April 18, 2014
Good Friday
There was once a tribe where the chief was a wise and powerful man. He was well respected and every one obeyed his tough and fair laws. One day, it was discovered that someone was sneaking into the tents and stealing. The chief ordered that thief be found and that the punishment for this crime would be 40 lashes with the whip. “No one is exempt and punishment must be served!” he declared. However, the chief was devastated when he discovered that it was his frail old mother was the thief. “Surely in her old age, she will never survive 40 lashes,” he thought, “but I cannot change the punishment, for it is fair and just and has already been announced.” He was heart-broken. The chief ordered for the punishment to be administered. The nervous and frightened mother cried out, “save me my son!” Instantly, the chief ran and embraced his mother, shielding her from the whips. As the whips came down upon his back again and again, more and more pain filled him. But he made sure that his mother never got a lash.
This is an inspirational anecdote that explains the holy event which occurred on ‘Good Friday’: The crucifixion and death of Jesus on the Cross. It is amazing how, countries, companies and institutions are defined by symbols. For instance, every country is symbolized by its flag. Every company and institution has its own logo. Symbol becomes a mark of one’s identity. Religions are no exception to it. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity. Christians could have chosen the Bible, fish, dove, crown, manger, lamb, shepherd, key, Greek letters Alpha and Omega, an empty tomb etc., as a symbol to mark their identity. But they chose the cross to symbolize their faith and to affirm themselves as Christians. Strange that tool of torture would come to embody a movement of hope. The symbols of other faiths are more upbeat: The six-pointed star of David is the symbol of Judaism; the star and crescent is the best-known symbol used to represent Islam; Om or Aum is the sacred symbol of Hinduism; dharmachakra represents Buddhism; the double-edged sword (Kandha) is the sikh amblem; Jainism is depicted by congregation of symbols such as swastika, a hand with a wheel on the palm, four dots, arc and so forth. Yet a cross for Christianity? An emblem of suffering and pain?
The crucifixion was ghastly. It was horrific and gruesome. It was described as the most wretched of deaths. It has been regarded as the cruelest method of execution ever practiced because it delayed death until the maximum torture had been inflicted on the victim. The cross was the way in which the worst in society was put to death. Even more striking, the cross was a particularly horrendous form of execution the Romans reserved only for rebels and criminals. It was executed as way of way of terrorizing the population. It is no wonder that Jesus is linked with Barabbas--a revolutionary. Why would anyone want to wear a symbol of death that is reserved for the worst in our society?
The chief of the tribe loved his mother so much he took upon himself the punishment inflicted on her. He did not want his mother suffer pain and die. Mother could not save herself and he willingly took her place. He rescued her both from pain and death. We cannot save ourselves from sin and death. Jesus took our place on the cross and paid the debt on our behalf. The cross was the means He used. Jesus took our punishment on Himself and bore our sins in his body and died for us on the cross. It was the sacrifice He alone could make, for He was God – and God in flesh perfect and sinless. He gave His life freely and willingly completely surrendering His will to the Father. That was the belief, faith and the truth Christians experienced after the death and resurrection of Jesus and began identifying themselves with the cross. For them, the cross did not represent pain, torture, shame and death but symbolized God’s plan and love, mercy and forgiveness. Their belief in the cross, made them realize, that when the power of the cross is appropriated the chains of sin are broken, Satan is defeated and heaven is gained. They believed that God could turn something as ugly as the cross into a beautiful symbol of love and life. The symbol of shame became the symbol of hope. It seems certain that, therefore, at least from the second century onwards, Christians not only drew, painted and engraved the cross as a pictorial symbol of their faith, but also made the sign of the cross on themselves and others.
Today one cannot get away from the cross. It’s everywhere. It has revered place not just in churches and cathedrals, but in homes, institutions, movies and videos. Many wear crosses on necklaces, bracelets, rings, pendants. Cross is engraved on key-chains and on clothing. In recent years, it has become the height of fashion, and many celebrities won’t step out in public without wearing one. George Heslop a sculptor has been exhibiting chocolate crosses and crucifixes with the figure of Jesus. Some name it as modern art. Madonna wears a cross and the motive is best known to her alone. There are countries which never allow erecting a cross in public places. Attempts have been made to attack, to demolish and destroy the crosses.
No matter how much the cross gets into popular culture, no matter how much the cross is abused, mocked or trivialized, no matter how much that happens, the certain admiration and reverence that has been cultivated and developed over the years and ages for the cross will never go away and no evil force can vanish the reality of the cross. It’s such a rich symbol not of fashion and superstition, but a symbol of healing, sacrifice, reconciliation, hope and love. No wonder the day on which Jesus died is called ‘Good Friday’ and the ‘Cross’ He embraced has become symbol Hope and Life for all Eternity.
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