I woke up this morning at 3:30 AM.  I’ve been doing that a bit lately, I’m not sure why.  Usually I fall right back off to sleep. But this morning, I thought about passion week.  “I wonder what Jesus was doing right now.” And it occurred to me, as it has many times in the past, that Good Friday was not so good for Jesus.

This year, passion week has had a deeper impact on me than usual since it’s only been a month since I stood in Jerusalem and took in the scenes for myself.

Perhaps the most intimate scene of Jesus’ final week is the upper room, where in response to the stubborn pride of the disciples, Jesus took off his robe and picked up the basin and towel.  And while the disciples argued among themselves as to who was the greatest, the Creator of the Universe, their Master and Lord washed their dirty feet. It should have been the other way around, but Jesus “made himself nothing and took on the very nature of a servant” (Philippians 2:7).  And then He shared a somber meal of bread and wine with his followers.  All over the world observant Jews broke bread and shared the cup to commemorate Passover, while inadvertently enacting the broken body and shed blood of Messiah. As they ate their meal together, Judas animated by Satan, slinked off to betray the son of God.  “What you are about to do, do quickly,” Jesus told him (John 13:27). What a disappointment for Jesus.  After three years, the disciples are still vying for preeminence and Judas is poised to betray the Son of God. Good Friday is not turning out so good.

Gethsemane is a beautiful spot, still a peaceful respite across the Kidron valley just outside the ancient walls of Jerusalem.  And standing among the two-thousand-year-old olive trees, I see why Jesus would frequently retreat here.  The tranquil spot with its cool breeze and gently swaying branches is the perfect spot to pray… or take a nap.  Ironic, isn’t it? The three disciples who Jesus chose to provide him comfort in his darkest hour, couldn’t stay awake. So instead, “an angel from heaven appears and strengthens him” (Luke 22:43) What is it like to be in such emotional anguish that as you pray your sweat is like “drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke22:44)? Good Friday’s not shaping up so good for Jesus.

Jesus is betrayed and arrested by a mob of soldiers and all the disciples desert him and flee. Jesus is escorted up an ancient cobblestone road to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest and throughout the night he is interrogated, mocked, and beaten. Peter stands in the courtyard outside, warming himself by the fire.  Consumed by fear and a desire for self-preservation, when confronted, Peter denies, once, twice, three times and then a rooster crows.  Jesus turns and looks at Peter. So much for Peter’s empty boast, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you” (Matthew 26:35). And Jesus stands alone.

The Via Delarosa or “Way of Suffering” is the path Jesus took from Antonia Fortress to Golgotha, the place of the skull, where he was crucified. By now, it’s morning and Jesus has been shuttled to Pilate, then Herod and back to Pilate where he was ultimately given the death penalty by the Roman governor.  Pilate knows that Jesus is innocent, but he crumbles under the demands of an unruly mob.  “Crucify Him!” (John 19:6), “Away with this man, give us Barabbas!” (Luke 23:18) and “We have no king but Caesar!” (John 19:15) Jesus, rejected by his own people, endures another round of mocking and a brutal beating, before he is sent off carrying the very instrument of his death, a cross. Good Friday is not good for Jesus.

The Bible says that Jesus was crucified outside the city at “the place of the skull.”  The church of the Holy Sepulcher marks the traditional spot and completely encompasses the site.  But just 200 yards outside the Damascus Gate is Skull Hill and the Garden Tomb, an equally representative spot.  For six hours on Friday, in the presence of his loved ones, Jesus suffered on the cross, stripped naked, suspended between heaven and earth.  As he bore the sins of the world on his shoulders, those who passed by on the road railed at him and hurled insults. Above his head was nailed a plaque that both declared his accusation and an eternal truth, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

There were so many varied reactions to Jesus’ suffering that day. Pilate self-justified, the crowd mocked, the disciples despaired, the soldiers ignored.  Amidst the darkness of this day, only one person truly seemed to grasp the meaning of this moment, a thief and fellow sufferer who received mercy and pardon in his final hour. And then Jesus, having fulfilled all that the Father had decreed with a loud cry gave up his spirit and breathed his last.

It’s completely appropriate that the suffering that started in a garden would end in one.  For nearby was a new tomb of a wealthy disciple, Joseph of Arimathea.  Poor people buried their dead where they could, in natural caves and rocky crags. But the wealthy could afford family graves, rock hewn chambers with a carved platform to receive the recently deceased. And here, Jesus was hastily laid because sunset was coming and the sabbath loomed. Joseph quickly took spices and strips of linen to wrap the body and then rolled the massive stone across the mouth of the cave to protect the precious contents from wild animals or potential looters. Shortly after, the Roman soldiers arrived to place the official seal of Rome on the stone.  That and a Roman guard should take care of any mischief that may be planned.

For the next 36 hours, according to the law of the Sabbath, the disciples were in self-imposed isolation. They couldn’t move, socialize, get out of town. Sabbath was a day of rest and strictly enforced.  So, there they sat, lost in their own thoughts, some grappled with the shame and disillusionment of having deserted Jesus, others with the shock and trauma of having watched him die.  What were they feeling- anger, fear, confusion, misery?  It’s hard to imagine. Jesus was sealed in a dark, cold tomb and they too were locked in a tomb of their own despair.

For them, the One who offered eternal life was instead conquered by death.  He who had spoken words of peace had been violently cut down. The one they called Savior in the end could not save himself.  As the disciples on the road to Emmaus said:

He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. (Luke 24:19-21)

On the face of it, Friday wasn’t a very good day, not for the disciples, not for Mary, and not for Jesus.  Their whole world had turned upside-down and the Enemy it seemed had won. But don’t despair.

Sunday’s coming!