S1: Have you ever wondered why the Friday before Easter is
S1: called Good Friday? We'll find out today on Bold Steps
S1: with Mark Jobe.
S2: You are no longer to stand on the outside, but
S2: now there is a lamb that has been sacrificed that
S2: takes away the sins of the world. That's why we
S2: don't call it Bad Friday. That's why we don't call
S2: it Dark Friday. That's why we call it Good Friday. Yeah.
S2: Good news, good news.
S1: There you go. This is Bold Steps with Mark Jobe,
S1: president of Moody Bible Institute and senior pastor of New
S1: Life Community Church in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Mark. With
S1: Easter coming up this weekend, the focus for many Christians
S1: first is on Good Friday. And today you're going to
S1: create a picture of the time around the death of
S1: Jesus and help us understand why we call it good when,
S1: as you said, we don't we don't call it bad,
S1: do we?
S3: No. And I hope you felt the excitement in the
S3: auditorium because, you know, Wayne, when you know that you
S3: have been cleansed and redeemed and a lot of people
S3: in that auditorium are newer believers, people that have in
S3: the last few years heard the gospel for the first time.
S3: And when you know you've been cleansed from a lot,
S3: you want to celebrate a lot. And so this message
S3: hopefully will remind you of why this is Good Friday
S3: and not dark or Bad Friday. It's a powerful look
S3: at the death of Jesus the Christ.
S1: Let's get started. Here's Mark Jobe.
S2: Almost 2000 years ago. About a decade, nine years from now,
S2: it'll be exactly 2000 years when it happened. It was gruesome.
S2: It was brutal. It was the kind of scene that
S2: you'd want to turn your face away from. Well, the
S2: Romans had perfected it over time. The art of crucifixion
S2: was something that was not new. They had been practicing
S2: it for decades. It was the Romans way of saying,
S2: you do not defy the power of the Roman Empire,
S2: because if you defy the power of the Roman Empire,
S2: we will make you go through the most excruciating, painful,
S2: shameful death that you could experience. The goal was to
S2: keep someone in a public displayed place outside of Rome.
S2: By the way, there was a section Where runaway slaves
S2: were crucified. Where traitors of the state were crucified. Specifically,
S2: slaves that decided to run from their masters were taken
S2: and put on display. It was a wooden beam. They
S2: were hung there. Sometimes they were tied. Others were nailed.
S2: The goal was keep them alive as long as possible,
S2: so that people that walk by can look at them,
S2: their lips parched, their heavy breathing, their agonizing as birds
S2: drop on their shoulders or on the wood beams and
S2: begin to pluck at their eyes, blood streaming down their face.
S2: They start to die of starvation, starvation, dehydration, Bleeding. Sometimes
S2: the screams could be heard as people yelled and screamed
S2: in agony day after day. They would remain on the cross.
S2: And it was the Romans way of letting everybody know,
S2: you do not defy us. This will be your destiny.
S2: This will happen to anybody that tries to run away.
S2: Defy us. Be a traitor. They had taken this brutal
S2: practice of crucifixion to this out land called Judea. Judea
S2: was far from Rome, but crucifixion had been practiced for decades.
S2: And so it came also to the area of Israel.
S2: It was held for the thieves, the traitors, The oppressors,
S2: those that would raise their voice against the Empire. And
S2: so it was on this day, almost 2000 years ago,
S2: that this unusual person not a thief, not a murderer,
S2: not a person with political aspirations, but someone that drew crowds,
S2: someone that people said he's a king. Rumors had it
S2: that he was the Messiah. People talked about of him
S2: as someone that would liberate the people of Israel. Some
S2: said he was a god. Others he was a guru.
S2: Others said no, he's possessed by some demonic spirit. He
S2: would touch people that others wouldn't touch. He claimed people
S2: saw the lame walk when he touched their feet. People
S2: saw people that were writhing Even under demonic oppression, be
S2: liberated just at the power of his voice. Others claimed
S2: and swore up and down that they had seen him
S2: raise the dead. Jesus. They called him the Christ, the Messiah,
S2: the awaited one. Some of the Jews hated him because
S2: he took away from what they considered to be their
S2: popularity and religious practices. The Romans looked at him as
S2: with great suspicion, because they were always afraid that a
S2: king would rise up and try to create a coup
S2: or a rebellion against their power. On that day, that Friday,
S2: the Bible says that after agonizing for hours about 12 noon.
S2: As Jesus was on the cross. Something happened. An unusual
S2: darkness came upon the land. When the sun should have
S2: been shining in brutal heat, a eerie darkness fell. Such
S2: a darkness that made the soldiers uncomfortable. That made people
S2: say what's going on? For three hours, from 12 noon
S2: to 3:00, there was a darkness that was eerie and unusual.
S2: At 3:00 in the afternoon, Jesus, when he was upon
S2: that cross, said about seven phrases among them, Forgive them, Lord,
S2: for they do not know what they do. He also said,
S2: I'm thirsty and was given vinegar mixed with wine. Shortly
S2: before he gave up his spirit as it approached 3:00,
S2: he looked to the heavens and in agony. Physical, spiritual,
S2: emotional agony, he said. Eli lama sabachthani. Which means my God,
S2: my God. Why have you forsaken me? You see, at
S2: that moment in time, at that particular moment in time, Jesus,
S2: the Son of God, being all God, all man incarnate,
S2: carried upon him the sins of all humanity. The sins
S2: that you and I could not pay. The sins that
S2: you and I are guilty. Jesus, the guiltless one. For
S2: the first time carried the sin and guilt of thousands
S2: and millions of people upon himself. The holy face of
S2: the father had to turn away from the sin that
S2: he carried for us. As it reached almost 3:00. He
S2: said another interesting phrase. He said tetelestai. In the Greek
S2: it means finished. But there's a greater significance to that word.
S2: To tetelestai means paid in full. The transaction is complete.
S2: Like when you and I pay a bill and they
S2: stamp on it. Paid in full to Telestai was a
S2: commercial word used in in a business transaction, when something
S2: had been completely paid for at that moment in time. Jesus,
S2: the Christ, the Messiah, this man that some admired and
S2: some hated, this man that some sped upon and beat
S2: and others worshipped, he said in an agonizing voice. It
S2: is finished. It is paid for. This would have deep,
S2: powerful repercussions. This would have deep implications because something had
S2: just occurred that had never happened in all humanity. Something
S2: had been paid for that would affect you and I
S2: 2000 years later.
S1: You're listening to Bold Steps with our Bible teacher, Mark.
S1: Job and Mark will continue our lesson in just a moment. First,
S1: let me remind you that all of these daily messages
S1: can be found on our website at Bold steps.org. And
S1: you can also stay connected with Mark's inspiring content on
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S1: do appreciate that. Now let's get back into the second
S1: half of today's lesson. Here's Mark Jobe.
S2: The Bible says in Matthew chapter 27 verse verse 50,
S2: And Jesus cried again. And the last thing we know
S2: that Jesus said, we know it from the book of Luke.
S2: Jesus cried out in a loud voice and said, father,
S2: into your hands I commit my spirit. And having said this,
S2: he breathed his last. It was already dark there. People
S2: were watching. The thieves at either side were intrigued by
S2: this Jesus, the Christ. But the Bible tells us that
S2: some other things began to happen as well. Not only
S2: was it dark for three hours until the death of Jesus,
S2: but the Bible says that the moment he breathed his
S2: last and said, father, into your hands. I commit my spirit.
S2: His heart stopped beating, his lungs stopped taking in oxygen,
S2: and he became still on that cross. Shortly after, the soldiers,
S2: just to make sure he was dead, took a spear.
S2: And in fulfillment of the prophecy, they pierced his side.
S2: But something happened. As soon as he said, into your
S2: hands I commit my spirit. There was a rumbling that
S2: began to happen. The Bible says in Matthew chapter 27,
S2: verse 51, that the earth shook and rocks began to split.
S2: There was a shaking of the land, a shaking of
S2: the ground. A roar could be heard as rocks begin
S2: to part. As earthquakes began to shake at the death
S2: of Jesus the Christ. It also tells us in Matthew
S2: 27 that something very interesting occurred, that the graves were
S2: opened and people that had previously died that calls saints,
S2: people that had died in God, actually came out of
S2: their graves and appeared to many. But what intrigues me
S2: the most of what happened on that day, Jesus was
S2: being crucified just outside of Jerusalem. I'd walked through the
S2: streets of Jerusalem. I've seen the distance to the crucifixion scene,
S2: and I've been down to the the wall of the temple.
S2: Now not much is left of the temple, but there
S2: is a wall that's left that speaks to when the
S2: temple was rebuilt, though there is some distance there. But
S2: the Bible says that at the moment that Jesus died,
S2: something deep inside the temple occurred, something that people on
S2: the outside were unaware of. Only those that had been
S2: in the temple would gasp at. What it had. What happened?
S2: You see, the temple was this enormous structure that had
S2: been built. Originally by King Solomon. David was going to
S2: build it. But God said, you have too much blood
S2: on your hand. And so his son built it, King Solomon.
S2: It had been torn down, but it had been rebuilt.
S2: And this magnificent temple. Was the place that Jewish people
S2: from all over the world would come to worship the
S2: God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They would sacrifice lambs
S2: in the outer court. But as you walk through the temple,
S2: there was the court of the Gentiles, that if you
S2: were not a Jewish person, you could not go beyond,
S2: you would have to stay on the outside. But as
S2: you went closer and closer inside of the temple, you
S2: would go through these magnificent, ornate walls and you would
S2: go inside of the temple, and then you would be
S2: faced with a curtain that was 60ft high. The roof
S2: in this auditorium is just about 20ft high. So three
S2: times the height of this roof. You would be faced
S2: with this curtain that was about four inches thick. And
S2: behind that curtain was something so sacred, so holy, so untouchable,
S2: that no one could ever go in there except for
S2: the high priest. One day out of the year, it
S2: was called the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement.
S2: That high priest would be able to, after ceremonial cleansing.
S2: After purification, that high priest would be able to go
S2: into the Holy of Holies. It said that his robes
S2: had bells on the bottom of it and that they
S2: would tie a rope around his ankle just in case
S2: he had not been purified enough. And if he died,
S2: no one could go behind the temple curtain and get him,
S2: so they'd have to drag his body out with a rope.
S2: The Holy of Holies. In the Holy of Holies was
S2: something known as the Ark of the covenant. Not a
S2: very big box, but a box that represented the holiness
S2: of God. It was the manifestation of God here on earth.
S2: This box had engraved in gold cherubim, angels with their
S2: wings over them, and they would enter into this place,
S2: symbolic of the holiness of God. Unable to walk in there,
S2: separated by a purple linen curtain, four inches thick. 60ft
S2: high that no one could penetrate. But on that day
S2: when Jesus said into your hands, I commit my spirit,
S2: and he breathed his last. Something happened in that temple.
S2: The Bible says that the temple veil. Was split, was
S2: torn from top to bottom. As you heard the tear
S2: and the rip. Significant. It was that it was from
S2: top to bottom, indicating that this was an act of God,
S2: not an act of man. On the moment that it
S2: was torn. All the way down, there was something symbolic.
S2: There was a message. The message was from this day forward.
S2: Those who had no access to the Holy now have
S2: access to the Holy. Those who could never go in
S2: now can go in. Not just relegated to priests, but
S2: from now on, every believer in Jesus, the Christ, who
S2: has been paid for their sins, is washed now can
S2: enter into the Holy of Holies, because you have been
S2: made holy through the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ. You
S2: are no longer to stand on the outside, but now
S2: there is a lamb that has been sacrificed that takes
S2: away the sins of the world Jesus the Christ, the
S2: son of the living God. That happened on Good Friday.
S2: That's why we don't call it Bad Friday. That's why
S2: we don't call it Dark Friday. That's why we call
S2: it Good Friday. Yeah. Good news. Good news. You say? Well, pastor,
S2: I don't fully, really understand it. Well, you may not
S2: understand it until you go to glory, but the Bible
S2: tells us. And just so you understand that when God
S2: created man and woman, he created him a perfect environment
S2: and put them in a perfect, idyllic place called the
S2: Garden of Eden. That was his design. But something happened
S2: on a dark day. Man and woman came together and
S2: they decided that they would not follow the plan of God,
S2: but instead they would try to be like God. And they,
S2: for the first time in history, they sinned, and that
S2: which was pure and unblemished, that which had no death,
S2: not marred by any kind of any shadow of sinfulness.
S2: Then suddenly they fell. They were no longer innocent. Now
S2: there was a bridge of separation between God's holiness and
S2: the sinfulness of man. And God put rules, the Mosaic law.
S2: He tried to guide them to what it meant to
S2: be walk in holiness and purity. But the more rules
S2: he gave them, the more they sinned against them. And
S2: the day came that God understood and realized from the
S2: very beginning that they could not save themselves. They could.
S2: No one could be good enough that they needed the
S2: ultimate sacrifice. They needed someone to pay a price that
S2: they could not pay. They needed someone that could obliterate
S2: their sin. Someone that could take on their sin. There
S2: were shadows of it. They called it the lamb, the Passover,
S2: a lamb that had no blemish. But it was all
S2: pointing to someone that was to come on one day,
S2: 33 years before Jesus was crucified. The Virgin conceived and
S2: birthed the child without the interaction of a man and
S2: a child that was born with a sinless nature. Jesus
S2: the Christ, the Messiah.
S1: You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. A message
S1: titled why do they call it Good Friday? We'll continue
S1: this lesson as we prepare for Easter this time tomorrow.
S1: So join us again right here. But in case you
S1: ever want to revisit a previous message from Mark, or
S1: want to share one of these Bible teachings with a friend,
S1: just go to our website at Bold Steps. Well, Mark,
S1: we are honored to have Heather Holloman with us today.
S1: She's the author of the Six Conversations, Our bold step gift.
S3: Yeah. And Heather, one of the really unique elements of
S3: your book, The Six Conversations, is how you connect the
S3: latest research on relationships with biblical principles. What does Scripture
S3: tell us about, say, the art of conversation?
S4: Well, really, you can learn so much from Philippians two,
S4: Romans 12, and Galatians six. All of those passages teach
S4: us how to be curious about other people, how to
S4: believe the best about them, express concern, and then share
S4: your own life. I love Galatians six about taking on
S4: other people's burdens. How do we know what they are
S4: if we're not interested in their lives and asking really
S4: good questions about our friends and loved ones?
S3: And Heather, I know that you're this is not just
S3: a book about, uh, how to be a better communicator
S3: with people. You have an intention. And that is, hey,
S3: conversation is the bridge way to really share spirituality and
S3: the gospel with people. Talk about that a minute.
S4: Well, that's right. So many people want to share their faith.
S4: They want to share these things that are so deeply
S4: personal to them, but they never know how to start
S4: the conversation. And what this book teaches is how to
S4: have a warm connection. So talking about Jesus never feels
S4: awkward or like you're selling something. You're just sharing your
S4: life with someone that you're having a great conversation with.
S3: I love it. The six conversations by doctor Heather Holloman. And, uh,
S3: you need to pick this up. We can't wait to
S3: put this in your hands so that you can start
S3: to have those conversations with your loved ones that you've
S3: been wanting to have.
S1: And we'd be happy to send you a copy of
S1: this bold step gift. When you give a gift of
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S1: continues this lesson titled why do they call it Good Friday?
S1: Don't miss the important part two of our message Thursday
S1: on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a
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