Yesterday, the Christians all over the world observed Maundy Thursday, the first of three Holy Week observances relating to the events surrounding Christ’s passion. Maundy Thursday marks the occasion of the last Passover Christ observed with his disciples, as well as the first Eucharist.
Today the Christians across the land observe the Good Friday. Two important practices are witnessed today, namely, ancient Christian devotion known as the Stations of the Cross and the recounting of the passion of the Our lord Jesus Christ. Participating in the way of the Cross and recounting of the passion of our Lord which takes place in the churches allow God’s people to unite with one another in an extended act of remembering the cost of their salvation. The passion of our lord recorded in the Gospel of St. John is a moving testimony to the final hours of Jesus before His crucifixion. Christians relive the event of the moments of Jesus; his prayer in the Garden of Olives, His walks through the street of Jerusalem, His appearance before Pilate, His scourge at the pillar, his carrying of heavy cross to mount Calvary and finally his utterance of the momentous words, “It is finished’. This is what we recall on Good Friday.
A question that is perennially asked by one and all is, “Why Did Jesus Have to Die? For a non-Christian or for an unbeliever the death of Jesus is absurd, unreasonable and unnecessary. However, for a Christian, the death of Jesus is redemptive. In the book of prophet Isaiah we read, “He was wounded for our transgressions … by his stripes we are healed.” (Is 53:5) These verse from prophet Isaiah summarize the event of Good Friday and the message of it.
The suffering and death of Jesus on the cross on Good Friday is an unbelievable demonstration of God’s sacrificial love for human beings. The cross truly does demonstrate and reveal the love of God the Father who sacrificed His only Son for us. God showed us what real love is by giving his Son to save us and making it possible for us to share and experience that love. 1 John 4: 9-10 reminds us, “God sent His only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins.” Jesus in his own words expresses“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (Jn 3:16).
This day is called ‘Good Friday’ not because they day was good for Jesus. It wasn’t a good day for Jesus rather it was a day of soul-wrenching agony, a day when Jesus hung for hours on a wooden cross by the nails on his hands for our sake. We call today, “Good Friday’ because his death bridged the deep gulf between God and each one of us. John wrote his Gospel in Greek, and those last words of Jesus are just one word in Greek – ‘tetelestai’ which means, ‘It is finished’. Jesus is saying that his job of saving the world has been completed. He has won forgiveness for all people. Nothing else needs to be done. Salvation is complete. “It is finished”. Therefore, in the cross God expressed his love in action.
The Christians are called to assess on Good Friday how well we return that love by loving God living in our fellow human beings. We are living in a world which is increasingly experiencing hatred, violence, persecution, fanaticism, division, lack of trust, prejudice, selfishness, marginalization, family breakdown, blatant denial of justice, marital tension, poverty, drug or alcohol abuse, polarization on the basis of creed and colour etc. We are presented with a society where crime against sacredness and human dignity of life is rampant. Therefore, it is the day to remember the new commandment of love Jesus gave us in Gospel of John 13: 34-35 “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”. It is a call to to love everyone with no distinction and condition and see everyone as image of God and see the face of God in the marginalize and the suffering.
On Good Friday, Christians remember the Ransom Jesus paid for our sins. Sin is infinite offense and disobedience committed against, the Infinite Holiness of God. It demands infinite punishment. Among all the explanation given for the death of Jesus one that is truly credible is based on the central fact that human being cannot atone for his sin against the infinite justice of God. On the other hand, since God is just, he cannot merely sweep our sins “under the rug.” God’s justice demands that our sins be punished. Not to punish sin would be unjust. God is both just and loving. Therefore, God’s love is willing to meet the demands of His justice. But only a God–man could do that, and Jesus made that atonement by his suffering and death. Out of perfect love for us, Jesus took upon himself the punishment we deserve. His willingness to suffer in our place balanced the divine “scales of justice.” The debt was now paid. His love paid the price. His passion and death atoned for our sins and redeemed us. St. Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians, “For our sake He made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” (Cor 5: 21). Jesus brought us back to the state of God’s children from our slavery to sin by paying his life as ransom for our sins. That is why Jesus said, “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk. 10:45).
Our freedom was obtained by the price that Jesus paid for us in dying on the cross. Hence, Good Friday is a day to show gratitude to Jesus our Savior by avoiding sins and making reparation or atonement for our sins by acts of mercy, kindness and love. Although it is not pleasant to have our sins and faults pointed out to us, the cross does this. When Peter preached his great sermon on the first day of Pentecost, he laid responsibility for the death of Jesus at the feet of his listeners and the Bible says, they were “pricked in their hearts” or “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:37).
But we are living in a world which has lost the sense of sin and which ignores the price Jesus paid for it. Carelessness is slowly creeping into the lives of his followers. Godly values are being replaced by worldly values. Everything is directed by the desire to grab for one’s own gratification and glory. The aspect of sins is slowly waning from the life of people. The prophecy of Jeremiah lamented this sad situation centuries ago, “No one repents of his wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done!’”
On this Good Friday, we are exhorted to show the good will and generosity to ask God’s forgiveness for our sins along with the Psalmist, “Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense. Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me. For I know my offense; my sin is always before me. Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight.” (Ps 51: 3-6)
The Good Friday recalls the Heroic and courageous Suffering of Jesus. Crucifixion was used early in history by the Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Romans as a feared way of subduing conquered territories. The cross was the crudest instrument of torture used by the Romans to punish rebels and criminals, and the slow death by hanging on the cross was the most excruciating experience of pain in the world. Jesus knew beforehand every detail of his coming cruel suffering, humiliation, rejection and death, but he welcomed it all wholeheartedly according to the eternal plan of God his Father.
Today, the challenge from the cross for us is to accept our unavoidable share of pain and suffering in this life, deriving strength and inspiration from the suffering of Christ. By willingly accepting the most terrible sufferings of torture and the excruciating suffering and humiliation of crucifixion, Jesus teaches us that our pain and suffering have a redemptive value as his suffering and death redeemed mankind from the bondage of sin. It was in fact a condition for his disciples. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mt 16: 24). Therefore, let us learn to welcome in the same way the pain involved in controlling our evil tendencies and practicing more self-control. Let welcome the pain involved in sharing our blessings sacrificially with others. Let also welcome the pain and humiliation involved in standing for Christ and his teachings and principles.
Today Christians are reminded that Good Friday is the road to Easter Sunday. While Good Friday is the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus, there’s more to it than remembering. It is the road of Easter Sunday. There is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. Many a times, people want to skip Good Friday because it brings sadness and gloom and want to go straight to Ester Sunday. However as Jesus says, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone, but if it dies, it produces many” (John 12:24)
To sum up, Jesus’ message surrounding the event on Good Friday was revolutionary in his day, and is still life-changing today. It was against all conventional wisdom that Jesus’ death took place. There is no justification for all what Jesus underwent, except His love for humanity. Through this event, Jesus taught peace in an age of violence. He taught forgiveness in an age of victimization. He taught humility in an age of spiritual arrogance and self-righteousness. He taught equality in an age of division and subjugation. He taught love in a world of hatred and violence. He taught truth in a world of lies and hypocrisy. He taught dignity of life in a world of lack of respect for helpless and marginalized. Today as we commemorate the passion and death of Jesus, we are called become of peace not only in words but in action in an age of violence. We are invited to become champions of unconditional forgiveness in an age of victimization and revenge. We are called to become humble in an age of spiritual arrogance and imposition. We are called to become agents of unconditional love in an age of hatred. We are called to become promoters of life and dignity in an age that lacks respect of life and dignity. Have a grace-filled Good Friday.
Fr. Sojan Xavier, Chancellor and Youth Director, Diocese of Kohima.
