Good Friday

"It wasn't the Romans who nailed Jesus to the cross. It wasn't the Jewish religion that took him up the hill of calvary. It wasn't spikes that held Jesus to the cross. What held him to that cross was his conviction that it was necessary that he become sin - that he who is pure become sin and that the wrath of God be poured down, not upon the creation, but upon the Creator." (Max Lucado, calendar: March 25, 2005)

Galations 6:14 (NIV)
"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

The last thing our Lord said before his last breath...
Luke 23:46 "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."
John 19:30 "It is finished."

I was taught that "It is finished" stood for the fulfillment of God's work of salvation, but it required the full submission of Jesus Christ, a sacrifice no one can make light. And what are we to do, but to follow our Savior and commit our spirits to God our Father so that His work on this earth may be finished.

Someone shared a 7 year old girl's testimony online. She had said that she wanted to please God and make Him happy. When asked why, she answered without hesitation: "Because He loves us." Simple, isn't it? That's the answer. Why did Jesus have to come to earth, only to suffer and die betrayed and alone? Why have people followed Jesus Christ for two millennia? Why do we live as men and women concerned of things not of this world? Living for a future that some say doesn't even exist? One answer. Because He loves us. That's what this Passion week is about. That's what Good Friday is about. Jesus Christ. His passion was us. Is us. "You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men." (1Cor.7:23)