Easter Friday Evening 2026 – Behold the Man – Remember Christ’s Sacrifice
John 19:1–5 So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3 Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands. 4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.” 5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”
In this solemn Easter message, Rev Stegen drew our attention to the words of Pilate in John 19:5: “Behold the Man!” These words call us to look deeply at the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ and to reflect on the meaning of His sacrifice.
The sermon opened with the account of an artist from centuries past who was asked to paint the best picture of Jesus. Rather than portraying Christ in the traditional way, he painted only His back. When questioned, the artist explained that he wanted people to truly see the extent of Christ’s suffering. Jesus was not merely beaten; He was scourged with a cruel whip designed to tear into the flesh. Rev Stegen described how soldiers mercilessly whipped Him, leaving His back torn open so severely that His bones and even His lungs could be seen. In this, we are reminded that His back was ploughed for our sake. He endured this suffering because of our sins, for you and for me.
As we remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ during Easter, the message also turned our hearts toward a personal reflection on our own mortality. Christ died on our behalf, but each one of us must also remember that our own day of death will surely come. Rev Stegen reminded the congregation that none of us knows whether we will see another Easter. Death comes to both the young and the old, and no one can presume upon tomorrow.
Drawing from Psalm 90:12, the prayer of Moses, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom,” the sermon emphasized that true wisdom begins when we live with the awareness that our lives on earth are temporary. To number our days is to live soberly, wisely, and in readiness before God.
The message also highlighted the solemn truth found in Scripture: “It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgment.” Death is not the end, but the doorway to standing before the judgment seat of Christ. Every person will give an account before Him—not only for deeds, but even for every idle word and every thought. This reality calls us to live in continual preparation to meet our God.
Rev Stegen urged both parents and individuals alike to take this truth seriously. Parents should teach their children about the reality of death and judgment, and every believer must preach this truth to his or her own heart: prepare to meet your God (Amos 4:12).
The sermon closed with a sobering illustration from the life of Sir Winston Churchill, who reportedly said on his deathbed, “I die like a fool.” This serves as a solemn warning that worldly greatness means nothing if one is unprepared to meet God.
This Easter message is both a remembrance of Christ’s suffering love and a heartfelt call to repentance, wisdom, and readiness for eternity.
