Whether you observe the Easter holidays, the Passover holidays or don't observe either, I'm sure that you're aware that many people of faith observe a holiday season known as "Holy Week," which includes Good Friday and climaxes with what is commonly known as Easter. You may know or not know what Good Friday and Holy Saturday are all about the focus on the death of a Person known as Jesus, the Son of God, though you may or may not know what this means.
Why is Good Friday called that, anyway? This is the day that Christian tradition has set aside specifically to focus on the the Person of Christ, God the Son, the second Person of the Holy Trinity and to focus on the events surrounding His death. And His death was by a method called crucifixion. Today, the cross is a lovely symbol for countless churches and is a pretty emblem on countless necklaces and earrings or is often used as a symbol in countless other ways in the arts. Historically, though, crucifixion on a cross was the most horrific, painful, degrading method of execution known to humanity. It was reserved in Bible days for the worst of the worst of criminals and anyone who was executed this way was counted as "cursed."
What does this mean to you? you may well wonder.
First of all, let's get into the most comforting truth that the events surrounding His death show how completely God, because of Jesus, is so able to identify with anything and everything we may have suffered in life. He may not have suffered your specific trial but he has experienced the range of feelings that go with what you may have or are going through. For example, have you been misunderstood? All of us have. Many of us, because of how we are wired, because of our experiences, or because of what we do, are more subject to being misunderstood than others and know all too well the pain of knowing that people don't "get" us. God in Christ knows exactly the feeling of the sting and loneliness of being misunderstood, even by those closest to Him. The Jews of His day expected a Messiah Who would be warlike, pompous, political and to overthrow their oppressors, establishing an earthly kingdom. Generally speaking, most of the Jews didn't "get" Jesus in His day. They didn't, at all, "get" a Person who claimed to be God but who was peaceful, gentle, ordinary-looking, unpretentious and Who stressed that He came not to be served but to serve and to set up His Kingdom, spiritually speaking, in people's lives and hearts. How dare this Jesus claim equality with God the Father? This was why they (with the full co-operation of the Roman authorities of that day) had Him crucified in the first place! And when they saw and participated in all the events leading up to His death, they certainly didn't, at all, "get" a God Who would allow Himself to be arrested like a criminal and then to die the most horrific form of death then known to man, crucifixion. They saw Him hang in between two criminals and remain on that cross until He put Himself into His Father's hands. What kind of a God would do these things? So if you are one who lives with the feeling that people can't or won't "get" you, God, because of Jesus, knows just what that feels like. And then some.
Have you been betrayed by someone you once trusted and invested much in? God in Christ has experienced this fully. One of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Him to the authorities who arreested Him and had Him crucified. Judas, like the other 11 disciples, has the wonderful privilege of being physically close to God the Son for several years. He got to interact with Jesus in countless different ways, saw His miracles, His acts of love and compassion for people and the the clearest, most accurate expression of God in human form. Judas must have been initially devoted to and loved Christ or else he would not have followed Him in the first place, leaving his home to follow a man who claimed to be the Messiah and adopt the life of a homeless person. But in the course of time, his experience in being the group's treasurer and his access to the group's funds, tempted him to greed and he eventually succumbed to the love of money. Sadly, greed eroded what faith Judas had and then he betrayed Jesus. And because of Jesus, God can feel the devastation of being "burned" by betrayal.
Human trafficking? We have been becoming more and more aware of the different forms of the way that humans are trafficked, whether into sex slavery, black market adoptions, domestic servitude, bride trafficking and more. Because of Jesus, God knows what it's like to be sold like a commodity. In Christ, He was sold for 30 pieces of silver to the authorities, Unspeakable depravity! So if you are an advocate against human trafficking and are even a survivor, God can, because of Jesus, fully understand you.
Rejected? God in Christ knows all about the awful experience of being rejected. All of us have experienced rejection in some form or other. Some of us have experienced more of rejection than others, because of the people we have dealt with, because of how we are made or because of what we do. Rejection comes in all shapes and sizes but it always hurts. Feeling rejected has motivated countless suicides and crimes and is behind countless forms of addiction and mental health and emotional problems. Jesus was rejected, especially during the final years of His earthy life. The Jewish people shunned Him because He didn't, as I already mentioned, fit their criteria for a Messiah. They were livid that He hung out with and cared for non-Jews (bear in mind that at that time, the Jews were not marginalized like now, but were seen as the superior race), corrupt and immoral people, sick or disabled people, the poor, children, women and others who were counted as "rejects." The events of and surrounding His death, by definition, are the ultimate form of rejection. They wanted to have Him eliminated. Because of Jesus, God knows all about rejection.
Verbally abused? The old saying "Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me" is false. We all know that words can and do hurt and that often, they can scar us for life, emotionally. God in Christ, throughout His last years on Earth as a human, experienced terrible verbal abuse. He was called a "liar," an "evil person," a "glutton," a drunkard," a "foreigner," the "devil," "Satan" and much more. His enemies, the Jewish religious leaders, often said nasty things to him or about Him to others. They lived to make His life hellish. He was cursed, taunted and trashed. So many of us have had things said to us and about us, things that, even when forgiven, can never be forgotten and that will stay with us throughout life. Because of Jesus, God knows what this is like. And more.
Physically abused? Upon his betrayal and arrest, God in Christ was hellishly abused beyond imagination. People spit on Him to show their total contempt for Him. They put a crown of thorns on His head for mockery and to maximize His pain before He even made it to His execution. They hit His back, over and over, with whips. Long before He made it to His cross, He was in excrutiating physical pain, lost much blood and His body was much weakened by all this hellish abuse. He was forced, at least part of the way, to carry His cross. And wood is heavy, as you probably know. And then nails were driven through His hands (or wrists) and feet (or ankles) to make for excruciating physical pain beyond human imagination. He suffered physically in every way and then experienced death, the ultimate in abuse.
Sexually abused? Statistics tell us that countless children, both boys and girls, are sexually abused and often families don't report it or when it is reported, law enforcement haven't been helpful. And there are all the adults that experience sexual abuse. And sexual abuse doesn't include only forcible rape but comes in many different forms. Because of Jesus, God knows what this feels like. He hung on His cross totally naked and in public and was taunted throughout. His dignity was totally stripped from Him during those hours. Because of Jesus, God knows what it is like to be violated and degraded and shamed.
Falsely accused? He Who was totally innocent and without the slightest fault or sin, was accused of the ultiimate evil, that of treason against His people and blasphemy, all because of His claim to be the Messiah and because He didn't fit the people's criteria for what their Messiah should be like. He was treated like the worst of all criminals and was executed in the worst way of that time. Many of us have been falsely accused of things we never did and many have been wrongfully charged, prosecuted, imprisoned and even executed for crimes. Many parents and other caregivers have been falsely accused of abuse and have lost children by court order or have been sent to prison. God in Christ knows fully what it's like to be falsely accused of crimes that He never did.
Lost a child? Because of Jesus, God knows the unimaginable pain and tremendous pain of losing a beloved child. He suffered this loss when His Son was dying on a cross; He can fully identify with all of those among you who have been unfortunate enough to have lost a child.
Do you fear death? God in Christ actually died a real death. But, unlike every other person, He fully pre-meditated, planned and orchestrated His own death down do the smallest detail.one of the events in His life, including those surrounding His death, took Him by surprise. He did it all willingly and on purpose. And why did He do all this? Well, God is infinitely holy, according to the Scriptures. Compared to His holiness, all of us are, in His sight, sinners. He could not just let us off. Someone had to pay our debt. That's where His Earth-visit, in Christ, comes in. So, instead of punishing us and destroying us outright, He, in Christ, came to our Earth at one point in time, was conceived as a fetus, was born a baby, and then lived the perfect human life that we could never live. Then He died in our place to satisfy His own demands of justice so that each of us who wants a relationship with Him, can come to Him by means of Christ.
But this isn't the end! He came back to life. This is what Easter is all about. The Scripture provides stories to illustrate that Jesus rose in the same body that He walked in before His death with details and evidence that would hold up in any court of law. If you have time and access to the Scriptures, I recommend checking out at least some of the material below to see for yourself.
If you have a Bible or access to one, you can read about it more:
Matthew 26:47 to Matthew 27:66 and Matthew 28: 1-20
Mark 14:43 to Mark 15:47 and Mark 16: 1-20
Luke 22:47 to Luke 23:58 and Luke 24: 1-50
John 18 to John 19:42 and John 20: 1-50 to John 21: 1-25.
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