Good Friday calls to Christians

The dying breath of a living Lord blew over the arid lands of Palestine 2000

years ago. The one I profess as Lord and Savior hung on a cross and

surrendered his spirit to God.

Jesus' torture began in the pastoral Garden of Gethsemane when Judas

betrayed Jesus with a kiss. From there, the Temple police took Jesus to

Caiphas' house where he was hit, spat upon, insulted and imprisoned. The

ordeal continued Friday morning with more false accusations, then an

appearance before Pilate. At the insistence of the crowd, Pilate authorized

Jesus' flogging then crucifixion. Ultimately the one Christians profess as

the Son of God died. Paradoxically, this day of death and torture is called

"Good Friday."

For many, the intensity and brutality of Jesus' death has been brought to

life by Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ. Jesus endured a

savage beating - scourging as the ancients called it. Many modern critics

say the movie was overdone. Gibson retorted, "Every drop of blood was

necessary."

What could be good about a brutal death of any person, much less the death

of the one professed as Messiah and Savior? The Roman centurion present at

his death provides a glimpse of the good. According to Mark's Gospel, as

Jesus died a Roman centurion who had witnessed his death looked upon the

cross and said, "Surely this man is the Son of God."

Therein lies the good of the day, the redemptive hope. In the voluntary

suffering of Jesus, we see the depth of love God has for his people and his

creation. Repulsive? Absolutely. Intense? Without question. The cross is a

stumbling block to faith even today. And that is exactly why God chose the

cross as a means to redeem the world.

I have seen Gibson's movie a couple of times. Each time it evoked emotions

ranging from shock to pity to an overwhelming gratitude. The viewer cannot

help but be moved by pity toward Jesus, then to realize that all that he

endured he did it voluntarily for me. Such love is piercing and has brought

millions to faith in this self-giving God.

Jesus' life shows God hiding in the broken beneath the very things the world

calls weak. In that weakness, God's strength is made known. In the story of

a pitiable widow who gave her final coin, the mite, we see remarkable

strength of faith, courage and generosity. The cross provides a lens of

perspective on the Gospels and on life. Through this lens we recognize that

the cross of Jesus turned the world's values upside down. Strength comes

through submission. Glory comes through servanthood. Life eternal comes

through death. The cross is a witness against a pursuit of worldly success.

Martin Luther understood this power of weakness as the theology of the

cross, and such theology stands over and against a theology of glory. The

theology of the cross is lived out in sacrifice, humility and compassion.

The false theology of glory is lived out in self-aggrandizement, pursuit of

power and honor, and a triumphant spirit that marches over the needs of the

downtrodden.

Good Friday calls Christians home to a place that is at once sad and

redemptive - to the story of Jesus' enormous suffering. There in the

suffering of a faithful servant, the secret of God's kingdom is revealed.

There, in the cross of Jesus, we find God's forgiveness of our sin and an

invitation to the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of love, compassion and

self-giving.

(Glenn Ethridge is senior pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church in Evans.)