Friday April 2 Good Friday
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Psalm 22
This psalm is one of the most dramatic expressions of extreme fear, moving into trust in God. God acted in the past, but is doing so no longer. Jesus quotes from this psalm while he is on the cross, (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) and early Christians applied some details in the psalm in their description of the crucifixion. It is appropriately read on Good Friday, the anniversary of Jesus’ execution.
Genesis 22: 1-14
In Judaism, Abraham’s willingness to give his son to God as a sign of acknowledging that everything comes from God, was a central experience of their faith. God’s request that Abraham sacrifice a bullock was the origin of the temple sacrifices which continued through the time of Jesus. The temple was built over the actual rock on which the original sacrifice had taken place. Although the story may have originated as an ancient Jewish decision to end the practice of child sacrifice, its meaning deepened. Abraham was prepared, if necessary to follow God, not only to sacrifice his son, but because Isaac was his only son it meant he was prepared to abandon the entire future of becoming the great nation that God had promised. When Abraham is prepared to give up everything, God renews the covenant that Abraham will indeed be the ancestor of enormous nations.
Early Christians interpreted Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son, to be a foreshadowing of God’s only Son, Jesus, being sacrificed for us. Many early Christians, who were all Jews, interpreted Jesus’ death in relation to that profound experience.
John 13: 36-38
Peter insists that he will follow Jesus anywhere but Jesus confronts Peter with his imminent betrayal. Jesus is not condemning Peter, but asking him to be honest about his self-centredness. On this day, Jesus asks of us the same honesty. After dying to the illusion of how loving we are, only then can we rise to new life.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
look graciously, we pray, on this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ
was willing to be betrayed
and given into the hands of sinners,
and to suffer death upon the cross;
who now lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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