It's Friday but Sunday's Coming

(Selected passages) Part 1 of 2   

Olive trees in Gethsemane 

It's Friday but Sunday is Coming! This was a sermon given by E.V. Hill, an African-American gospel preacher, who repeatedly stated the phrase during his message.

Of course he was referring to the dark horror of the cross that took place at Golgotha on "Good Friday" and the Resurrection hope realized on Easter Sunday.

The title alone is self-explanatory! Christ endured the cup of suffering and darkness of the soul when He was "crushed for our iniquities" on the cross, but by Sunday, all the pain was eclipsed when He broke and severed the chains of death through the glory of the resurrection. I love it...It's Friday but Sunday's coming!

SCENE #1 (Last Supper)

It all started at the last supper when Jesus shared His final meal and moments with His friends, the disciples. Like a prisoner on death row given His final meal before the electric chair or hanging, so our Savior would eat and celebrate His last supper before His execution for our sins.

Paul gives a window into the soul of Christ when he penned the words ..."on the night He was betrayed He took bread..." This wasn't just another Passover Meal. It was on "the night that He was betrayed", rejected and sold out by one of His friends sitting across from Him for 30 pieces of silver.

Think of the sense of violation and sorrow sitting near a friend at an intimate setting and meal who you knew would sell you down the river moments after you shared a meal with him.   

We read that after the meal they all sang a hymn and went out. Isn't it true that we as believers, like our Savior, can go through the darkness of the soul under the shadow of our own cross in life but still sing and worship with our friends? This is because it may be a Friday, but Sunday is coming.

SCENE #2 (Garden of Gethsemane)

Gethsemane means Olive Press. It is a grove outside the walls of Jerusalem that to this day is graced with twisted, gnarly olive trees. When the olives were picked, they were crushed until there was no life left in them. The oil would be stored and used for light, heating and food.

See the silhouette of a man under the shadows of the mangled tree as moonbeams filter through the branches. He is clawing the ground as He pours out His heart before His Father "sweating as if it was great drops of blood." His prayer also reveals the stress and intense breaking He is experiencing when He cries, "Father if it is possible let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless not My will but Thy will be done".

Another dark reality that Friday is looming, and the very life of our sweet Savior is being crushed out of Him.

SCENE #3 (The Cross)

The name of the mount that Jesus died on was Golgotha. It literally means "Hill of the Skull." We have the betrayal at the last supper, the crushing of His life at Gethsemane and now the final death blow on the Hill of the Skull. The good news: It's Friday but Sunday is coming!

Wasn't it enough to be rejected and forsaken by His closest friends when He needed them the most? Now in His final hours we read, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Jesus didn't return insults when the soldiers and priests hurled venomous accusations. When they spit on Him during the trial and hit Him again and again in the head with their sticks and staffs He didn't try to block the blows, strike back or say a word. When they mocked Him and challenged Him to come down from the cross He remained quiet and leaned into the nails.   

This time though, He no longer can remain silent. It's gone too far. Knowing that His Father's full wrath on sin is crushing down on Him as the Lamb of God and His Father has to briefly detach from Him as the Savior, is all He can endure. He cries out in a loud voice My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? This lonely and chilling moment for Jesus would soon be over because, It's Friday but Sunday's coming!

We will conclude this teaching next week.


Looking forward to Sunday,

Pastor Bill

questions or comments are
welcomed: billg@trail.org