The Way Of Suffering: Good Friday, Part One
John 19:25-27 (NIV)
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
What are you like on a bad day? When life and stress are pressing you, and you’ve had the worst day ever, what comes out of you? On a bad day I am completely self-absorbed, and I will wallow in self-pity in front of the TV waiting for someone to respond to my needs.
Last Easter, I was in Lebanon and discovered that Churches there refer to Good Friday as Great Friday. This adjective highlights even further the irony of the holiday's name. It is a great day for us, the redeemed, but for Jesus, it was his worst day ever.
What was Jesus like on his worst day? The Way of Suffering for Jesus has been extremely painful. He was beaten, bruised, tortured, and betrayed by his friends. False accusations had been made against him and were believed. Now, he is nailed to a cross. He looks out from the cross, perhaps hoping for loyalty from his friends, but he is largely abandoned; only John, his mother and some women remain faithful.
What happens next is remarkable. Jesus looks out and sees the three Marys and John. Rather than being trapped in his own agony, Jesus sees his mother's unbearable pain as she watches her son dying, so he says to John, ‘Look after mum for me, will you?’
On Jesus’ worst day, crushed and squeezed to the point of death, what comes from him? Kindness and compassion. Even on the cross, Jesus’ heart is pouring out nothing but selfless love. What an incredible man he is. What an incredible saviour we serve. Even upon the cross with nails in his hands and feet, we see that at his core, Jesus is truly the one and only God, full to overflowing with GRACE and TRUTH.
Prayer - Jesus you are amazing. I thank you that you are so good and so kind that even on your darkest day you revealed the loving and entirely good heart of the Father towards us. I receive this love afresh today.