Good? Friday

I just returned from going through the Stations of the Cross at our church. There are fourteen stations in all. We walked through the steps of Jesus as he walked to His death. It should have been my death, for I am thoroughly guilty of sin against God and am deserving of execution. I have no appeal.

About the third Station you are encouraged to kneel before a table. On the table is a small rock, not much bigger than your hand. Pick it up. Know that it was the weight of our sins that caused Jesus to stumble and fall as he climbed the hill to his death. What should have been my death, my thorns, my nails, my cross.

Further on there is another Station where you kneel before a table, only the rocks here are a bit larger and heavier. It was this even heavier load that caused Jesus to stagger and fall as he got closer to the place where his life would end. It was my life that should have ended.

Near the end of the Stations is yet one more table to kneel before, and yet larger and weightier rocks to lift. As I knelt before the table, I held this large rock--the weight of the sins of the world--in my hands before me. I cried out in my soul to God, "Kill me! Drive nails into my hands. Rip the flesh from my back. I deserve to die, not you!" But then I tilted my hands down toward the floor and let the rock fall. With the heaviness gone, my hands felt suddenly weightless. They began to lift on their own.

I do not deserve the freedom I experience, but I have it because the Son of God took my place in the execution chamber. I cannot explain it--it makes no sense to me. As I placed myself, even ever-so-briefly, even only in an imaginary way, in the footsteps of Jesus as he faced the cross, I could not help being struck by the irony of the phrase "Good Friday." It seemed to me that for Jesus it was a pretty bad Friday. As I reflect further, though, I now see that Good is not nearly a strong enough adjective for that day. It was the day when the only sinless one paid the price for all of my sins for all time. The rock has rolled, my hands are free to rise. For me, it was a Great, Fantastic, Stupendous Friday.

Sunday will be even better.