Good Friday Devotion

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The Passion of Christ refers to the suffering and death of Christ at the crucifixion.

In many countries, the Easter celebration begins on Friday evening with a “Black

Procession”—a somber parade, featuring items from the Passion of Christ.

This year, during our Good Friday worship service, we will focus on nine items that

remind us of the Passion of Christ. This devotional guide will help you and your family

prepare for that worship service as well as the Easter season.

THE PASSION OF CHRIST

“Jesus Christ in the Garden of Olives” Chauveau

Cover Art: “Christ Bearing the Cross” Gustave Doré, 1832-33

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The Passion of Christ begins Thursday evening. Jesus is betrayed by Judas for thirty

pieces of silver and is arrested while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He appears

before the Jewish council (Sanhedrin). During this time, Peter is in the courtyard and

three times denies knowing Christ.

At 3 a.m. the rooster crows and Peter weeps bitterly.

Very early Friday morning, Jesus appears before Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate

sends him to Herod, who questions Jesus then returns him to Pilate. Jesus is condemned

to be crucified. He is scourged. The soldiers place a red robe on his shoulders, shove a

reed in his hand, and place a crown of thorns on his head. They strike him, spit on him,

and mock him.

Jesus is led outside the city to be crucified. He is offered vinegar mixed with a

pain-killing herb. He refuses to drink.

At 9 a.m. Jesus is nailed to the cross. Over the next hours, the pain is excruciating and

almost unbearable as his body slowly loses life. His family and friends wait in agony.

Soldiers throw dice to determine who will keep his clothing.

At noon, darkness covers the land.

Later, Jesus is once again offered vinegar. He accepts the drink, then says,

“It is finished.” To make sure he is dead, a Roman soldier pierces his side with a pilum

(a Roman spear). His body is removed from the cross and placed in a tomb.

On the following pages you will find devotions for each of the underlined items.

These devotions are designed to be used in preparation for Good Friday.

NINE REMINDERS OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST

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Thirty silver coins were given to

Judas for betraying Jesus.

“‘What are you willing to give me

if I deliver him to you?’

So they counted out for him

thirty pieces of silver.”

Matthew 26:15

What did Judas buy with

those thirty pieces of silver?

“When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized

with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.”

Matthew 27:3-4

From this verse we learn that Judas bought nothing with his coins. The priests used

the coins to buy a potter’s field—a burial place for poor or unknown persons.

1 THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER

“The Betrayal of Judas” Duccio c. 1308

Find thirty coins (pennies, nickles, dimes and

quarters). Count how much money you have. What

can you buy with those coins? Fast food? Maybe

something from a dollar store?

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What do we learn from scripture about thirty pieces of silver?

Thirty pieces of silver is the price of a slave.

“If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay

thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave,” Exodus 21:32

Thirty pieces of silver is the price that Israel placed on God.

In this passage from Zechariah, God is warning Israel that he is about to abandon them

(demanding his wages).

“I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.’

So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.

And the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’

—the handsome price at which they valued me!

So I took the thirty pieces of silver and

threw them to the potter at the house of the LORD.”

Zechariah 11:12-13

The “pay” God wanted was a humble heart. The nation of Israel should have cried out in

repentance, but they did not. Their value for God was only thirty pieces of silver, the

price of a slave, and they paid it. Notice that the thirty pieces of silver were then thrown

to the potter, like they were after the betrayal of Judas.

Jesus was worth thirty pieces of silver to Judas, and thirty pieces of silver to Israel.

What is he worth to you?

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume;

she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair.”

John 12:3

“When he found a pearl of great value he went away

and sold everything he had and bought it.”

Matthew 13:46

Activity: Cut on the dotted lines to cut out the coins,

then glue to the cross on the back page.

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When Peter heard a rooster crow it had a

special meaning.

“Immediately a rooster crowed.

Then Peter remembered the word Jesus

had spoken, ‘Before the rooster crows,

you will disown me three times.’

And he went outside and wept bitterly.”

Matthew 26:74-75

The rooster represents Peter's denial of

Christ, and Peter’s sorrow and repentance.

Peter was confident and capable, dearly loved by Jesus, and chosen to be one of the

special inner circle which included Peter, James and John. So, you might think he

would be strong. Take a closer look…

2 THE ROOSTER

Can you make the sound of a rooster crowing?

Try it. What does it mean when a rooster crows?

“Denial of St. Peter” Simon Bening c. 1525

In the picture ��

Find the rooster

Find Peter (hint: not wearing a hat)

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Peter was sure he would never fail Jesus and declared so at the Last Supper. That same

evening they went to the Garden of Gethsemane.

What did Jesus do in the garden? Pray

What did Peter do? Sleep

Jesus had asked Peter to pray. Prayer can strengthen us to stand strong. Peter did not

stand strong. Shortly after leaving the garden, he denied Christ three times. Then …

“Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned

and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered … he went

outside and wept bitterly.” Luke 22:60-61

When did Peter repent? When he looked into the face of Christ

Is there purpose in failure? Absolutely

God used failure to change Peter. After Peter’s repentance and restoration, he became a

strong leader in the early church.

Have you heard a rooster crow in your life? Have you denied Christ? Or failed in

another way? Look into the face of Christ. Let him use your failure to change you into

the kind of person he wants you to be.

During the Middle Ages, the rooster became a popular

Christian image on weathervanes. Its crowing at dawn

represented watchfulness and readiness for the

return of Christ.

“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when

the owner of the house will come back – whether in the

evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows,

or at dawn.” Mark 13:35

Activity: Cut on the dotted lines to cut out the rooster,


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In Rome, before a man was crucified,

he was usually scourged (whipped).

“Then Pilate took Jesus

and had him flogged.”

John 19:1

The Roman scourge had leather strips

attached to a wooden handle. Pieces of

bone, glass, or nails were knotted along

the strips, so that flesh would be torn

away from the body. It was not only

excruciatingly painful, but caused blood

loss and often shock.

The Jewish law used scourging for some

offenses, but limited it to 40 lashes.

The Pharisees reduced the number to 39

to avoid breaking the law. A Roman

scourging, which Jesus received, had no

limit and sometimes prisoners died.

3 SCOURGE

Have you seen someone being punished? What did you

think? Did you make a decision about that person

based on what you saw? There were lots of people

watching Jesus on the day he was crucified.

“Flagellation of Our Lord Jesus Christ” Bouguereau, 1880

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Pilate hoped that scourging would satisfy the Jews, so he could let Jesus go.

“I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty.

Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”

Luke 23:22

Pilate’s plan did not work and Jesus was crucified.

At the cross we see a Roman soldier, a centurion. He had likely helped with many

crucifixions, maybe even this one. He might have even seen Jesus scourged and

mocked. We don’t know. But at the cross, he watches and listens. He hears the

words of Jesus, the taunting of others, and he watches Jesus die.

“And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus,

saw how he died, he said,

‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’”

Mark 15:39

This centurion is the first person to confess belief in Jesus after his death on the cross.

He had no knowledge of God’s promises to Israel; he was a man of torture and death,

but God reveals himself to even the most hard-hearted. The love of God toward his

enemies is amazing. But we too, are enemies of God.

Have you seen Jesus, then stood before him and declared as the centurion did, “Surely

this man was the Son of God!”?

Activity: Cut on the dotted lines to cut out the scourge,


centurion =

leader of

100 soldiers

Jesus was scourged by Roman soldiers—rough hard men, used

to torture and killing; men with no sympathy. They were not

rejecting Jesus as the Son of God. They probably had little or

no knowledge of the Jewish faith. They were simply

doing their jobs.

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Roman soldiers teased Jesus by

pretending he was a king and placing a

crown on his head. Crowns are usually a

sign of honor. They are made with gold

and beautiful jewels—not this crown.

It was made of thorns to hurt and

humiliate Jesus.

“They stripped him and put a scarlet

robe on him, and then twisted together a

crown of thorns and set it on his head.

They put a staff in his right hand. Then

they knelt in front of him and mocked

him. ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ they said.”

Matthew 27:28-29

Where else in the Bible do we see thorns?

Old Testament

Thorns came to earth when God cursed the ground to punish Adam and Eve's sin.

“Cursed is the ground because of you ...It will produce thorns and thistles for you...”

Genesis 3:17-18

Christ wore the symbol of curse and punishment as he paid for our sins.

4 CROWN OF THORNS

Have you ever been stuck by a thorn? Maybe you have

a thorn bush in your yard? Thorns are sharp and can

cause pain.

“The Crown of Thorns” Gustave Doré 1865

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Before Abraham offered his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice in Genesis 22, God provided a

substitute: a perfect male (ram), whose head (horns) was caught in thorn bushes

(thicket). Jesus was our substitute sacrifice: a perfect male, on whose head was placed a

crown of thorns.

When God spoke to Moses from a burning bush, it was a thorn bush. God spoke from

thorns, the symbol of sin and punishment, and he said,

“I have indeed seen the misery of my people…So I have come down to rescue them…”

Exodus 3:7-8

New Testament

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about his “thorn in the flesh”—something that bothered

him. Paul knew the scriptures well. He knew all the references to thorns. He also knew

of the crown of thorns placed on Jesus’ head. Paul was an excellent writer and chose his

words carefully. It is not by accident that he used a thorn (the symbol of sin) to describe

his problem.

Do you have a “thorn” or problem that constantly bothers you?

Since the sin of Adam and Eve, we, like Paul, experience the effects of the curse. Jesus

sees our misery and reaches out to us. He was cursed for us in order to redeem us and

deliver us from the effects of the Fall.

Activity: Cut on the dotted lines to cut out the crown of thorns,


It is not known whether Jesus was still wearing the crown of thorns when he was

crucified. Nonetheless, it has become a symbol of the contempt shown for Jesus by

humanity. How ironic that they mocked him as a king when he truly was a king—

THE King of Kings.

“They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will

triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of

kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful

followers.” Revelation 17:14

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“They pierced

my hands and my feet.”

Psalm 22:16

“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.”

Isaiah 53:5

The nails used to affix Jesus

to the cross were heavy,

square, made of iron, and

seven to nine inches long—

the size of railroad spikes.

Nails that large would

certainly leave a scar.

5 HAMMER AND NAILS

Do you have any scars? Look at those scars. What do

they remind you of: a fall, a deep cut, surgery, an

animal bite? When your wound healed, it left a scar.

That scar is a reminder and proof of what happened.

In the picture

Find 3 hammers

“Nailing Christ to the Cross” Gustave Doré 1865

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Nails were used to keep men on the cross. Nails were not necessary to keep Jesus on the

cross. Love kept Jesus on the cross—his love for us. His nails served a different

purpose—they left scars. Those scars are a testimony to the love and power of Jesus

Christ. They are a reminder and proof of what happened.

The scars proved to Thomas and others that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead.

“So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them,

‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were,

and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’”

John 20:25

A week later when Thomas saw Jesus and the scars:

“Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God.’”

John 20:28

Imagine Jesus in heaven right now, 2,000 years later. Are the scars still there?

When John got a glimpse into heaven, this is what he saw:

“Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the

center of the throne”

Revelation 5:6

We don’t know what made Jesus look slain - perhaps it was his scars.

Activity: Cut on the dotted lines to cut out the hammer and nails,


“…by his wounds

you have been healed.”

1 Peter 2:24

According to the American Academy of Dermatology,

no scar can be completely removed.

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Casting lots to make a choice appears throughout the Bible. Exactly how lots were cast

is unknown. Gambling with dice was common in Rome. Archeologists have dug up

tens of thousands of dice. So, it is likely that the Roman soldiers at the cross used dice

to cast lots.

6 DICE

“The Crucifixion” Gérard Jollain 1670

“They divide my clothes among

them and cast lots for my garment.”

Psalms 22:18

“…they divided up his clothes

by casting lots.”

Matthew 27:35

Have you ever thrown dice or tossed a coin to see who

goes first? That is a way of casting lots. At the

crucifixion, the Roman soldiers cast lots to see who

would get Jesus’ clothing.

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Those Roman soldiers saw Jesus, Savior of the world, with their own eyes, yet they

rejected him. They nailed him to the cross, elevated it into position, then proceeded to

gamble for his clothes.

Look at the picture. What are the soldiers focused on?

Jesus, the Son of God, hung above them only a few feet away, bearing their sin on the

cross, while they focused on getting all the material possessions they could.

• Are we busy getting all the material possessions we can?

• Is Jesus only a few feet away, while we gaze at worldly things?

• What worldly things take your focus away from Jesus?

Lift your eyes from worldly possessions and distractions to the One above you.

Whatever you are gambling for, Jesus offers something better. The soldiers were

gambling for used earthly clothing, while Jesus, hanging above them, had an even

better garment to offer—a robe of righteousness.

You don’t need to cast lots for that robe. It is available to you now. It’s better than your

favorite item of clothing, and it is the most beautiful garment you will ever wear.

Activity: Cut on the dotted lines to cut out the dice,


"he has clothed me with

garments of salvation;

and arrayed me in a robe

of his righteousness"

Isaiah 61:10

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“…they offered Jesus wine to drink,

mixed with gall; but after tasting it,

he refused to drink it.”

Matthew 27:34

“A jar of wine vinegar was there,

so they soaked a sponge in it…

and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he

had received the drink, Jesus said,

‘It is finished.’”

John 19:29

Vinegar was offered to Jesus twice.

The first offer, which he refused,

was vinegar mixed with a

pain-killing herb (gall or myrrh).

The second, which he accepted, was

likely a common drink of workers

and soldiers known as posca,

which was a mixture of wine

vinegar and water, along with

honey, eggs or herbs.

7 VINEGAR

Find some vinegar. Smell it. Taste it. Would you want

to drink it? Vinegar means sour wine. You probably

would not want to drink it, unless it was mixed with

something else.

“Christ Crucified” van Dyck c.1640

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First offering (before Jesus was nailed to the cross)

The soldiers offered Jesus vinegar mixed with gall. This was probably not done out of

sympathy. More likely, this “drugged” vinegar was given to sedate the victim, so he

would not struggle when nailed to the cross.

“I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.

They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.”

Psalm 69:20-21

Why did Jesus refuse to drink? Listen to these instructions to the Jewish priests.

“You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink

whenever you go into the tent of meeting, … so that you can distinguish

between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,”

Leviticus 10:9-10

Jesus (our High Priest) both offered the sacrifice and was the sacrifice.

"I lay down my life." John 10:18

Second offering (Jesus is on the cross)

Jesus said, “I thirst.” He was offered wine vinegar and accepted it. Certainly Jesus was

physically thirsty, but could he also have meant spiritual thirst? Steve Roy of Desiring

God gives this perspective (paraphrased):

The thirst Jesus experienced on the cross is this:

"You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;

I thirst for you, my whole body longs for you" Psalm 63:1

Are you thirsty? Spiritually thirsty? Hear the words of Jesus.

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” John 7:37

Activity: Cut on the dotted lines to cut out the vinegar,


Jesus always had close fellowship with the Father. Even

when he left heaven he remained close. It was on the cross

that Jesus experienced separation from God for the first

time. We hear the horror from Jesus' own lips,

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

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Crucifixion was a slow death. To

speed it along, soldiers would often

break the legs of the victim so he

could not push up to breathe. That did

not happen to Jesus.

“…the Jewish leaders did not want

the bodies left on the crosses during

the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have

the legs broken and the bodies taken

down. The soldiers therefore came

and broke the legs of the first man

who had been crucified with Jesus,

and then those of the other. But when

they came to Jesus and found that he

was already dead, they did not break

his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers

pierced Jesus’ side with a spear,

bringing a sudden flow of blood and

water.” John 19:31-34

Why weren’t Jesus’ legs broken? It’s true, the soldiers thought Jesus was dead (they

had pierced his side with a pilum to make certain). But John gives us another reason.

“These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled …” John 19:36

8 PILUM (ROMAN SPEAR)

Have you ever broken a bone—maybe an arm, a leg

or a finger? What was it like? Painful?

In the picture, find the man

with a club ready to break legs “Crucifixion” Matthias Scheits 1672

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John goes on to tell us which scriptures were fulfilled:

“…he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”

Psalm 34:19-20

“…They will look on me, the one they have pierced…”

Zechariah 12:10

Remember Passover, the most important feast of the Jewish people - a feast they had

been celebrating for over 3,000 years (since they left Egypt). In Exodus we hear God’s

specifications regarding the Passover lamb.

“The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

‘These are the regulations for the Passover meal: …

‘It must be eaten inside the house;

take none of the meat outside the house.

Do not break any of the bones.’”

Exodus 12:43, 46

Notice that no bones of the Passover lamb were to be broken. Now, connect

the dots to Jesus.

And, just as the blood of the Passover lamb spared the lives of the Jewish people in

Egypt, our lives are spared by the blood of our Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ.

Has your life been spared by the blood of Jesus?

Activity: Cut on the dotted lines to cut out the pilums,


“For Christ, our Passover lamb

has been sacrificed.”

I Corinthians 5:7

“Look, the Lamb of God,

who takes away the sin of the world!”

John 1:29

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,”

Revelation 5:12

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The cross is the primary symbol

of Christianity. It is a joyful

reminder of this important fact:

Because Jesus bore the sins of the

world on a cross, we do not have

to bear our own sin.

“For the message of the cross is

foolishness to those who are

perishing, but to us who are being

saved it is the power of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:18

“May I never boast except in the

cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Galatians 6:14

9 THE CROSS

Where do you see crosses? In your home?

On the side of the road? On jewelry?

In the picture ��

find the nail marks

on Jesus’ hands

Caspar Luiken, 1712

Crucifixion comes from the Latin “to fix to a cross.” It began in the sixth century

BC and continued to the fourth century AD, when Constantine abolished it.

It is interesting to note that the prophetic Psalms (like Psalm 22) were written

by David long before crucifixion existed.

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What does the cross mean to us today?

The empty cross proclaims Christ’s resurrection.

Christ willingly endured a painful and gruesome death

in order to pay the price required for sin. Jesus no longer

hangs in shame on the cross. The cross is empty;

Jesus is alive.

Let’s proclaim with Paul:

“I resolved to know nothing while I was with you

except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

1 Corinthians 2:2

Forgiveness “God made you alive with Christ.

He forgave us all our sins”

Colossians 2:13

Salvation “In him we have redemption through his blood”

Ephesians 1:7

Freedom “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be

burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5:1

Encouragement “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, …

Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners,

so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Hebrews 12:2-3

Eternal Life “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,

but whoever rejects the Son will not see life,

for God’s wrath remains on them.”

John 3:36

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Let anyone who is thirsty come

to me and drink. John 7:37

Cursed is the ground ... It will produce

thorns and thistles for you. Genesis 3:17-18

… they divided up his clothing by

casting lots. Matthew 27:35

Throw it to the potter-the handsome price

at which they valued me! Zechariah 11:13

They pierced my hands and feet.

Psalm 22:16

… one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side...

John 19:34

The Lord turned and looked

straight at Peter. Luke 22:60-61

I will have him punished

and then release him. Luke 23:22

May I never boast except in the cross

of our Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 6:14

Draw a line from the symbol --- to the words from the Bible.

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER?

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642 Telfair Street • Augusta, Georgia 30901

706.262.8900 • www.firstpresaugusta.org

Please join us for our Holy Week services

Palm Sunday, April 17 - Children in PreK through fifth grade will participate in the

morning services on Palm Sunday by processing with palms during the opening hymn.

If your child would like to participate, please email Jessica Tatro,

[email protected], and let her know which service your child will attend.

Good Friday, April 22, 7 p.m. – This year our Good Friday service will begin with a

“Black Procession” featuring the nine items from the Passion of Christ that are in this

booklet. The Lord’s Supper will also be observed.

Easter Sunday, April 24 – Services at 8:30 and 11 a.m. There will not be an evening

service, to allow families to celebrate and reflect on the great gift of Christ’s

resurrection.

Documents

Good Friday Devotion