Good Friday is a day of deep reflection and solemn remembrance in the Orthodox Church. It is a day where we stand at the foot of the Cross, looking upon the suffering and death of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
As we gaze upon the Cross, it might seem like a moment of despair, but for the Christian, Good Friday is not just a day of mourning. It is a day of hope.
Through the Cross, Christ brought redemption to the world. His death was not the end, but the beginning of a new creation—a new hope.
1. The Cross Reveals the Depth of God’s Love (John 15:13)
At the heart of the Christian faith is the truth that God loves us with an everlasting love. This love is not abstract or distant; it is tangible and has been revealed in the most profound way in the person of Jesus Christ on the Cross. As Christ Himself says in the Gospel of John, “Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). The Cross is the ultimate expression of this love.
When we look at Christ on the Cross, we see not just a man in physical agony, but the God of the universe offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice. This act of self-giving love is unparalleled. In our weakness and sin, Christ still chose to die for us, demonstrating that His love is not dependent on our worthiness or our actions, but on His infinite grace.
The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
The Cross shows us that God’s love is unconditional. He does not wait for us to be perfect, but comes to us in our brokenness, offering Himself as the solution to our deepest need: the need for salvation.
This love, shown to us in such an extraordinary way, brings us hope because it tells us that no matter where we are in life, no matter our failures or fears, God’s love is unshakeable and never-ending.
The Cross proves that God is with us in the darkest moments of our lives, offering hope and healing, even in our pain and suffering.
2. The Cross Conquers Sin and Death (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)
When we look at the Cross, we often see it as the symbol of suffering and death, and rightfully so. But for the Christian, the Cross is not merely a sign of death; it is the ultimate victory over sin and death. Through the Cross, Christ conquered the very forces that separate us from God—sin, Satan, and death.
In the Garden of Eden, humanity fell into sin, and as a result, death entered the world. Sin separated us from God, and death became an inevitable consequence of that separation. He broke the power of sin and death.
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Through Christ’s death, He defeated the power of death, which had held humanity in bondage. He took upon Himself all our sins, and in His perfect sacrifice, He offered forgiveness and reconciliation with God. What once was the greatest enemy of humankind—death—is now rendered powerless.
For us as Christians, the Cross is a reminder that sin and death no longer have the final say. Though we experience suffering and loss in this world, we know that Christ’s victory over death assures us that there is more than just the grave. We look forward to the resurrection, when all things will be made new, and the promise of eternal life will be fully realized.
The Cross, then, is a powerful source of hope because it reminds us that no matter what struggles or fears we face in this life, we have already received the ultimate victory through Jesus Christ. Death no longer reigns over us. Christ has won the battle, and we share in His victory.
3. The Cross Paves the Way for Resurrection (John 12:24)
Good Friday is not the end of the story—it is the beginning of a new reality.
The Cross of Christ is intimately tied to the resurrection. Christ’s death was necessary to bring about the resurrection, and His resurrection gives meaning to His death. As Christ Himself said in the Gospel of John, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:24).
Through His death, Jesus made way for new life. His resurrection three days later is the promise that through His death, all who believe in Him will also experience resurrection. The Apostle Paul in Romans 6:4 explains, “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
The resurrection of Christ is not only an event that happened 2,000 years ago; it is the foundation of Christian hope. It is the hope that all those who are in Christ will one day be raised to eternal life. Christ’s victory over death means that we, too, can overcome the fear of death and look forward to life beyond the grave. The Cross, in leading to the resurrection, gives us a sure and certain hope that nothing in this world, not even death, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).
On Good Friday, we may mourn the suffering and death of our Lord, but we do so with the certainty that the story does not end in death. The Cross is a bridge to the resurrection. It is the seed that will sprout into eternal life. For the Christian, every moment of suffering and every loss is now filled with the hope of resurrection.
A Day of Hope
As we stand at the foot of the Cross on Good Friday, we acknowledge the depth of Christ’s suffering, but we also acknowledge the hope that His death brings. The Cross is not a symbol of despair, but of victory, love, and new life.
Through the Cross, Christ has revealed the depth of God’s love for us. He has conquered sin and death, offering us forgiveness and eternal life. And the Cross paves the way for resurrection, the hope that one day we will be raised with Him in glory.
Let us leave this day with hearts full of hope, knowing that the Cross is not the end, but the beginning of God’s great work in our lives and in the world. And as we prepare to celebrate the Resurrection, let us hold fast to the hope that in Christ, we too will be made new.
0 Comments