GOOD FRIDAY
Hebrew
John 18:1-19:42
“…’It is finished.’ And bowing his head,
he handed over the spirit.”
Today,
we reach the peak of our Lenten observance. And as we gather together as
mournful believers, we try to recapture the mood of that one Good Friday afternoon
when the Son-God offered his everything for the salvation of the world. Our
celebration has three main parts: the Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of
the Cross, and the Communion. Let us focus at the veneration of the Cross, and
start with the most fundamental question: Why
do we venerate the cross?
Anyone
can give a very righteous answer to it. But as we remember that Calvary event,
we bend our knees before the cross with hearts and souls prostrate since the
cross is a greatest reminder of two extremes realities humanity must never
forget: one, it reminds us of the cruelty of man; two, it reminds us of the
compassion of God.
1. We must remember that the cross is the most shameful form of
punishment to criminals and outlaws. The cross is a form of sentence and anyone
who is condemned to die on it must suffer not only the pains it brings but also
the scandal and shame attached to it. Such being the case, the poor man who is
condemned to the cross certainly loses his face, his dignity, his very self.
This
is precisely what happens to Christ. For all intents and purposes, for all good
and bad reasons alike, the wood of the cross is a symbol of the cruelty of man.
It is where Christ loses his face, his dignity, his very self. In the language of
Firstly,
Christ suffers physical humiliation. This is most evident. His enemies are all
out to destroy him, so eager and so determine as to put him to death even on
the cross. Thus, the way of the cross is the first and foremost a physical
ordeal. And no one can belie he severe physical pains that have tormented his
poor human body. He is bruised and wounded. He is exhausted and he dies.
Secondly,
Christ suffers religious humiliation. Not contented with the physical
mockeries, Jesus is accused as Son of God. This religious accusation saddens
him so much. He knows what they are saying is most true. He is really he Son of
God. But they are saying it not because they believe in it but because this is
their main accusation against him. In other words, it comes not as a testimony
of faith but as an accusation of a religious crime. Such being the case, it
becomes a humiliation than exaltation.
Thirdly,
Christ is similarly humiliated by their political accusation that he is the
king of the Jews. Like the religious humiliation, this comes as an accusation,
too. Although it is all true that he is the king of the Jews – and the king of
Kings for that matter – they enforce this accusation against him in order to
instigate hatred and anger not only among his fellow Jews but also among the
Romans. As we see, therefore, both religious and political accusations are
meant to insult him, belittle him, demean him, and put all the shame on him.
Finally,
Christ suffers moral humiliation. This is in no way a lesser degree of
humiliation. It is even in many respects more painful. This takes in the form
of indifference and betrayal. And being so, such
indifference and betrayal could come not really from his enemies, but from
people close to him. This makes the situation more offensive and painful.
During
his public ministry, Jesus was there for all kinds of people. He always tried
to be available at all times and in all occasions. Sometimes, he could even
hardly take a rest for himself because he was there to comfort them in their
problems and anxieties; he was there to cure their sickness and afflictions.
More so, if Jesus spent with the ordinary folks, so did he
with his chosen disciples. In fact, he was with them 24 hours a day, seven days
a week, teaching them not only about the lessons of the gospel everybody could
hear but also revealing to them the secrets of the kingdom. Surely, those were
the disciples’ happy moments with the Lord. But when that tragic moment of test
finally came, all we see is their indifference and even their betrayal. Save
perhaps to few women who beat their breasts and shed
their tears, no one came to the open to support him. No one stood up to give
witness to all the good things he said and did. Instead, they drifted away in
shame and fear. Some might have even joined the rallying crowd shouting for his
crucifixion. Others, and indeed even his disciples, would finally disown him.
What a cruel experience! What a cruel humanity!
2. But over and above the cruelty of man,
the cross shines as an eternal symbol of divine love and compassion. Indeed,
God could have saved man in many other ways. Even a simple ways on the part of
God would suffice. And it would just be as good as the way he already had it. But no. God chose no other means. He chose the cross. This
we can understand very well if we remember that the cross is God’s most
“humanized” way of communicating his love to man.
Human
experienced teaches us about that great love, which every parent has for his
child. This must be the reason why although the child becomes the black sheep
of the family, the parent could hardly afford to punish him severely. Even
perhaps his child becomes the most delinquent in the community or the hardest
of all criminals, still the parent cannot afford to see him punished by death.
Why? Because no matter, the child is always the parent’s most precious one.
Call it whatever you want, but still the father or mother calls it love.
Perhaps, this would be the last thing a father or mother surrenders, if ever he
or she thinks of surrendering it at all.
But not in the case of God. For the sake of man and the
world, he sent his only begotten son. And he sent his son to die for us. Worse,
his death was no ordinary. It was death on the cross, the most shameful of all.
His son was not a black sheep; he was the good shepherd. His son was no
delinquent; he was obedient. But the father gives him on the cross.
Should
we not, then, venerate the cross?