Crossroads: Good Friday, A World in Ruins

Mark 14:43–15:47

My Story

Have you ever had a week start off well, but by the end of it all hope seems lost? Terrible things happen all at once, and you just aren’t sure how you’re going to make it another hour, let alone another day. We’ve all had bad weeks and perhaps you have had a week so terrible that you just couldn’t go another step. The disciples had the worst week of their lives that first Holy Week. At the beginning of the week, things were amazing. They were walking with their teacher into Jerusalem, entering that great city victoriously. The people were laying their coats down, waving branches and shouting “Hosanna!” It seemed as though everyone recognized who Jesus was and now things would be great. And yet, by the end of the week, Jesus had been arrested, Peter denied even knowing Jesus, the disciples had scattered, and Jesus was dying on a cross.

What do you do when your world has been shattered? What do you do when it seems that the person in whom you placed all of your hopes and dreams was wrong, when it seems as though Jesus wasn’t the Messiah at all? Almost all of the disciples hid, terrified that they, too, would be arrested and possibly crucified with Jesus. Praise God that we know the story doesn’t end on the cross, but moves instead to the empty tomb. But on this day, this Good Friday, the disciples had no idea. Jesus was dead and their world had come crashing down around them. Which way do you turn when your world is in ruins?

The Bible Story

Read Mark 14:43-15:47 from a translation that is easy for your children to understand (NIV, The Message, The New Living Translation, Common English Bible, etc.).

Discussion

• Talk about how you think the disciples felt when Jesus was arrested—if you had been there, do you think you would have tried to fight the people arresting Jesus? Would you have run away?
• How would you feel if you saw Jesus be crucified?
• We know that Easter is coming, that Jesus did not stay dead, and that He rose from the dead, defeating death so that we could always be with God. But today we remember Jesus’ death. We remember how hard it must have been for the disciples. Today we mourn for Jesus so that we can celebrate his resurrection on Easter Sunday. What are some ways you can remember Jesus’ death today? As a family, talk about what you can do to remember Jesus’ death.

Prayer

Thank God for sending His son to die on a cross for us. Ask God for forgiveness that He had to die that way so that we could be free. Confess your sins to God. Ask God to forgive your sins.

Jessica Asbell is currently serving as the Minister to Children at First Baptist Church of Roswell, GA. She has worked with children in various capacities at several churches, including Winter Park Baptist in Wilmington, NC, First Baptist of Decatur, GA, and Highland Hills Baptist in Macon, GA. She has a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology and a BBA from Mercer University. In her spare time she loves to read, watch movies, and of course spend time with her sweet kitty, Lucy.

Kevin Head began serving as Minister to Young Families at First Baptist Roswell, Georgia, in February 2012. He has pastored three churches in Kentucky and more recently served as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Lumberton, North Carolina. In 2007, Kevin and his wife, Amy, began a ministry-based counseling practice called New Perspectives for Life in East Cobb, Georgia. He is a graduate of Furman University (B.A.) and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Ph.D., M.Div.) in Louisville, Kentucky. Kevin was ordained by the First Baptist Church of Belvedere, South Carolina. His model of ministry is based on John 8 and the amazing, continual grace of Jesus Christ. Kevin and Amy have two children, Jenna and Joshua.