On this Good Friday, we’ll take a look at four powerful reflections on the cross.
Ray Hollenbach, writing a piece for the website, churchleaders.com reminds believers that we need to embrace Good Friday…just as Jesus did.
He offers four reflections on this day beginning with Friday is the road to Sunday.
Good Friday is the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus. That’s a painful memory but there’s no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. There is no resurrection without the Cross. Good Friday points us all to the cross.
Next, Everyone has a problem with the cross. The very idea of Good Friday causes us concern. Those who had seen Jesus’s power wondered why he seemed powerless at his greatest need. Those who saw his intelligence wondered how someone so smart could miscalculate so badly. What God offers us all is first the Cross.
Third, Friday means the beginning of change. Good Friday provides the opportunity to proclaim, “Once you’ve been to the Cross, everything changes.” Stumbling blocks and foolishness turn into power and wisdom. The Cross changes everything.
And finally, Jesus demonstrated faith over circumstances. At least three times, Jesus shared his destiny with the disciples. They didn’t understand. More challenging still is the fact that Jesus embraced this destiny by faith. He knew the Father’s promise of resurrection, but death still lay ahead of him. As a man, Jesus modeled how to trust the Father.