But Jesus had done nothing except to be a role model for EVERYONE.
If only we could all be more like him every day…
Thank you for what you wrote. It did my heart good.
Happy Easter.
Wanda
Good Morning, my Dear Wanda,
Yes, I believe even the people knew that the crucifixion was a hoax to get rid of Jesus. But had He not died, we would not be free to change our way of living by letting Him live through us.
Thank you so much for coming by.
Shalom shalom
Yes, the walk of faith is a marathon, not a sprint.
Happy Easter to you–just two more days to go, Pat!
Hello, Marian,
Thank you for stopping by.
Yes, only two more days to go. If I could, I would take the whole week off afterward, but I can’t. However, I will take Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.
I hope you had a lovely Easter.
Take care.
Shalom shalom
Amen!
Thank you, Karen.
Have a lovely Good Friday.
Shalom shalom
Hi, Pat!
How beautifully you described the faith walk and what our Lord Jesus did for us on that Friday. Because of what he endured, we have hope for redemption. Because of the resurrection and empty tomb, we have hope for eternal life with the Father. Thank you for reminding us.
Blessings!
Patty
Thank you my dear, Patty. What Jesus did is the Gospel. Without it, we would all be lost.
Shalom shalom
Amen !
Thank you, Joy.
Have a lovely Good Friday.
Shalom shalom