I’ve written about Good Friday many times, so why another post on Good Friday? Because there’s so much to ponder. Because there’s a deepness I’m still struggling to comprehend. Because there’s meaning to it I haven’t yet grasped. I’m still taking it for granted. I’m still misinterpreting. I’m still brushing it off with clichés.
You see, I tried to do it my way. And failed. I tried to follow the laws. I couldn’t keep them. I tried to cover up sin. It was still there. I tried to push away the darkness. It still overshadowed me. I tried to offer sacrifices to appease an angry God. It didn’t work. And, ultimately, God wasn’t angry.
Because God was hanging there on the cross. God was that human, as hard as that is to comprehend. God was in the same condition as the rest of struggling humanity. God became a part of our disorder. God became a part of our mess. And God embraced our darkness. Instead of ignoring the darkness, God reached out into it. Instead of trying to correct it, God became it. It was the only way. It was the only way to turn it into something good. And that’s what God does: turns tragedy into triumph. Turns cruelty into compassion. Turns guilt into grace.
So, as I contemplate the cross this Good Friday, I want to hear its message. The message of undeserved suffering being accepted by God. The message of God reaching out so I don’t have to reach up. The message of our judgments being, oh, so very wrong! The message of death being just a doorway into more life. The message not of God demanding sacrifice but of God being sacrifice. The message of no more ins and outs, because we’re all one at the foot of the cross. The message of no more hindrances cutting us off from divine welcome. The message of loving my enemies. The message of nonviolent activism. The message of peace.
May I believe the message. May my eyes see it, and my heart embrace it, and my feet live it. God, help my unbelief!
(For further study on what the cross actually means read Romans 8:3-4 in The Message, Hebrews 2:9 and 7:27 in The Voice, Philippians 3:7-14 in The Message, and Ephesians 2:14-18 in The Message. Also read Richard Rohr on atonement, linked here. And read M. Shawn Copeland’s book Knowing Christ Crucified, available on Amazon, linked here. )
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