Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Today, we come to the hill.

The noise of the crowd fades. The dust settles. The cross stands.

And we dare to call it Good Friday.

There’s nothing easy about this day. There’s nothing polished or comfortable about what unfolds in Matthew 27.

It’s brutal.

It’s agonizing.

It’s holy.

Jesus, beaten, mocked, stripped, and shamed, is nailed to a Roman cross. The King of Glory, suspended between two criminals. Soldiers gamble for His clothes. Bystanders hurl insults. Friends scatter. Darkness covers the land. And when He breathes his last, the temple curtain tears from top to bottom.

And yet… He stayed.

He stayed through the betrayal.

He stayed through the injustice.

He stayed while His body was crushed, and the weight of our sin pressed Him deeper into that splintered wood.

He stayed when He could have summoned angels. He stayed when He could have come down.

Why?

Because that’s what LOVE does.

Here, on this cross thousands of years ago, the rescue was made certain. It didn’t come with fanfare or by force, but with surrender. With blood. With mercy.

This kind of rescue is where the Hero trades His life for the ones He loves, even the ones who nailed Him there.

And here’s what stuns me most:

He didn’t just carry the weight of sin.

He carried your sin.

Mine.

“Behold the man upon a cross,

My sin upon His shoulders.

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers…”

Can you hear it?

Not just the crowd, but your own voice in the mix? The parts of us that still choose other loves… the parts that run, hide, perform, or pretend?

And yet, He stayed.

“It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished.

His dying breath has brought me life–

I know that it is finished.”

Finished.

Not in defeat. In fulfillment.

Not with shame. With freedom.

Not with regret. With unshakeable love.

Friend, don’t rush past this moment.

Let it hold you. Let it quiet you. Let it move you.

The cross is not just something Jesus did.

It’s the place where He declared, once and for all, that you are worth rescuing.

And the word spoken over your rescue is this:

“It is finished.”

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Holy Week Reflection:

Pause and Reflect

• What does it mean to you that Jesus stayed on the cross when He could have come down?
  
• What part of your life feels hard to believe is truly forgiven? Bring that honestly to Jesus today.
  

Read and Remember

• Read Matthew 27:50-51 again. Picture the curtain tearing in two, from top to bottom.
  
• Let that image remind you: Nothing stands between you and God anymore. Not guilt. Not shame. Not your past.
  

Prayer

• “Jesus, thank You for staying. Thank You for finishing what I never could. Help me remember today that the cross wasn’t the end. It was my rescue. Let my life say thank You. In Your name, I pray, amen.”
  

Take a Step

• Join us for Good Friday Prayer tonight at 6 pm at the Venture Church campus closest to you. There’s no better way to respond to the cross than to gather, remember, and pray together. Let this evening be a quiet space to thank Jesus for the rescue He accomplished on your behalf.