Good Friday
“It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.” – Luke 23:44-46
Stuart R. Strachan, Jr. writes: “In the sixteenth century, Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci journeyed to China, bringing religious art to share the Christian story with those unfamiliar with it.
The Chinese readily embraced images of the Virgin Mary cradling her child. However, their reaction to the crucified Christ was starkly different.
When Ricci introduced paintings of the crucifixion and explained that the God-child had grown up only to be executed, they responded with shock and revulsion.
The Chinese preferred to worship the Virgin Mary rather than the crucified Christ.
In some ways, we who celebrate ‘Christmas’ today mirror that preference for the serene, cherubic Christ Child over the crucified Savior. Like those early Chinese seekers, we often focus on the peaceful, joyful scenes of Bethlehem while avoiding the harsh reality of Christ’s death. After all, there is no “Good Friday” counterpart to the nativity, is there?
But this inclination to keep life comfortable and surface-level can obscure the true purpose of Jesus’ incarnation: to seek and save the lost, offering them new life.
A Jesus who remains in the manger is not capable of accomplishing that mission. The fullness of His purpose comes into view only when we journey with Him from Bethlehem to Calvary.”
If the story ended on Friday, it would have been the worst day in the history of the world. But the story did not end on Friday.
Give thanks to the Lord that through His death and resurrection you have eternal life.
“One thief was converted in his last hour that none might despair. But only one was converted that none might presume.” – J.C. Ryle
“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.” – Matthew 27:50