Good Friday
29 Mar 2024
Reading: Mark 14:26-51
When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’
But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Even though all become deserters, I will not.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said vehemently, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And all of them said the same.
They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated.
And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.”
He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him.
He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.”
Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.
Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” So when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.
Then they laid hands on him and arrested him. But one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
Then Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.” All of them deserted him and fled.
Friday morning
None of us could sleep.
They came and arrested Rabboni last night. The men scattered and ran back here. Here, where we had the Passover meal. Was it just last night when we were remembering liberation from slavery? When is just last night, when Rabboni recounted how God brought our ancestors out from Egypt? Here, where Rabboni washed our feet?
Was it only a few hours ago, when he took off his outer robes, knelt before us, and washed our feet?
When he said “You call me Lord and Teacher. You are right. Tonight I, your Lord and Teacher have set you an example: Do for one another as I have done for you.”
Things changed so fast – we were all afraid.
When they arrested Rabboni – we all ran away – none of us stood with him. And Judas – why did he betray Rabboni? Why? We knew each other for so long… He was one of the twelve!
Was it because of money? Or was it because he was impatient with Rabboni’s non-violent teachings. He had said nothing has changed – we were still under Roman rule. He had talked about a revolution and bloodshed to free us from the Romans – He had admired Barabbas and the insurrectionists.
But he was there when we ate last night. Rabboni even washed his feet! We were commanded to love one another! How could he betray Rabboni?
We didn’t know what they would do to Rabboni. Some were weeping. Some ran off, and didn’t come back.
Rabboni said “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes and be killed….
Rabboni’s mother wept too. She said she knew for a long while it would end like this. But it still felt as though a sword pierced her heart.
What do we do now?
Worship Song : Hail Mary
Reading MARK 15:1–21 From 6 to 9AM
As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” Then the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate asked him again, “Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.
Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection.
So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. Then he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”
They shouted back, “Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him.
And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
Friday morning
None of us could sleep. Some of us were praying. Some were worried that the soldiers will come for us too.
The man with the water jar who led us here tried to comfort us too. He offered some food, but none of us had any appetite. “You need strength in times like this, sister” he told me. And he broke a piece of bread and offered it to me.
And I remembered Rabboni’s words “This is my body, broken for you.” And I wept.
Then Peter came back. What happened to Rabboni we asked as we gathered around him. He didn’t answer. Is Rabboni still alive? What did they do to him? What do we do now?
We feared the worst. Peter, after all, was the rock. The outspoken one.
He was not his usual self – but none of us were our usual selves given what was happening. Some of us tried to ask him what happened, but he remained quiet, and we left him alone. He sat alone, quiet, and almost on the brink of tears, and… broken.
Then there was pounding at the door – and we were all frightened. Was it the soldiers? Have they found us? Are they here to arrest us?
But it wasn’t the soldiers – it was one of us – he went out in the morning to find out what was happening. He told us what happened – the Roman Governor asked who they wanted to release over the Passover. The crowd chose Barabbas who led the insurrection – yes the leader of the rebels who fought the Roman soldiers and were captured. They were going to crucify Rabboni, and they were marching him to Golgotha. The women, without hesitation, rushed out to the streets. Others quickly followed.
Reading: MARK 15:22–32 From 9AM to Noon
Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take.
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!”
In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.
Worship Song – Were You There?
Crucifixion
They crucified Rabboni with two of the insurrectionists who were part of Barrabas’ band that were captured.
It was hard to be there. I kept my eyes closed the whole time. With every strike of the hammer on the nails, we flinched. It tore at our hearts – and how much more agony was it to Rabboni. We couldn’t control our weeping. I heard some people wailing too.
But Rabboni’s mother was resolute. The tears flowed from her eyes, but she remained steadfast. Something changed within her. Something was not the same.
She started to sing:
My soul proclaims the greatness O God,
And my spirit rejoices in You,
You have looked with love on your servant here.
And blessed me all my life through.
Great and mighty are you, O Holy One,
Strong is your kindness everymore.
How you favour the weak and lowly one
Humbling the proud of heart
You have cast the mighty down from their thrones,
And uplifted the humble of heart,
You have filled the hungry with wondrous things,
And left the wealthy no part.
Great and mighty are you O Faithful One,
Strong is your justice, strong your love,
As you promised to Sarah and Abraham,
Kindness forevermore.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in You,
You have looked with love on your servant here.
And blessed me all my life through.
She was praising God even that moment? Even as her son, our Rabboni, was dying?
Even when all of Rabboni’s followers were scattered, and the dream of God’s kin-dom crushed?
Then, in my heart, I started singing too.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in You,
You have looked with love on your servant here.
And blessed me all my life through.
We stood there resolute. We surrendered – not to the Romans – but to God.
Reading: Mark 15:33 From Noon to 3 PM
When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.
Friday afternoon
We stood there a distance from the cross, looking as life drained out of Rabboni. There was no more wailing… just sobs and weeping.
Then we heard Rabboni gave a loud cry and he breathed his last. And then the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Some people said Rabboni has torn the boundary between God and humankind….
But things still looked the same. The Romans were still in power. Things did not change.
Is the sword more powerful? They chose to free Barrabas because they thought that Rabboni’s teachings of non-violent resistance was foolish. They thought we can only overthrow the Romans with violence – Barrabas’ way. They believed the only way to fight power was with more power, more violence, more bloodshed.
But Rabboni always taught of a different way. A different kin-dom – a kin-dom that is already here with us.
Is this it? The promise of God’s kin-dom – where all of us are beloved, all of us are treated with respect, all of us are cared for, nobody hungry or in need, nobody abandoned or left behind, where there is justice, where there is righteousness – is this how it ends?
Worship Song : Were You There?
6 PM and the Burial of Jesus
When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.
MARK 15:42–47
Worship Song: Hail Mary
Rabboni’s mother cradled the Rabboni’s lifeless body and wept, just like how one who cradle a child.
Liturgy by Irene Zimmerman
All the way to Elizabeth
and in the months afterward
she wove him, pondering,
“this is my body, my blood!
“Beneath the watching eyes
of donkey, ox, and sheep
she rocked him crooning
“this is my body, my blood!”
In the search for her young lost boy
and the foreboding day of his leaving
she let him go , knowing
“This is my body, my blood!”
Under the blood smeared cross
she rocked his mangled bones,
re-membering him, moaning,
“This is my body, my blood!”
And no one thought to tell her:
“Woman, it is not fitting
for you to say those words.
You don’t resemble him.”
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Closing Song – God of Moon and Stars
