Good Friday. It’s very strange label for a day in the calendar memorialized by the murder of a man believed by over a billion people to be God incarnate. Ever since I began to follow Jesus, Good Friday has been to me a big deal. The ‘good’ in Good Friday points us to the outcome of the tragic, unjust execution of an innocent man. The resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday reinterprets the crucifixion for us. The worst day in human history became one of the best. I see many significant implications of Good Friday for us in 2016.
In the wake of the Brussels terrorist attacks, what good news of hope can be uttered to those victims and their families? There are no easy answers for such a senseless loss of life, and any attempt to give them is futile. But what Jesus can say is “I understand because I’ve been the innocent victim of terrorism as well.” Terrorism is defined as “the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce especially for political purposes.” That pretty much summed up the motives of the Roman use of crucifixion and the Jewish high priests who were involved in the persecution and killing of Jesus Christ.
Jesus was a victim or terrorism, his mother, his friends, his supporters, all bore in their faces the look of shock and grief too familiar with those who have experienced such tragedy. When going through ordeals, it’s good to know that someone can relate to your pain. Jesus can also empathize with the “othering” and alienation that happens when people look to blame groups for these attacks (such as Middle Eastern people, all Muslims, immigrants, etc.). He can do this because he was the other, crucified outside of the city. It’s a Good Friday, because today we remember that God Himself can relate to our pain. Jesus was Brussels.
Jesus was also the victim of injustice and police brutality. The Gospels make it clear that the Roman soldiers used excessive force in their treatment of him (Mark 15:16-20) and without due process, or any evidence he was executed for crimes he didn’t commit (Mark 15:14-15). Injustice is one of the major wrongs that God exposes and rails against in the Bible. Justice is also one of the primary components of his eventual, perfect administration. It’s a Good Friday because we remember that God Himself was a victim of injustice and an advocate for the oppressed. Jesus was the innocent, unarmed, black man.
Lastly, Jesus was alone. As He agonizingly grasped for every gasp of breathe on the cross, he cried out “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). Though he told others he would be alone in the moment of his sacrificial death on the cross, the actual experience of the isolation between Him, His Father and everyone else was excruciating. He was isolated from everyone as he bore the sin of everyone. Even as brutal as the physical effects of crucifixion was, the physical pain wasn’t the worst part. Not even close. It was the alienation from his Father. It’s a Good Friday because, for everyone that has ever experienced the pain of loneliness, we can reflect on the truth that God himself was isolated and ostracized on the cross. He can relate to our suffering because the relationship he has with his Father throughout eternity was severed when he became sin for us. Jesus was you and me when we are the most alone.
The layers and nuances of this story are rich. Typically the sacrificial death of Jesus is only highlighted for its role in restoring for us a right relationship with God. But in times like these, it’s also important to note that its importance in the reconciliation of right relationships with each other is crucial as well. And for those reasons and many more, it’s a Good Friday!
rberryblog 