Good Friday - The Eighth Word from the Cross

DAY SIX

Good Friday

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Good Friday is the most solemn day of Holy Week. It marks the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. It has always been a day of deep sorrow and reflection, as we remember the suffering and sacrifice of our Savior.

And yet, it is also a day of profound gratitude and hope. Through His death, Jesus accomplished the redemption of humanity and opened the way for us to be reconciled to God. The events of Good Friday reveal both the depth of God’s love and the true cost of our salvation.

But Good Friday, as we all know, falls on an ordinary day.

It is a workday for most. It arrives in the middle of spring. It comes during tax season. Life does not pause easily for it.

And so, as Rector of Christ Church, it fell to me each year to help people find a reason—perhaps even permission—to step away from the demands of the day and come to the Stations of the Cross or the Good Friday liturgy from the Prayer Book.

I found myself saying the same thing, year after year, to people who were looking at full calendars and tight schedules.

I would simply ask: If Jesus is a friend of yours, and He died in a tragic death—would you attend His funeral?

Thousands did.

And in coming, many discovered that Good Friday is not an interruption to life.

It is the moment that gives life its meaning.

What Happened?

Jesus Before the Sanhedrin

After His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was taken to the high priest’s house, where the Sanhedrin—the Jewish ruling council—gathered to question Him. False witnesses were brought forward, but their testimonies did not agree. Finally, the high priest charged Jesus under oath to declare whether He was the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus replied, “You have said so. But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven” . At this, the high priest tore his robes and accused Jesus of blasphemy, and the council condemned Him to death.

This trial was a mockery of justice, filled with false accusations and predetermined outcomes. Yet, Jesus remained silent and composed, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7:

“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter.”
Isaiah 53:7

Peter’s Denial

While Jesus was being questioned, Peter waited in the courtyard. Three times, people recognized him as one of Jesus’ followers, but each time Peter denied knowing Him. After the third denial, the rooster crowed, and Peter remembered Jesus’ words: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times”. Overcome with guilt and sorrow, Peter went outside and wept bitterly.

Peter’s denial reminds us of our own weaknesses and failures. Yet, it also points to the grace of God, for Peter would later be restored and used mightily in the early church. His story encourages us to repent and trust in God’s forgiveness when we fall short.

Jesus Before Pilate and Herod

Early in the morning, the Sanhedrin handed Jesus over to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, accusing Him of claiming to be a king and inciting rebellion. Pilate questioned Jesus and found no basis for the charges against Him. Learning that Jesus was from Galilee, Pilate sent Him to Herod, who mocked Him and sent Him back to Pilate.

Pilate, reluctant to condemn an innocent man, offered to release Jesus as part of the Passover custom. However, the crowd, stirred up by the chief priests, demanded the release of Barabbas, a notorious criminal, instead. Pilate asked, “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” The crowd shouted, “Crucify him!” Pilate, fearing a riot, washed his hands before the crowd and handed Jesus over to be crucified.

This scene highlights the injustice of Jesus’ trial and the fickleness of the crowd, who had hailed Him as King just days earlier. It also forces us to confront the question Pilate asked: “What shall I do with Jesus?” Each of us must decide how we will respond to Him.

The Crucifixion

Jesus was mocked, beaten, and led to Golgotha, the place of the skull, to be crucified. He was nailed to the cross between two criminals, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah:

“He was numbered with the transgressors.”
Isaiah 53:12

As He hung on the cross, Jesus spoke seven^∗ final words or phrases:

The soldiers cast lots for His garments, and the crowd mocked Him, saying, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself!”. Darkness covered the land from noon until three in the afternoon, and at the moment of His death, the temple curtain was torn in two, symbolizing the removal of the barrier between God and humanity.

Jesus’ death on the cross was the ultimate act of love and sacrifice. He bore the weight of our sins, taking the punishment we deserved, so that we might be reconciled to God. His final words, “It is finished,” declare the completion of the redemptive work he came to accomplish.

The Burial of Jesus

After Jesus’ death, Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy member of the Sanhedrin who had become a follower of Jesus, asked Pilate for His body. Joseph wrapped Jesus in a clean linen cloth and placed Him in his own new tomb, which was cut out of rock. Mary Magdalene and the other women who had followed Jesus watched as He was laid to rest.

The burial of Jesus reminds us of the reality of His death. He truly died and was placed in a tomb, yet even in this moment of sorrow, there is a glimmer of hope. The tomb would not remain sealed for long.

Scripture:

• Formal condemnation by the Sanhedrin at daybreak: Matthew 27:1; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66–71

• First trial before Pilate: Matthew 27:11–14; Mark 15:1–5; Luke 23:1–5; John 18:28–38

• Sent to Herod Antipas: Luke 23:6–12

• Pilate offers Barabbas; crowd chooses him: Matthew 27:15–26; Mark 15:6–15; Luke 23:13–25; John 18:39–19:16

• Scourging, mocking, crown of thorns: Matthew 27:27–31; Mark 15:16–20; John 19:1–3

• The Way of the Cross to Golgotha: Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26–31; John 19:17

• Crucifixion (about the third hour, ~9 AM): Mark 15:25

• Seven last sayings: Matthew 27:35–50; Mark 15:24–37; Luke 23:33–46; John 19:18–30

• Darkness from noon until 3 PM: Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44

• Temple veil torn; Jesus dies (~3 PM): Matthew 27:51–54; Mark 15:38–39; Luke 23:45–47

• Burial in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea: Matthew 27:57–61; Mark 15:42–47; Luke 23:50–56; John 19:31–42

Note: John’s timeline of “sixth hour” requires harmonization with Synoptics; traditional reckoning places crucifixion at 9 AM.

A Meditation: The Eighth Word from the Cross

“And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.”
Mark 15:37–38

We were taught there were seven last words.

1. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)

2. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34)

3. Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43)

4. It is finished (John 19:30)

5. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46)

6. I thirst (John 19:28)

7. Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother (John 19:26–27)

Seven last words from the cross.

Seven sacred phrases spoken through cracked lips and labored breath.

But there is an eighth word we do not often consider.

And yet, it is there.

It is not found in quotation marks. It is not a sentence, not even a formed word.

It is a sound.
A cry.
A groan.
A breath drawn to its limit and released.
Mark tells us simply: “And Jesus uttered a loud cry…”

This is how the Gospels record it.
Not what He said.
But what He gave.

It is the sound of all creation breaking open.
The final expression of a life poured out.
The eighth word from the Cross.

And it is how God died.
With a cry.

Say it, if you can.
Make the sound. Today. Right now.
What did it sound like?

Not composed. Not controlled.
A body collapsing under the weight of death.
A voice strained to its final breath.

It was loud—because something cosmic was happening.
It was human—because a man was dying.

And in that cry, both are held together.

The voice of God.
The breath of man.
The sound of redemption.

⸻

Jesus did not die because He was unlucky.

He did not die because the system was broken—though it was. He did not die because of Judas, or Pilate, or the priests, or the crowd—though all of them played their part.

He died because He was sent.

Sent by the Father.
Agreed upon by the Son.
Empowered by the Spirit.

This was the plan. And as we know now, it was the plan from the beginning.

Why?
But why this way? Why the cross? Why die as a man? And why, above all, die as God?

The answer may be as simple as this:

Shoulders

God has no shoulders.

But a man does. A woman, too. God cannot carry the weight of sin, but a man can. A woman, too.

And only a man can carry the weight of sin—because only a man is guilty of it.

But only God can bear it all the way to the end—because only God is strong enough to hold the world’s grief and sin and not collapse.

Jesus bore what we could not carry.

He paid a debt He did not owe.
I owed a debt I could not pay.

Good Friday changed the world. Not in a courtroom, a castle, or a palace, but on a hill called Golgotha.

It changed the meaning of love.
It changed the definition of victory.
It changed who gets to come near to God.

We no longer come with goats or grain for a sacrifice, but with gratitude. Not with fear, but with faith. Not because of what we’ve done, but because of what He did.
So here we are—again—at the cross.

If you are a Christian, you can stand at the foot of the Cross as a free person.

No guilt. Only grace.
No shame. Only His sacrifice.
Not his horror. But our hope.

This is the day the world broke.

And this is the day God began putting it back together.

Silence Now

Be quiet today. A lot. Your good friend died. He was tragically murdered by a mob and a corrupt government. Perhaps now, more than any other time in our lifetime, we can see how mobs and government can turn on innocent people.

So be quiet today.
Even now, in the silence, He is speaking.
Even now, in death, He is giving life.

Grace and peace,

David Roseberry ☩
The Anglican

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Collect: A Prayer for Good Friday

Almighty God, we pray You graciously
to behold 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, forever and ever.
Amen.