Gathering 228: “One Week that Changed the World: Friday” // Service of Worship // Rev. Tony Minear, Ph.D.

Why was Jesus crucified? For most Christians, the answer is simple. Jesus died to save us from our sins. But if you were a follower of Jesus in the first century, you would not find the answer to this question in the Gospel of Mark anywhere. To the chief priests, elders, teachers of the law, and later, Pontius Pilate, Jesus was accused of the crime of sedition for claiming he was the “King of the Jews”. Scripturally in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus never states that of himself. However, on Friday, at 9:00 AM, Jesus, the King of the Jews, was executed. Why? 

Listen today as our Lenten worship series: "One Week that Changed the World” continues and Pastor Tony takes a look at Jesus' activities on Friday. Centuries later, have we sanitized the fact that Jesus was executed for committing a crime? As Christians, we follow a man who was executed and didn’t deserve to die, and yet the majority of Christians today condone the execution of death row inmates by supporting the death penalty. Is it hypocritical or can we shift away from the execution of all inmates to respect the immeasurable value in every life? The choice is yours to make. Jesus proclaimed to have come to give us life abundantly. Who are we to decide otherwise? 

Recorded live at Beatitudes Church in Phoenix, AZ on 04/03/22  

Preaching: Rev. Tony Minear, Ph.D. 

Scripture: Mark 15: 1-2; 22-26 

Scripture Reader: Janelle Tapphorn  

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