Good Friday

Today is the day that those who believe remember the crucifixion of an innocent man, if one could call him simply that, Jesus of Nazareth. He was accused by the religious men of his time that he claimed to be King, that he claimed to be the Son of God. He was arrested under the cover of darkness and rushed from court to court in the middle of the night. Not one of the judges he stood before could find any fault in him. Yet his accusers would not rest until this man was dead and they riled up the crowds who just days before shouted for joy at his arrival into the city of Jerusalem. The Roman authority cowardly heeded to the demands of the mob, though he too found no fault in him, and sent him away to be whipped, to be beaten beyond recognition, and to be executed on the cross - a death fitting for thieves and murderers.
Without a word of objection, like a lamb to the slaughter, this man Jesus carried his cross on the long road to the edge of the city, to a hill where he was to be hung. The wood dug deep into his wounds, tearing his already broken flesh. He was given a crown of thorns that pressed hard into his scalp. They adorned him with a robe of purple and mocked him as he silently carried his means of execution to the place of his death.
They lay him down, his hands and feet outstretched on the cross and drove large nails through his wrists and his feet. They raised the cross upright and their he hung for all to see. One of the highest hills in the city, he could be seen for miles. Above his head they wrote "The King of the Jews" much to the dismay of his accusers.
Next to him they crucified two men whose crimes made them worthy of death. One of them, even in his pathetic position mocked him along with the crowds. The other asked Jesus to remember him in his Kingdom.
Hours passed. With every long minute breathing became more and more difficult. The wood against his back dug into his bloodied back as he slipped lower and lower. In a raspy voice he called out that he was thirsty. They raised a sponge soaked in wine to his lips. After he took his drink he took his final breath, and with the strength he had left called out that it was finished. He bowed his head and died.
The instant life left his body the earth shook. The sky darkened and the thick curtain in the temple was torn in two. In horror and amazement, even one of the soldiers cried out "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
The man, Jesus, was guilty of the accusation. He did claim to be the Son of God. Yet they failed to realize that unlike the dozens of false prophets and liars who made this claim, Jesus proved it. He lived a blameless life - before both men and God. He performed many miracles, affirmation of the power given to him by God. He raised the dead and fed thousands from scraps of food. Thousands bore witness to his acts. Many thousands more heard his teaching.
As Jesus hung on the cross that day, he saw me in the crowd. He saw me not weeping for his pain, but mocking him in his final hours. He looked into my eyes, saw into the depths of my heart and found that I was not good. I was not worthy of his love. Even as a I cheered for his crucifixion he loved me. Even as I spit in his face as he bore his cross to that hill he loved me. Even as I shouted for him to use his power to save himself from death he loved me.
Jesus saw you too. Though you were many years from this moment in time he knew everything you were to become. He saw the evil in your heart. He saw how you mistreated others. He saw your selfish attitude. He saw your darkest moments of sin. And he loved you too.
As he hung there on the cross he took on every one of our sins - just one of which made us worthy of death apart from God. He paid the price by his perfect life, a sacrifice for mankind. By his blood men are made right before God.
The Son of God died in your place and mine. Where we deserve to hang on the cross just like the thieves beside him, he paid the price. I didn't deserve it. You didn't deserve it. But because of his great love for us, while we were still sinners, Jesus, the Christ, died for us.
Jesus was not a man motivated by fame for what glory is there in death on a cross! Nor was he a lunatic for he ever has spoke with such wisdom and authority! He was the Son of God sent to save sinners. He didn't set out to start a religion of rules and bureaucracy. He came to this world to testify to the Truth that we are not right before God and that by his grace - only by his grace - we are made pure.
He asked his followers to be lights in this world. To right wrongs. To heal brokenness. To defend the cause of the widow and the orphan. To love the unlovable. All this was to be done with humility and love, not arrogance and force. His final wish was for his message of forgiveness to be shared with the whole of the world.
As you reflect on these words and the meaning of this day, I invite you to read the claims of Jesus and to decide for yourself who this man really was. For myself, I have decided that he truly was the Son of God. Just as he promised, he has come into my heart and changed my life. He will do the same for you.
The message of Good Friday is good news.