“I thirst.”
— John 19:28
A sponge of sour wine was lifted to his lips. And then, with a loud voice:
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
— Luke 23:46
And he breathed his last.
The centurion who witnessed it praised God, saying: Certainly this man was innocent.
The Burial: He Is Placed in the Tomb
Because it was the day of preparation — and that Sabbath was a high day — the Jews asked that the bodies not remain on the crosses. The soldiers broke the legs of the two criminals. But when they came to Jesus, they found he was already dead. Instead, one soldier pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
“He who saw it has borne witness — and his testimony is true.”
— John 19:35
A rich man named Joseph of Arimathea — also a disciple of Jesus — went to Pilate and asked for the body. He took it, wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and laid it in his own new tomb. Then he rolled a great stone to the entrance and went away.
“Not one of his bones was broken… They will look on him whom they have pierced.”
— John 19:36-37
The congregation sang Oh, the Blood — a declaration of what that blood accomplished:
“The blood of Jesus washes me. The blood of Jesus shed for me. What a sacrifice — saved my life. Yes, the blood — it is my victory.”
But the Story Doesn’t End Here
The service closed with a moment of sobering honesty. The pastor acknowledged that unlike those who stood at the foot of the cross and watched Jesus die — who had to wait in the darkness of Saturday with questions they could not answer — the congregation at GBC Phoenix had something they did not: the knowledge of the resurrection.
They knew the story did not end on the cross. They knew it ended at the empty tomb. They knew Easter was coming.
The church was invited to return on Sunday morning to celebrate the resurrection — at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The 40 hours of prayer that began with Good Friday evening would conclude at Easter sunrise, and the church was sent out in the confidence that death had been swallowed up in victory.
“Thank you all for coming. Good night.”
Scripture References
- Matthew 26:36-56 — Gethsemane and the Betrayal
- Matthew 26:57-75 — The Trials Before Caiaphas and Peter’s Denial
- Matthew 27:1-31 — The Trial Before Pilate, Barabbas Released, Jesus Mocked
- Matthew 27:32-56 — The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
- Matthew 27:57-61 — The Burial of Jesus
- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 — The Institution of the Lord’s Supper
- John 19:28-37 — The Piercing of Christ’s Side and Scripture Fulfillment
On this solemn evening, Grace Bible Church gathered not merely for a service, but for a sacred act of remembrance. Before a single word was preached or a single hymn sung, the congregation entered into the mystery of communion — entering into the shadow of the cross — with hearts prepared to walk the way of suffering that led their Savior from the garden to the tomb.
The Old Rugged Cross
The service opened with the beloved hymn The Old Rugged Cross, a song that has anchored generations of believers to the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice:
“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame; and I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.”
The congregation sang with full voices, standing in reverence before the service turned to silence and scripture.
The Lord’s Supper: Remembering What Was to Come
Pastor Josh welcomed the congregation and explained the gravity of what they were about to do. Before the events of Christ’s Passion unfolded that night, Jesus gathered his disciples for a final meal — and in it, he instituted the covenant of grace that the church would carry into every generation.
As the bread was passed, he said:
“This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
— 1 Corinthians 11:24
The cup followed:
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
— 1 Corinthians 11:25-26
This was not merely a memorial. It was a proclamation. And as the congregation held the elements in their hands, they were reminded that the only way for sins to be atoned for was through a perfect sacrifice — one that Christ would offer willingly, out of love.
The service then transitioned into the hymn Man of Sorrows, with its refrain that has rung through church history:
“Hallelujah, what a Savior!”
The Way of the Cross: Following the Steps of Christ
Pastor Josh introduced the devotional theme for the evening: The Way of the Cross — a practice that traces the steps of Jesus from the Mount of Olives to the empty tomb. He explained that throughout church history, believers have retraced these steps not merely as a historical exercise, but as a means of encountering the living Christ through the memory of his suffering.
The congregation then moved through the Passion narrative in scripture and song.
Gethsemane: “Not As I Will, But As You Will”
The first reading took the congregation to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus withdrew to pray in the hours before his arrest. The scripture recorded his anguish:
“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
— Matthew 26:38
He fell with his face to the ground and prayed the prayer that would echo through all of salvation history:
“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
— Matthew 26:39
Three times he prayed the same words. And three times he returned to find the disciples sleeping. The lesson was clear: watch and pray. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Betrayal and Trial: “He Is King of the Jews”
Then Judas arrived with a crowd from the chief priests, elders, and scribes. The kiss of betrayal. The seizure. The hastily convened trials before Annas and Caiaphas — where the High Priest himself demanded an answer:
“If you are the Christ, tell us.”
Jesus said, “If I tell you, you will not believe.”
“Are you the Son of God, then?”
“You said that I am.”
— Luke 22:67-70
From there, Jesus was taken to Pilate. The Roman governor — who knew full well that envy had driven this arrest — nonetheless yielded to the crowd’s demands. Even Pilate’s wife’s warning, sent in a dream, went unheeded. Water was brought. Pilate washed his hands of the matter:
“I am innocent of this man’s blood. See to it yourselves.”
The people answered: “His blood be on us and on our children.”
— Matthew 27:24-25
The crown of thorns. The purple robe. The mockery: Hail, King of the Jews! And then Pilate’s final declaration before releasing Barabbas instead:
“Behold, the man.”
— John 19:5
The Crucifixion: “Father, Forgive Them”
Jesus bore his own cross to the place called Golgotha — the place of the skull. There he was crucified between two criminals. And as the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour.
The hymn Were You There? was sung — a question that cuts through every generation:
“Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?”
At the cross, the soldiers cast lots for his garments. The rulers scoffed. The soldiers mocked. Yet in the midst of it all, Jesus spoke — and his first words from the cross were not a cry of complaint, but of intercession:
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
— Luke 23:34
He gave his mother into the care of John. He promised the repentant thief paradise. And near the end, when scripture says he knew that all was now finished, he declared:
“I thirst.”
— John 19:28
A sponge of sour wine was lifted to his lips. And then, with a loud voice:
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
— Luke 23:46
And he breathed his last.
The centurion who witnessed it praised God, saying: Certainly this man was innocent.
The Burial: He Is Placed in the Tomb
Because it was the day of preparation — and that Sabbath was a high day — the Jews asked that the bodies not remain on the crosses. The soldiers broke the legs of the two criminals. But when they came to Jesus, they found he was already dead. Instead, one soldier pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
“He who saw it has borne witness — and his testimony is true.”
— John 19:35
A rich man named Joseph of Arimathea — also a disciple of Jesus — went to Pilate and asked for the body. He took it, wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and laid it in his own new tomb. Then he rolled a great stone to the entrance and went away.
“Not one of his bones was broken… They will look on him whom they have pierced.”
— John 19:36-37
The congregation sang Oh, the Blood — a declaration of what that blood accomplished:
“The blood of Jesus washes me. The blood of Jesus shed for me. What a sacrifice — saved my life. Yes, the blood — it is my victory.”
But the Story Doesn’t End Here
The service closed with a moment of sobering honesty. The pastor acknowledged that unlike those who stood at the foot of the cross and watched Jesus die — who had to wait in the darkness of Saturday with questions they could not answer — the congregation at GBC Phoenix had something they did not: the knowledge of the resurrection.
They knew the story did not end on the cross. They knew it ended at the empty tomb. They knew Easter was coming.
The church was invited to return on Sunday morning to celebrate the resurrection — at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The 40 hours of prayer that began with Good Friday evening would conclude at Easter sunrise, and the church was sent out in the confidence that death had been swallowed up in victory.
“Thank you all for coming. Good night.”
Scripture References
- Matthew 26:36-56 — Gethsemane and the Betrayal
- Matthew 26:57-75 — The Trials Before Caiaphas and Peter’s Denial
- Matthew 27:1-31 — The Trial Before Pilate, Barabbas Released, Jesus Mocked
- Matthew 27:32-56 — The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
- Matthew 27:57-61 — The Burial of Jesus
- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 — The Institution of the Lord’s Supper
- John 19:28-37 — The Piercing of Christ’s Side and Scripture Fulfillment