…this man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Luke 23:52
Today is Good Friday. I awoke to a grey, cold morning where the sky was leaden and colorless, where outside nothing seemed to move among the trees, where the birds were absent and not even the crows flew and where it would have been easy to fall into malaise and funkiness. Instead, I remembered that it was on a Friday long ago when Jesus was crucified on a Roman cross to atone for man’s sins. I remember the great cost of Jesus’ sacrificial death for one like me, who did not deserve it at all. So I choose to honor Him with my words.
Today on Good Friday Christians solemnly commemorate the Lord’s death. We no longer have any delusions about what a Roman crucifixion was like. Movies such as “The Passion of the Christ “ have depicted Jesus’ suffering in brutal, graphic detail. If Mel Gibson does anything well, it is to put violence inescapably in front of us as he did in “The Passion.” The first time I saw the movie, it was in Boise. At the I-Max. (I know. Yikes!) The horrors of Jesus’ passion played out on a giant 72 foot screen from floor to ceiling. There were several scenes where I wanted to vomit. At the end of the movie, no one in the audience moved. There was silence and there was sobbing. We left the theater unable to speak for about half an hour. I still can’t explain it, but I felt violated myself because the film’s detailed scenes pulled me in. It was like I was an unwilling spectator. Some of the brutal images won’t go away. That is how powerfully movie images can affect us.
Therein is the central problem with Gibson’s film. By focusing so forcefully on Jesus’ last twelve hours of suffering, he leaves us with an incomplete Christ and an incomplete atonement. For Christ’s purpose on earth did not stop on Good Friday. Jesus fore told his disciples that He had to die because,
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. John 12
As He was lifted up on the cross, Jesus opened the way for sinners to be saved. They would come to Him as the Scriptures reveal because of the cross for only on the cross did Jesus take our place of punishment. Isaiah prophesied the divine exchange and atonement which the Messiah would effect on the cross.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
Jesus opened the way to heaven for us by His Resurrection.
They will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. And on the third day He will be raised to life. Matthew 20:19
On the third day Jesus rose from the dead just as He prophesied. Good Friday moves forward from Jesus’ suffering once and for all to His everlasting glory. He defeated death and the grave forever, offering believers hope of eternal life in Him. Jesus is no longer on the cross. The cross He suffered upon is empty, just like the tomb after the Resurrection. Remember how the angel comforted the women who came to anoint Jesus’ body in the tomb.
Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him. Mark 16:6
The power of the cross every Good Friday is that Jesus is no longer crucified on it. He is risen. The empty cross is the powerful witness that Jesus took our place on it. He is not here. He, who was numbered with the transgressors, paid the debt for our sin so we do not have to suffer execution. The empty cross says to every sinner, “Your sentence is no longer written there.”Come and be forgiven.
From The Sheep Pen 
So good. Very well written. Thank you!
Very well written. Thank you!
This was great, enjoyed reading it. Just for your info. Mel Gibson is coming out with The Passion of Christ, the sequel which depicts the time after His resurrection.