The Story: John 18-20
The political powers of Jerusalem feel threatened. A follower of Jesus betrays his teacher for money, and Jesus faces an illegal trial that will undoubtedly lead to his suffering and death. It’s Friday. It’s a horrible, dark day.
Application:
Imagine your football team is playing in the Super Bowl (for some of us, it may take quite a bit of imagination). It’s four quarters of an intense back and forth showdown that keeps you on the edge of your seat, screaming in excitement when your team scores and jeering in disgust when the other team does. In the end, your team wins, but it was a nail biter.
Now imagine your friend wasn’t able to watch the Super Bowl but recorded the game. You watch it with him and say nothing. Like you, your friend screams and jeers in the same moments you did, but you refrain. Why? Because you know what happens.
Good Friday wasn’t considered good until the following Sunday. On Friday, Roman guards beat Jesus to a bloody mess, ripped his flesh from his body with whips, and allowed him to slowly suffocate while the tendons and bones in his wrists and ankles supported his weight on a wooden cross crafted for execution. On Sunday, everything changed. Christ raised from the dead, rendering death powerless over him. Jesus received new life and accomplished the purpose God called Him to complete. Finally, it was, indeed, finished.
Many of us face dark days, and maybe some of you are in the midst of horrible trials and sufferings of your own. But the day only remains dark and destructive if we lose sight of our perspective. Jesus knew he would suffer and die. That idea was horrible, and he anguished over the thought. But Jesus also knew it wouldn’t last and knew it wasn’t the end. Jesus had an eternal perspective, which undoubtedly helped Him through the ordeal.
As I mentioned in a previous post, contentment doesn’t mean the absence of emotions. It denotes an underlying peace in the presence of emotions. Having a proper perspective can assist us with attaining this peace and contentment.
Contentment Key: Peace comes from having the proper perspective.
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