Day 27: Good Friday

Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, for every soldier a part, and the tunic. And the tunic was without seam, worked from the top throughout. They said therefore to one another, Let us not rip it, but decide by lot concerning it, whose it shall be; that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which says, They divided My garments for themselves, and over My vesture did they cast lots [Ps. 22:18]. Indeed, therefore the soldiers did these things.

And there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. Jesus then, seeing the mother, and the disciple standing by whom He loved, says to His mother, Woman, behold, thy son! Then He says to the disciple, Behold, thy mother! And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were already finished, that the Scripture might be perfected, says, I thirst [Ps. 69:21]. Then there was set a vessel full of vinegar, and they, having filled a sponge full with vinegar, and having put it around hyssop, brought it to His mouth. When Jesus therefore received the vinegar, He said, It is finished; and bowing the head, He delivered up the spirit.

The Jews, therefore, lest the body should remain on the cross on the Sabbath, since it was the Preparation (for that day of the Sabbath was a great day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But as they were coming upon Jesus, and they saw He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and straightway there came out blood and water. And he who saw testifies, and his testimony is true; he also knows that he says what is true, that you may believe. For these things came to pass, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, A bone of Him shall not be broken apart [Ps. 34:20]. And again another Scripture says, They shall look on Him whom they pierced [Zech. 12:10].

And after these things Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take the body of Jesus, and Pilate permitted him; he came therefore and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, bringing a mingling of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred litras. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in sheets with the spices, as is the custom with the Jews to bury. And in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new sepulcher, in which no one had yet been put. Therefore, there they laid Jesus down, by reason of the Preparation of the Jews, because the sepulcher was near. John 19:23-42

“Mother” and “woman” here mean the church; and “John” the good of charity, and thus these words signify that the church will be where there is the good of charity. Apocalypse Explained 250:8

Evil spirits never fight against other things than those which the man loves; the more ardently he loves them, the more fiercely do they wage the combat… As soon as they notice even the smallest thing which a man loves, or perceive as it were by scent what is delightful and dear to him, they immediately assault it and endeavor to destroy it... The nature of the Lord’s temptations was that they were the most terrible of all, for such as is the greatness of the love, such is the fearful character of the temptation. The Lord’s love was the salvation of the whole human race, and was most ardent; consequently, it was the whole sum of the affection of good and affection of truth in the highest degree. Against these, with the most malignant wiles and venom, all the hells waged the combat; but still the Lord conquered them all by His own power. Arcana Coelestia 1820:2,5

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