Good Friday

Luke 23:32–49

There’s something in all of us that wants things to be made right.

If something is broken, we want it fixed. If something is wrong, we want it corrected. If something is unjust, we want it answered. And not just out there. In here.

Because we all know what it feels like to carry something we cannot undo.

A decision. A moment. A failure. Something we wish we could go back and change, but we can’t.

And so we try to deal with it. We try to make up for it. We try to balance it out. We try to prove, to ourselves, to others, even to God, that we are not defined by it.

But it never actually removes it. It just sits there. Unresolved.

And that’s what makes today different. Because Good Friday is not simply a day we remember. It is a day we stand under. The cross is not just an event in history.

It is the place where God deals with sin, fully, finally, and at great cost.

Today, we do not come to analyze it. We come to receive what it reveals. As I go through this message, I’m going to ask for you to take a few moments and reflect. We have heard the account from the Gospel of Luke. Now we listen for what it means.

After being beaten beyond what any human could endure.

After being nailed to the cross, struggling even to breathe, He still speaks.

Today, we turn our attention to the words Jesus speaks from the cross.

Because in these final moments, He teaches again and again.

And each word reveals something about sin, about God, and about what He has done for us.

He reveals the heart of God.

Before we move further, we need to understand something clearly:

The cross is not simply where Jesus dies. It is where God deals with sin.

If we misunderstand that, we will misunderstand everything that follows.

Because the cross is not only a display of love. It is also a display of justice.

God does not ignore sin. He does not excuse it or redefine it.

He deals with it. And on this day, He does so completely.

1. “Father, forgive them.” (Luke 23:34)

From the Gospel of Luke 23:34:

“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’“

As He is nailed to the cross, Jesus speaks, not in anger or protest.

But in prayer. And what He prays is staggering.

“Father, forgive them.”

The soldiers divided His clothes. The crowd mocks Him. The leaders believe they have won.

As He hangs there, His body is already failing.

Every breath requires Him to push up against the nails just to inhale.

And in that moment, He speaks.

He speaks of forgiveness. Forgiveness.

Forgiveness sounds simple until you are the one who has been wronged.

Then it becomes costly.

Because real forgiveness requires someone to absorb the loss.

If something is broken, someone pays.

Either the one who caused the damage, or the one who chooses to forgive.

Who do you struggle to forgive?

What would it mean to release it?

(Pause – 5–7 seconds)

There is no such thing as cost-free forgiveness. And the cross shows us who pays. God does.

So What Happened to Sin?

This is where we must slow down. Because forgiveness always raises a question:

What happens to the sin? Does God ignore it? Does He overlook it?

Does He pretend it does not matter?

No. Scripture is clear: Sin is not dismissed. It is judged. Because if sin is not judged, then justice does not exist. And if justice does not exist, then the cross is unnecessary.

The Cost of Sin

The book of Isaiah 53:5:

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

This is not symbolic. This is substitution. Christ does not simply die near sinners. He dies for them. For us. At the cross:

The punishment that belongs to us is placed on Him.”

The judgment that we deserve is carried by Christ.

From Romans 3:25–26:

“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement… to demonstrate his righteousness… so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

God is not settling. Sin is not ignored. It is dealt with, completely, at the cross.

The cross does not allow us to remain distant. It confronts us. It reveals the truth about sin and the truth about ourselves.

So before we continue, we stop. Consider your own need for the cross.

And since forgiveness is being offered here, then we have to ask:

Who is it for? Because not everyone responds the same way.

2. “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

From Luke 23:43:

“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’”

Next to Jesus are two criminals. Both guilty. Both dying.

One mocks Him. The other turns and says:

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

He has no résumé. No record. No opportunity to fix his life.

And yet Jesus responds immediately, with grace:

“Today you will be with me in paradise.”

So I ask you, ​​

Where are you still trying to prove yourself to God?

What would it look like to simply receive?

(Pause – 5–7 seconds)

What Happened Between Us and God?

Sin creates separation. But at the cross, Jesus steps into that separation.

From 2 Corinthians 5:19:

“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.”

Jesus steps into our place. He carries what separates us from God.

So what separates us can no longer stand between us. This is why the thief is saved.

Not because of what he has done. But because of who he trusts.

Salvation is not earned. It is received. And what we see here is that the cross does not remove suffering; it transforms what it leads to.

Because even as Jesus is saving, He is still suffering.

3. “Woman, behold your son.” (John 19:26–27)

Through blood loss, exhaustion, and shock, Jesus still sees.

Not the crowd. But His mother.

From Gospel of John 19:26–27:

“When Jesus saw his mother there, he said, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’”

Even in suffering, Jesus sees. He cares. He provides. The cross is not distant.

It is personal. God draws near.

So even in the middle of redemption, Jesus is not distant. He is present. But what is happening here goes deeper than what is visible.

Where do you feel unseen?

And what would it mean that even here, He sees?

(Pause – 5–7 seconds)

4. “My God, my God…” (Matthew 27:45–46)

As His body weakens, breathing becomes harder.

Each word now costs Him something physically.

And yet, this is what He says.

From the Gospel of Matthew 27:45–46:

“From noon until three… darkness came over all the land… ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”

He’s feeling the separation from the Father. This is the weight of sin. Not ignored. Not minimized. Placed fully on Christ. God does not overlook sin. He judges it.

But the judgment does not fall on us. It falls on Christ. This is where justice and mercy meet. This is the weight of sin being carried, and it is not abstract. It is real.

What does your sin actually cost?

(Pause – 8-10 seconds)

5. “I thirst.” (John 19:28)

Now His body is severely dehydrated. Blood loss, Exposure. Shock. And He speaks two simple words. From the Gospel of John 19:28:

“I thirst.”

Fully God. Fully human. And when the Roman soldiers offered Him a sponge soaked in wine mixed with myrrh to dull the pain, He refused.

Jesus enters suffering completely.

Where do you try to avoid discomfort or suffering?

And what does it mean that God did not avoid it?

(Pause – 5–7 seconds)

6. “It is finished.” (John 19:30)

After hours of pushing up to breathe, His strength is nearly gone.

And with what remains, He speaks.

From the Gospel of John 19:30:

“Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’”

The work is complete. The debt is paid. NOTHING remains. (Pause — 3–4 seconds)

What are you still trying to finish that Christ has already completed?

(Pause – 5–7 seconds)

What Changed Because of the Cross?

Everything.

From Hebrews 10:14:

“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

One sacrifice. Once. Enough. Access to God is Open

From the Gospel of Matthew 27:50–51:

“At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”

This massive embroidered tapestry, separating people from God's presence, is torn.

The barrier is gone. Access is open.

What does this mean?

We do not earn salvation. We receive it. We do not carry sin. Christ has carried it.

The cross is sufficient. And with that, there is nothing left to be done; only one final act remains.

7. “Father, into your hands…” (Luke 23:46)

With one final act of strength. He entrusts Himself completely to the Father.

From the Gospel of Luke 23:46:

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

Even in death, He entrusts Himself to the Father. And with those words, the work is complete. The cross has spoken.

So what do we do with this?

Because the cross does not ask us to understand everything. It asks us to respond.

To stop trying to fix what we cannot fix.

To stop carrying what has already been carried.

To stop earning what has already been given.

And to trust that what Christ has finished is actually enough.

Where are you still holding control? (Pause)

What would it look like to actually trust Him?

(Pause – 5–7 seconds)

Good Friday does not move us forward yet. It leaves us here. At the cross.

Where we see clearly: Sin is not ignored; it is dealt with.

We are not abandoned, we are reconciled.

Nothing remains to be done; it is finished.

The tomb is still closed. The silence is still heavy.

And yet, everything that needed to be done has already been accomplished.

So today, we stay here.

We’re going to remain in this moment while Amaris sings.

And during that time, you don’t need to rush anywhere.

This is a space to respond.

To sit with what you’ve heard. To reflect. To pray.

And as part of that response, we will receive an offering.

Not as an obligation or routine. But as an act of worship.

A response to what Christ has already given.

If you feel led to give, you can do that during this time.

If you need to sit quietly or pray, that matters just as much.

Parents, if you need to quietly step out to pick up your children, you can do that during this time.

But as much as possible, let’s keep this space reflective.

And let the cross speak.

Closing Blessing

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who bore our sins in His body on the cross, draw you near to the heart of God.

And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Amen.