Lenten Devotional - Good Friday, Apr. 2

Day 39 - Good Friday 

April 2

So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."  John 19:17-19

Jesus was executed between two bandits, or revolutionaries - this public display of suffering and death was how Rome dealt with anyone who defied its power. Jesus was on that cross, as the sign mockingly stated, for being proclaimed "King of the Jews." The cross was the ultimate symbol of naked power and death used to crush and humiliate anyone who stood in the way of the empire. And yet, so much more was happening on that sad and amazing day: the horrific symbol was being transformed into an icon of love, forgiveness, and healing. 

To Do

Take and hold a cross in your hand. Reflect upon the meaning of the cross before Jesus came. What does it mean to you now?