Good Friday - One Really Hard Day

Spirituality Column #21
April 3, 2007
Current in Carmel (IN) newspaper

Good Friday - One Really Hard Day
By Bob Walters
Author of the book: Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Eternal Life for all mankind is the Good News of the Gospel and the reason we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter. Christ defeated death for all of us so, in faith, we live eternally with God the Father in Heaven.

But as Easter Sunday celebrates Christ’s rising from the dead and promise of Eternal Life, Good Friday marks perhaps the most evil day in the history of humanity; the day Man killed Christ, the Incarnate Son of God.

I hate Good Friday.

Crucifixion is a horrendous death. As one's body weight hangs from outstretched arms tied or nailed to a crossbeam, the lungs cannot function and suffocation comes in agonizing minutes. The foot pedestal (or nailed feet) on the cross allows one to painfully brace ones body weight enough to allow excruciating breaths that prolong the death process for agonizing hours.

Christ breathed his last … “It is finished” (John 19:30) … and died before the Roman soldiers had to hasten death by breaking His legs with a club.  So His bones were not broken (John 19:36).

God’s perfect Eden for mankind was undone by Adam’s sin in the Garden, and because of that sin death came into the world (Genesis 3:22). Christ, God’s Son on the Cross, provided mankind with “forgiveness” – which means not the ignoring of our sin as the word is commonly misunderstood today, but the renewal of life.

Christ died for our sins, indeed, but our sins are not the ultimate point. Christ died to defeat death itself, giving us eternal hope and communion with God.

That’s the point.

As we contemplate the horror of Christ’s death on the cross, and the horror of our own sin which separates us from God, ask this question about the crucifixion: Why did Christ do that for us?

Those in faith have the answer: So we can live forever, sinless, with Him, in Heaven, for His Glory.

God loves and values each of our lives that much, but Good Friday is still a rough deal.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) often prays the Orthodox "Jesus Prayer": Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.