Good Friday holds a significant place in the Christian calendar. Contrary to its name, it is a somber day where we commemorate the agonizing crucifixion of our Lord on Calvary
It’s a day of solemn observance, characterized by fasting, donning simple / black attire, attending church services, and reflecting on Biblical passages that recount Christ’s suffering and crucifixion. We identify with the weeping women at the cross, who bore witness to the humiliation and death of the Innocent Man at the hands of the vile and detestable religious leaders of the day.
Let’s consider our Lord’s response to these women, as it likely reflects how He would react to our displays of sympathy on Good Friday. Many might have expected Christ to commend these ‘daughters of Jerusalem’ not only for their courage in not fleeing like the twelve, but for their weeping and their empathy in His suffering. However, Christ’s response was totally unexpected: ‘Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and your children.’ He urged them to stop pitying Him and redirect their pity towards themselves and their children
Christ’s Command : Spare Your Sympathy.
The danger inherent in the traditions and rituals surrounding Good Friday lies in their subtle design, which leads us to pity Christ while keeping us blissfully unaware of our own pitiable state.
Christ does not need our sympathy. Calvary wasn’t a mere twist of fate; it was the very hour that He had foreseen – the hour of His glorification as foretold in John 12:23, 27; 13:1 and others. Despite possessing the power to summon twelve legions of angels, He deliberately chose not to. Our Lord, the ‘Lamb of God’, did not come into the world seeking recognition as the greatest teacher, a remarkable miracle worker, or the founder of Christianity. He came with a clear mission – to offer His life as a ransom for many, serving as the sacrificial lamb who bore our sins upon the cross.
Our Lord wasn’t taken aback by rejection; He knew His own would not readily receive Him (John 1:11). The pages of the Old Testament had long prophesied of His suffering (Isaiah 53), the betrayal of Judas (Psalm 41) for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11), and more. In fact, this wasn’t a hasty rescue plan God devised after Adam’s fall either. The Bible says it was set in motion before the dawn of time; ‘the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world’ (Rev 13:8).
And the best part? Victory was woven into the fabric of His mission. Our Lord had foretold His disciples: ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised’ (Luke 9:22).
Now, think about it: would you weep and mourn for a victor?
Why Weep For Yourself and Your Children?
We live in an evil world that hates God with a passion. It is inconceivable for God’s children to be ‘friends’ with this world, which has a history of persecuting God’s prophets and shedding their blood. The world that crucified the only begotten Son continues to vehemently despise Christ’s followers, readily disposing of them through crucifixion, beheading, burning, stoning, and other means.
This is the litmus test: those who belong to the world do not belong to God (John 15:19). Those who do not see a reason to ‘weep for themselves and their children’ belong to the world and are blissfully heading towards hell and eternal damnation. James is unambiguous when he states, ‘You adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.’
On the other hand, if you are among God’s chosen, you will, much like the Prodigal Son, come to the realization that this world, despite its glitz and glamour, is a pigsty. The slave-master who runs this place does not care whether you scavenge on pig’s food or starve to death. It is in that moment of clarity that you will weep for yourself and your children and run into the arms of your loving Heavenly Father.”
How Can I Escape? Who’ll Deliver Me?
In the Old Testament book of Numbers, there’s an incident that parallels Good Friday. When Moses implored God to save the Israelites that got bitten by the venomous serpents, God commanded him to fashion a brass serpent and set it up on a pole. Anyone who believed Moses and gazed upon the serpent did not die, but those that doubted God’s grace and mercy perished.
Jesus foretold of His own lifting up (i.e crucifixion) in John 3:14-15 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Only the Israelites who were awakened to their desperate plight – listened to Moses’ good news, obeyed God’s command, and escaped death. Similarly, only those that are awakened to their precarious situation – that they are enslaved to sin and and on the highway to hell would “weep for themselves and their children”, put their trust in Christ who became the propitiation and an atonement for our sins- and gain eternal life.
God took the “darkest” day in history and turned it into Good Friday – a day we celebrate. because on this day salvation was made available for all who’d put their trust in Christ.
Thank God for Good Friday.