Can you imagine the pit of despair the Disciples felt on Good Friday? To them it was a hellish and confusing Friday. They were confused, they scattered, Peter even denied Jesus.
Jesus’ separation from the Father while on the cross (Matthew 27:46) is the loneliest and most poignant moment any person ever felt in the history of the universe, bar none.
But the disciples’ sudden and unexpected separation on Friday from their spiritual Father they’d been following so hopefully for three years came upon them cruelly and brutally, throwing them all into states of panic, despair, and spiritual depression. Even though Jesus had told them ahead of time, and even though they had studied the scriptures, they didn’t understand. To them, it wasn’t Good Friday. It was just bad Friday and the seeming end of the long trail of hopes and highs they’d been experiencing for three years with Jesus in discipleship to Him. They did not know as we do, Friday’s here, but Sunday’s coming!
We worship Jesus every day. We worship and praise Jesus collectively in services on Sunday. We exalt Him each year on Resurrection Sunday. We know Him as Resurrected King triumphant over sin and death!
His ultimate moment will be His return, when every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess (Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10, Isaiah 45:23).
“The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.” (Zechariah 14:9)
Everyone will know that Jesus is MESSIAH! They will finally know the Resurrected Jesus is the only name. He is all names. He is the beginning and the end!
And it started with the cross on Friday, when it was finished.
Holy Week is that period between Psalm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday. It is a period rightly somber, and many Christians meditate on the meaning of the different things Jesus did in His last week of earthly life.
The Gospels were not written chronologically so it is hard to exactly tell when Jesus did what during that specific week, except for Thursday. Yesterday was the day Jesus washed the disciples’ feet,(John 13:3–17), established the Lord’s Supper, (Luke 22:19–20), and was the evening of His betrayal and arrest. (John 18,John 19,Isaiah 52:13-53:12). Also, today we know Jesus was crucified.
Today is known as “Good Friday”. What is ‘good’ about it? What can possibly be good about an innocent man executed in the most brutal way, making Him a spectacle? What is good about death and the cross? What is good about a perversion of justice, where betrayers are monetarily rewarded and notorious murderers set free?
That is the finite, human view. What is ‘good’ to us is quite different in God’s economy. It was good that the Son willingly left glory to incarnate on earth, live all the phases of a human male until an adult, and teach and preach truths for 3 years. It was good that the Son submitted to the Father’s will for all His life, including death on a cross. It was good he was sinless and sacrificed Himself for those who would believe or we would all be doomed to God’s wrath for our sin in hell for all eternity. Now, anyone who will repent and believe will enjoy the gift of eternal life. All this is good.
He laid down His life for us. He was stripped, nailed, and speared. Why? For us. His love for us. His love for the world. Spurgeon says in his sermon, The Death of Christ for His People,
Come, now, my soul, and worship this man, this God. Come, believer, and behold thy Saviour; come to the innermost circle of all sanctity, the circle that contains the cross of Christ, and here sit down; and, whilst thou dost worship, learn three lessons from the fact that “he laid down his life for us.”
The first lesson should be,—Did he lay down his life for us? Ah! then, my brethren, how great must have been our sins that they could not have been atoned for at any other price!
Secondly, did he lay down his life for us? Ah! then, beloved, how great must have been his love! He would not stop short anywhere, until life itself had been resigned.
Thirdly, did he lay down his life for us? Ah! then, my soul, be of good cheer; how safe art thou! If such an atonement hath been offered, if such a sure satisfaction hath been given to Almighty God, how secure thou art! Who is he that can destroy him who hath been bought with the blood of such a Redeemer?
The cross of Jesus is all in all. Paul preached about the cross 19 times in the Gospels, said Horatius Bonar in his essay The Cross of the Lord Jesus.
Bonar wrote “The crucifixion transformed the evil into good.” Bonar unpacks each of these in his essay, but for brevity’s sake here are the themes:
One. It is the place of propitiation (Lev 16:15; Rom 3:25). The altar was there for the burnt-offering. The place without the gate for the sin-offering was there. He “his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1Pe 2:24). The sin-bearing work was completed there when the cry went up, “It is finished” (Joh 19:30).
Two. It is the meeting-place (Exo 29:42). It is the place where we meet with God, and God meets with us in friendship, and love, and joy.
Three. It is the place of love. God’s love is there, shining in its full brightness, unhindered and undimmed. “God so loved the world” (Joh 3:16) gets its interpretation at the Cross.
Four. It is the place of acceptance. Here we become “accepted in the beloved” (Eph 1:6). Here the exchange takes place between the perfect and the imperfect.
Bonar goes on to explain 20 accomplishments of the cross. He summed up-
The right knowledge of the Cross is everything to a sinner; and error respecting it must be fatal. It is by the knowledge of Himself and of His Cross that the Father’s righteous Servant justifies many; and to be ignorant of the Cross is to be ignorant of that which justifies. To be in error as to that Cross is to be in error as to that in virtue of which God forgiveth sin and receives the sinner into favor.
To add anything to that Cross is to destroy its efficacy as well as to deny its completeness; to take anything from it is to rob it of its saving virtue. It can only save as it stands—the perfection of God’s wisdom and the revelation of His righteous grace.
SYNOPSIS: Holy Week invites reflection on Jesus’s final acts, highlighting propitiation and atonement: Christ’s sacrificial death satisfies God’s wrath, reconciles sinners, and accomplishes salvation through His willing obedience to the Father.
Today is Monday, March 30, 2026. It is the Monday after Psalm Sunday. On that Sunday so long ago, Jesus rode a colt of a donkey into Jerusalem and was hailed and blessed and exalted as a coming King. A deliverer. A Savior (of the Israelites).
He was, but not in the way the hallelujah-ing crowds thought. He came to die.
Holy Week is that period between Psalm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday. It is a period rightly somber, and many Christians meditate on the meaning of the different things Jesus did in His last week of life as humble servant, prophet, miracle worker. He walked, sometimes trudged, always clear eyed and willingly, toward that dark death promised Him before the worlds began.
He came to die. It is time to die.
The Gospels were not written chronologically so it is hard to exactly tell what Jesus did during that specific week. Tradition says this is the day He cursed the fig tree for its promise of fruit but failure to produce it. Or perhaps this is the day He cleansed the Temple. We can’t be dogmatic about specifics, but we can rightly ponder the great truths Jesus has taught during his life as Teacher (Rabboni). Who IS this Jesus, this Jesus who is promised to come again. This same Jesus who will come again. (Acts 1:11).
He came to die as propitiation for our sins.
He not only came to die, but He came to shed His blood in the dying. Jesus’s is a story that bears repeating and repeating and it never becomes boring. How could it?! As Spurgeon said in his sermon Christ Set Forth As A Propitiation, Spurgeon, Good Friday Morning, March 29, 1861:
“You will not reply that you have heard this story so often that you have grown weary of it, for well I know that with you, the Person, the Character, and the work of Christ are always fresh themes for wonder! We have seen the sea, some of us, hundreds of times, and what an abiding sameness there is in its deep green surface; but who ever called the sea monotonous? Traveling over it as the mariner does, sometimes by the year together, there is always a freshness in the undulation of the waves, the whiteness of the foam of the breaker, the curl of the crested billow, and the frolicsome pursuit of every wave by its long train of brothers. Which of us has ever complained that the sun gave us but little variety…”
So this is a week when we ponder the old, old story, as we do every week of the year.
Jesus was set forth as a sacrifice. He willingly came to do so. Spurgeon’s text is Romans 3:25-
whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in God’s merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; (Romans 3:25).
Spurgeon: “The words, “set forth,” in the original may signify, “foreordained;” but according to eminent critics, it has also in it the idea of setting forth as well as a “foreordaining.” Barnes says, “The word properly means to place in public view; to exhibit in a conspicuous situation, as goods are exhibited or exposed for sale, or as premiums or rewards of victory were exhibited to public view in the games of the Greeks.” So has God the Father set forth, manifested, made conspicuous the Person of the Lord Jesus as the Propitiation of sin.“
Indeed. As the week progresses to its climax, we understand that Jesus’ suffering and death was made ‘a spectacle’ for all to view.
For now, He saw the crowds praising Him, knowing in a few days they would be cursing Him. Such is the fickle display of sinning hearts, crowds who became a spectacle themselves as spiritually worthless flunkies howling their hosannas which crumbled like dead leaves underfoot days later.
Spurgeon- “We should look to Christ, and look to Christ, alone, as the propitiation for our sins, and take care that our faith is simple, and fixed solely on his precious blood” that shall be shed in a mere few days.
And still Jesus pressed on.
More tomorrow.
God’s Promise concerning His Servant
1″Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. 2″He will not cry out nor raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. 3″A bent reed He will not break off And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. 4″He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice on the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.” Isaiah 42:1-4
SYNOPSIS: Reflecting on The Pilgrim’s Progress and examples like John Child, I explore apostasy’s terror, irreversibility, and sobering call to perseverance, holiness, and faithful gospel proclamation.
Biblical speech must be gracious and gentle when contending for the faith; yet disagreement persists due to sin, ignorance, or conflicting worldviews, not merely poor communication.
SYNOPSIS: Christians must contend for the faith with truth and love, rejecting shallow “drive-by” comments, pursuing humble dialogue, and standing firm despite opposition in today’s public, digital arena.
Introduction
The practicalities of how to contend for the faith is a big subject. We’re told to contend, of course, many times and in many ways. For example, Jude wanted to write a nice, little encouraging letter, but found that because of false brothers teaching false doctrine, he had to do his duty first and clear up some misconceptions and errors.
Beloved, although I made every effort to write you about the salvation we share, I felt it necessary to write and urge you to contend earnestly for the faith entrusted once for all to the saints. (Jude 1:2)
Paul was sure that in his absence the Philippians will be “contending side by side for the faith of the gospel,” (Philippians 1:27).
Paul urged Timothy to “fight the good fight“. (1 Timothy 6:12).
Stand firm, do not turn, speak truth, and so on.
It’s important to consider, especially in this day and age of social media platforms with widespread audiences watching us, reading our words, and listening to our debates. Even in Solomon’s Portico or at the Areopagus or on the hillside at the Sermon on the Mount, with tens of thousands in attendance, today’s audiences who either lurk or engage with us online are an order of magnitude larger than those audiences.
But how? How do we contend appropriately? Sometimes we’re called to be gentle, other times to be direct. Righteous anger is allowed, but not unrighteous anger, and don’t let the sun set on any anger. Paul used holy sarcasm, but are we allowed to? Maybe? Maybe not.
I’ll do my best to answer the above but first, there is one part of online life in civil discourse I’d like to address as I fold it into the larger issue of appropriate theological discourse. I call these the “Drive By Debaters”.
Drive-By Commenters
It’s when someone takes the time to read the post. They take the time to comment on the post. Or they haven’t even read it (more common). But when they reply, they then state their position and end it by saying “I don’t want to debate.”
This kind of comment is opposed to true theological discourse, and even undermines it. It shuts down the point of any biblical discussion, which is to work together to arrive at a common understanding, mutual edification, and brotherly love with Christ as a center point. That kind of comment says ‘I’m right, you’re wrong, and I don’t care if you accept it or not, I just wanted to use your platform to say so. Buh-bye.’
The purpose of discussing biblical principles, interpretations, or concepts in person or online is to arrive at a common understanding. It’s to teach and be taught. The drive-by debate-denier displays they have an unteachable spirit.
Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5).
What I do if someone says “I don’t want to debate” on one of my platforms (Facebook, Twitter, blog, or email) is to engage once more by gently asking a question about what they’d said. Sometimes they’ll come back and we can begin discussion. If they don’t, I delete their original comment. I figure, if they don’t want to discuss, then we won’t discuss. At all.
I won’t allow my platforms to be used by drive by commenters, because from the outset they display that they are not interested in the rules of honest civil engagement. We should all seek wisdom, then understanding. This should be true from the top-most sage teacher to the newest babe.
Wisdom is to be highly prized. Proverbs 4:7-9 says,
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. 8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
How Should We Contend?
As for my main point, how to contend. I share theological truths with friendly people and unfriendly people. Some of the most unfriendly people I deal with are those who claim they are Christians but are not. When addressing their stance, they explode in myriad ways. When pointing out their favorite teacher is false, they go off like a rocket. If you really want to poke a bear, either discuss a sin with a false professing Christian, or identify their favorite teacher as false. Both discussions go to the same root: sin. Satan is protective of his peoples’ sin and it does not like to be exposed to the light of day. (John 3:19). That’s why the person explodes on you.
Some Bible verses call for gentleness on the part of the deliverer of the message, other Bible verses call for firmness, harshness even. In today’s ‘tolerant’ and ‘don’t judge’ atmosphere, when discussing biblical things, if the other person blows up it’s often seen as a failure of communication on our part. But in many cases it’s not, and don’t be afraid if it happens to you.
The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ 5And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.(Ezekiel 2:4-7).
Not that we are Prophets like Ezekiel was, but in New Testament times we are God’s witnesses, His ambassadors, people with a sent message. We are one of the ways Jesus uses to either draw people to Himself through the Gospel message, or we are one of the ways He will condemn them on the last day, if they refuse the message. In our case we say ‘Thus says the LORD’ via His written word.
In addition to sharing the Gospel, we are called to warn, encourage, rebuke, teach and exhort and so on. We are constantly called upon to employ a humble attitude and to contend in myriad ways. Though our proclamations sometimes will not be received well either, we still speak them. The LORD assured Ezekiel and He gives us the same assurance in Luke 12:4 and Revelation 2:10.
In the part 2 of this series I’ll sift through the various verses that discuss our speaking up in warnings and rebukes and exhortations, and being a witness through appropriate theological discourse in difficult times. There’s a lot to it, but mainly it boils down to two ingredients; speaking the truth, in love. I’ll share my perspective on this tomorrow.
A closed coffee shop prompts my reflection on the importance of “third places”—informal public spaces where community forms and conversations flourish. Such places often provide unexpected opportunities to speak about Jesus, influence listeners, and even lead souls toward salvation through ordinary, unplanned encounters and faithful Christian conversation.
SYNOPSIS: A lawyer tested Jesus about the greatest commandment, unknowingly standing before the only One who perfectly kept the Law. Christ’s humble answer reveals His majesty and calls us to deeper love.
Let’s think about this verse today:
And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?” (Matthew 22:34-36).
This lawyer was an expert in religious law. By that time of Jesus’ incarnation, there had been added to the original ten, another 603 laws. The Jews were laboring under a heavy yoke of an expectation to keep 613 laws.
Here is a website with which I’m not familiar, but lists a simple version of all 613 laws with their scripture-
I am on a rotation for being a helper in children’s Sunday School once per month. It’s consistently edifying to see how the children respond to the truths presented in the lesson. It’s always gratifying to see that their growth is added to the foundation their parents are laying at home.
The lesson this week was about the people who mocked Jesus at the cross and the ones who did not. As the Bible was read sentence by sentence in the passage, the children were asked ‘Did this person or group honor Jesus, or dishonor Him?’ The children responded by taping a printed picture under a happy face or a sad face on one side of the board or the other.
As we neared the end of the lesson, one tyke noticed something about the way the pictures had been arranged. He said there was nobody in the middle. Which is perceptive.
Those who mocked Him were the Jewish crowds, the chief priests, scribes, & elders, Roman soldiers, and the two thieves crucified alongside him.
Those who honored Him were the centurion, eventually the repentant thief, the women who stood off from the crowd, Joseph of Arimathea.
There is no middle ground when it comes to Jesus. In our daily lives we ‘hedge our bets’ all the time on a score of things. We don’t utter an opinion, we sit on the fence, we take no chances, and stay on the safe side. This might be to keep the extended family peace, to keep the calm at work, and so on.
With Jesus there is only His safe side with Him, or against Him and destruction. You have to pick a side. Or as one little Sunday School student said about the centurion, “He was on God’s team.”
The one who is not with Me is against Me; and the one who does not gather with Me scatters. (Matthew 12:30).
Mark phrases it like this: For the one who is not against us is for us. (Mark 9:40).
Many of today’s people do not like to talk about destruction, wrath, or hell. But it is the default destination of all flesh if they reject Jesus’ offer of salvation.
On Judgment Day, each person will be judged one by one by Jesus. It will not matter if you were hiding in a crowd. It will not matter if you were refraining from speaking of Jesus at Thanksgiving ‘to keep the peace’. It will not matter of you desired a workspace unruffled by religious feathers. Not when it comes to the topic of the Gospel and Jesus. Each and every soul will be examined to see if you were with Him or against Him.
