Jesus gave life as ransom to save us from sins
    Date :02-Apr-2021

The accused in police cus
 
By Joseph Raj :
 
Good Friday for Christians is one of the most important days. Commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, Good Friday also has other names: ‘Black Friday’, ‘Holy Friday’, ‘Silent Friday’, or ‘Easter Friday.’ The ‘Good’ before Friday confuses a lot. Because it is the day of mourning. So, how can it be good or joyous when Jesus dies on that day? For Christians however, Good Friday is good since Jesus gave his life as a ransom to save us from our sins and rose to life defeating death (His resurrection follows on Easter Sunday). In 2021 Good Friday is falling on the 2nd of April. Background Recalling the sacrifices and suffering in Jesus’ life, his crucifixion on Good Friday wraps up a series of events during the Holy Week: Jesus entering Jerusalem as Messiah on Palm Sunday; Jesus washing his disciples’ feet; his last supper on Maundy Thursday.
 
Before his arrest, Jesus was a celebrity and hailed as the awaited Messiah. (‘Messiah’ for Jews is a God-sent King who would crush their enemies and restore the Jewish empire). When the Jewish leaders accused Jesus and spread the rumour of sedition, his popularity nose-dived. The Gospel of Mark, the earliest book on the life of Jesus, allots a big portion to Jesus’ arrest, trial, and death, But, in its early chapters, you can see how his practices of healing and preaching lead to a head-on collision with Jewish leaders. By crucifying Jesus, his enemies hoped to stop his ‘Good News of God’s Kingdom’ from spreading far and wide. Nevertheless, Jesus’ praxis concerning the political leadership (washing the feet of his disciples), a servant-leader taking care of the weak and sick, his economic model of sharing what one owns to banish hunger will forever oppose amoral politics and greedy economies everywhere. History The first Good Friday, most biblical scholars reckon, took place on the 3rd of April, 33 AD. Mark’s narration of Jesus’ death is very particular about his betrayal and isolation from arrest to death. Betrayed by a bribe, Jesus was tried, lashed, tormented, and paraded like a clown on the streets of Jerusalem. Finally, on the cross, Jesus was left to die in utter loneliness.
 
An inscription stuck above the Cross where Jesus was crucified read Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. On that Friday, when he hung naked, there was none close-by to offer a word of consolation. Jesus’ abandonment in his last moments was so total that it stands in poignant contrast to his heyday when mobs were going crazy for him. During his public ministry, in his mid-30s, lasting perhaps less than three years, Jesus attracted considerable attention. In Mark 1:33, we read, the entire city(Capernaum) had gathered at the door of a house he stayed to meet him. Mark 2:2: “There were many gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and Jesus was preaching to them”. Not only in cities, but the crowds also flung themselves on him wherever Jesus went. Mark writes in 4,1: Jesus went by the seashore and all the people were coming to Him, and He had to take a boat to be away from the crowd to teach them. Mark 3:10 gives the reason for his popularity, “for He had healed many, so all those who had afflictions pressed around Him to touch Him.” “Crowd won’t even give him time to eat a meal!” according to Mark 3:20.
 
These are a few of the sixteen quotes that speak of Jesus’ idolization during his peak days. Jesus’ Abandonment However, everything went topsy-turvy on that ‘Good Friday.’ While he was agonizing on the cross, not a soul – either in this world or beyond – offered any signs of solidarity. On the same day, two other extremists, called Zealots, who had taken part in a rebellion, were crucified along with Jesus. One would expect that they as victims at least sympathized with Jesus. But, no! “Those who were crucified with him flung their taunts at him,” says Mark 15:32. The vicissitudes of human nature do not surprise us. But who would expect that God whom Jesus always addressed him as his Father would let him undergo the horrendous humiliation?
 
Hence, Jesus’ last cry before his death was a shout out to his Father, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” Mark translates, “My God, oh my God, why have you abandoned me? (15:34) Why? That last plea of His innocent Son should have broken the heart of God. But on that Friday, even the Divine went mute! For Christians, the death of Jesus was part of a divine plan. Even tons of explanations still fail to smother the despair of Jesus on that Friday afternoon, “My God! My God! Why have you abandoned me?” How is Good Friday celebrated worldwide? Good Friday is celebrated the world over by fasting and praying. In Vatican City, the Pope conducts the way of the cross outside the Colosseum. In Jerusalem, pilgrims walk the same path that Jesus took leading to the site of the crucifixion. In Christian countries like Mexico and the Philippines on Good Friday some faithful carry crosses and be nailed to express their devotion. In India, the Good Friday services take place in the afternoon. In remembrance of Christ’s death, scripture is read at the church, devotees sing hymns, offer prayers and the Priest gives a sermon on the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice and death.
 
The Cross, the symbol of salvation, is venerated. The prayer of the Eucharist is absent for the Catholics, and the communion of the previous day is served. The candles are often put out and statues, paintings, and crosses may be draped in purple or black. The altar is stripped. Many churches have a bitter drink prepared from herbs and other ingredients to taste after the service. The Christians also observe the day by re-enacting the ritual of the Way of the Cross – stations of the cross depicting the last hours of Jesus’ life. Lessons from Good Friday Apart from faith in Jesus’ atonement, the point of the Good Friday is its takeaway. The way of Jesus is not the literal mimicking of his actions - carrying crosses on our backs to be nailed - but by walking the way of loving God, self and others always. Jesus also reminded everyone that we all bear God’s image so God is never far from us. Hence, we can know we are loved and that we can help others experience they are loved as well.
 
Our actions are our own. You always know what is right and wrong. You exercise your right to do good or evil; to help others or harm by your thoughts, words, and deeds. The way Jesus chose even in the most difficult times, is one of truth, love, and courage. Even when our friends abandon or enemies threaten, we do what is right and just. Jesus walked his talk that we can follow. “So shall we join the disciples of our Lord, keeping faith in Him in spite of the crucifixion, and making ready, by our loyalty to Him in the days of His darkness for the time when we shall enter into His triumph in the days of His light.” - Philip Ledyard Cuyler.