Good Friday

A reading from the Gospel according to John, chapter 19. 

Then [Pilate] handed him over to them to be crucified. 

So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ‘Do not write, “The King of the Jews”, but, “This man said, I am King of the Jews.”’ Pilate answered, ‘What I have written I have written.’ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.’ This was to fulfil what the scripture says, 

‘They divided my clothes among themselves, 
    and for my clothing they cast lots.’ 

And that is what the soldiers did. 

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. 

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 

What is good about Good Friday? Why does Good Friday matter, particularly when the events that surrounded this day were public ridicule and dehumanising treatment that led to the excruciating execution of Jesus Christ on the cross?  

Today's gospel portrays a vivid picture of these events. Events like “Jesus carrying the Cross, Jesus being crucified, the inscription by Pilate, the Roman soldiers who divvy up Jesus’ clothes among themselves, and a sponge full of wine forced into his mouth while on the cross.” We also hear the last four sentences of Jesus on the cross, “Woman, here is your son. [Son], here is your mother. I am thirsty. It is finished.”   

All these events point us to the perfect completion of the life and work of Jesus Christ. Each moment painfully and beautifully shows that the prophecies about Jesus Christ and His words were tested on this day and can be trusted for eternity.   

Good Friday matters because we remember the victory of love and life over sin and death. Christ’s love for humanity and creation propelled Him to endure pain, shame, and the cross. Through His condemnation and death on Good Friday, we receive and embrace the mercy and joy of Easter.   

The finished work of Jesus Christ is the heart of the Christian gospel, which is the ultimate sacrifice of Love paid for the redemption, reconciliation, and flourishing of creation. Christ wrestles redemption out of pain, death and darkness. Good is created where we least expect, and a new family is fashioned in the darkness of Golgotha which will be a beacon of love.  

The Apostle Paul reminds us in the Book of Romans that “we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose”. The paradox of Good Friday demonstrates that things do not need to be good for them to work for our good.