Lessons for April 6, 2007 – Good Friday

The first lesson

Isaiah 52:13-53:12
 
    See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. [14] Many were amazed when they saw him—beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person. [15] And he will again startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not previously been told about; they will understand what they had not heard about. [53:1] Who has believed our message? To whom will the Lord reveal his saving power? [2] My servant grew up in the Lord's presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. [3] He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. [4] Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! [5] But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! [6] All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. [7] He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. [8] From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins—that he was suffering their punishment? [9] He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave. [10] But it was the Lord's good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord's plan will prosper in his hands. [11] When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. [12] I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners.  (NLT)

Psalm 22 

L.  My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?
C.  Why do you remain so distant? Why do you ignore my cries for help? 
L.  Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
C.  Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief.
L.  Yet you are holy. The praises of Israel surround your throne. 
C.  Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them.  You heard their cries for help and saved them.
L.  They put their trust in you and were never disappointed.
 
C.  But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all! 
L.  Everyone who sees me mocks me.
C.  They sneer and shake their heads, saying,  "Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
L.  Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!"
C.  Yet you brought me safely from my mother's womb and led me to trust you when I was a nursing infant. 
L.  I was thrust upon you at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.
C.  Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. 
L.  My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in! 
C.  Like roaring lions attacking their prey, they come at me with open mouths. 
L.  My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.
C.  My heart is like wax, melting within me.  My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
L.  My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
C.  My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me.
L.  They have pierced my hands and feet.  I can count every bone in my body.
C.  My enemies stare at me and gloat.  They divide my clothes among themselves and throw dice for my garments.
L.  O Lord, do not stay away! You are my strength; come quickly to my aid! 
C.  Rescue me from a violent death; spare my precious life from these dogs. 
L.  Snatch me from the lions' jaws, and from the horns of these wild oxen.
C.  Then I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters.
L.  I will praise you among all your people.  Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!
C.  Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel! 
L.  For he has not ignored the suffering of the needy.
C.  He has not turned and walked away. He has listened to their cries for help.
L.  I will praise you among all the people; I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you. 
C.  The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him.
L.  Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. 
C.  The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.
L.  People from every nation will bow down before him. 
C.  For the Lord is king! He rules all the nations.
L.  Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.
C.  Let all mortals—those born to die—bow down in his presence. 
L.  Future generations will also serve him. Our children will hear about the wonders of the Lord. 
C.  His righteous acts will be told to those yet unborn. They will hear about everything he has done.  (NLT)
 
The second lesson

Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9
 
    That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. [15] This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. [16] So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it. 5:7  While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could deliver him out of death. And God heard his prayers because of his reverence for God. [8] So even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. [9] In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.  (NLT)

The Gospel Lesson

John 18:1-19:42
 
    After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. [2] Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had gone there many times with his disciples. [3] The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a battalion of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove.  [4] Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him. Stepping forward to meet them, he asked, "Whom are you looking for?"  [5] "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am he," Jesus said. Judas was standing there with them when Jesus identified himself. [6] And as he said, "I am he," they all fell backward to the ground! [7] Once more he asked them, "Whom are you searching for?” And again they replied, "Jesus of Nazareth."  [8] "I told you that I am he," Jesus said. "And since I am the one you want, let these others go." [9] He did this to fulfill his own statement: "I have not lost a single one of those you gave me."  [10] Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest's servant. [11] But Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup the Father has given me?" [12] So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up. [13] First they took him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. [14] Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, "Better that one should die for all." [15] Simon Peter followed along behind, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the courtyard with Jesus. [16] Peter stood outside the gate. Then the other disciple spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. [17] The woman asked Peter, "Aren't you one of Jesus' disciples?" "No," he said, "I am not."  [18] The guards and the household servants were standing around a charcoal fire they had made because it was cold. And Peter stood there with them, warming himself. [19] Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. [20] Jesus replied, "What I teach is widely known, because I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple. I have been heard by people everywhere, and I teach nothing in private that I have not said in public. [21] Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said." [22] One of the Temple guards standing there struck Jesus on the face. "Is that the way to answer the high priest?" he demanded. [23] Jesus replied, "If I said anything wrong, you must give evidence for it. Should you hit a man for telling the truth?" [24] Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest.
[25] Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire, they asked him again, "Aren't you one of his disciples?" "I am not," he said. [26] But one of the household servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Didn't I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?" [27] Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed. [28] Jesus' trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn't go in themselves because it would defile them, and they wouldn't be allowed to celebrate the Passover feast. [29] So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, "What is your charge against this man?"  [30] "We wouldn't have handed him over to you if he weren't a criminal!" they retorted. [31] "Then take him away and judge him by your own laws," Pilate told them. "Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone," the Jewish leaders replied. [32] This fulfilled Jesus' prediction about the way he would die. 
[33] Then Pilate went back inside and called for Jesus to be brought to him. "Are you the King of the Jews?" he asked him. [34] Jesus replied, "Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?" [35] "Am I a Jew?" Pilate asked. "Your own people and their leading priests brought you here. Why? What have you done?"  [36] Then Jesus answered, "I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world."  [37] Pilate replied, "You are a king then?" "You say that I am a king, and you are right," Jesus said. "I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true." [38] "What is truth?" Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, "He is not guilty of any crime. [39] But you have a custom of asking me to release someone from prison each year at Passover. So if you want me to, I'll release the King of the Jews." [40] But they shouted back, "No! Not this man, but Barabbas!" (Barabbas was a criminal.) [19:1] Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. [2] The soldiers made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head, and they put a royal purple robe on him. [3] "Hail! King of the Jews!" they mocked, and they hit him with their fists. [4] Pilate went outside again and said to the people, "I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty." [5] Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, "Here is the man!" [6] When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, "Crucify! Crucify!" "You crucify him," Pilate said. "I find him not guilty." [7] The Jewish leaders replied, "By our laws he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God." [8] When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. [9] He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave no answer. [10] "You won't talk to me?" Pilate demanded. "Don't you realize that I have the power to release you or to crucify you?" [11] Then Jesus said, "You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who brought me to you has the greater sin." [12] Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders told him, "If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar." [13] When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). [14] It was now about noon of the day of preparation for the Passover. And Pilate said to the people, "Here is your king!" [15] "Away with him," they yelled. "Away with him—crucify him!" "What? Crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the leading priests shouted back. [16] Then Pilate gave Jesus to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus and led him away. [17] Carrying the cross by himself, Jesus went to the place called Skull Hill (in Hebrew, Golgotha). [18] There they crucified him. There were two others crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. [19] And Pilate posted a sign over him that read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." [20] The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it. [21] Then the leading priests said to Pilate, "Change it from 'The King of the Jews' to 'He said, I am King of the Jews.' " [22] Pilate replied, "What I have written, I have written. It stays exactly as it is." 
[23] When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. [24] So they said, "Let's not tear it but throw dice to see who gets it." This fulfilled the Scripture that says, "They divided my clothes among themselves and threw dice for my robe." [25] So that is what they did. Standing near the cross were Jesus' mother, and his mother's sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. [26] When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, "Woman, he is your son." [27] And he said to this disciple, "She is your mother." And from then on this disciple took her into his home.[28] Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures he said, "I am thirsty." [29] A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. [30] When Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished!" Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. [31] The Jewish leaders didn't want the victims hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath at that, because it was the Passover), so they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down. [32] So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. [33] But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was dead already, so they didn't break his legs. [34] One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out. [35] This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account; it is presented so that you also can believe. [36] These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, "Not one of his bones will be broken," [37] and "They will look on him whom they pierced." [38] Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take Jesus' body down. When Pilate gave him permission, he came and took the body away. [39] Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night, also came, bringing about seventy-five pounds of embalming ointment made from myrrh and aloes. [40] Together they wrapped Jesus' body in a long linen cloth with the spices, as is the Jewish custom of burial. [41] The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. [42] And so, because it was the day of preparation before the Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.  (NLT)