Tuesday Brief
General Superintendent Max Edwards & Judy
March 31, 2026 Christ’s Passion Week, and A Good Friday Meditation “Tenebrae” (darkness) - A personal meditation commemorating the suffering, death, and burial of Christ It is deeply meaningful and instructive for us to recollect the suffering of Christ that preceded His Resurrection. Without the context of the pain, rejection, and death of Christ, the victory over death cannot be properly celebrated and extolled. Sometime this week, Friday preferably, take a walk through the darkness of Jesus’ emotional pain and physical torture, and be fully ready to celebrate the truth that HE IS RISEN on Sunday morning! Remembering: Jesus took away the sins of the whole world – yours and mine – carrying them Himself. Quietly and solemnly focus on the suffering of our Lord, and his crucifixion. Come to the cross to grieve, and yet to rejoice. For the cross is, at once, the most cursed and most blessed of earthly objects. This instrument of death for our Lord Jesus Christ became the vessel of life for each of us. The Darkness of Denial: (based on Matthew 26:31-39) “… Jesus told them, "Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there." Peter declared, "Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you." Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” The Darkness of Rejection: (based on Matthew 26-27, and John 19) In the middle of the night, they came for Him in the garden, and took him to the house of the high priest, who said to him, "I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus replied, "You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God's right hand, and coming on the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, "Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?" "Guilty!" they shouted. "He deserves to die!" Then they began to spit in Jesus' face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, jeering, "Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?" Through the night Jesus had endured the betrayal and denial of His friends, and torture and ridicule at the hands of His enemies. Friday morning He stood on a balcony before the very people He had come to save. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, “Take Him away! Crucify Him!” And Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified. The Darkness of Golgotha: They led Him away to the place called Golgotha, carrying His own cross. It was a road that had been prepared for Jesus since man first turned away from a loving God. It was a road that was beset with hardship and heartache, yet Jesus boldly made the journey, shouldering the weight of the world’s sin. The Darkness of Crucifixion: (based on Matthew 27:35-43) “After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes. Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. A sign was fastened to the cross above Jesus' head, announcing the charge against him. It read: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. The Darkness of Death: We hear the last words of Christ: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” “Dear woman, here is your son,” He said to John and his mother Mary. We hear his anguished cries, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” and “I thirst.” Nearing death now, we hear Jesus say these words, “It is finished.” Then Jesus called out with a loud voice … “Father, into your hands I commit My spirit.” Then, He breathed His last. Thank you Lord, for your cross. Terrible and brutal, yet marvelous in that which it provides on our behalf. May we grow in deep appreciation for your immense sacrifice. Conclude your time of meditation by spending 20-30 minutes in intentional reflection and silence.