Good Friday

Jesus was not the only person in history to suffer and die on the cross. So why is His crucifixion significant?

Let’s say that there is a group of U.S. citizens being held hostage by the enemy. They are being abused, tortured, and killed in a foreign country. We’ve sent in our elite troops to try to rescue them, but they, too, end up being captured or killed. What if our President’s son decides to offer himself up in return for the release of all the hostages?! What if the son willingly gives up everything, suffers greatly, and is tortured and killed?!  His death would get a lot more public attention than any other previous cases.

This scenario would never happen under human logic. We don’t negotiate with terrorists. We don’t want to send our sons and daughters into enemy territory, much less certain death. We would be aghast if our President allowed his son to sacrifice himself. We would see it as a sign of weakness.

Jesus had a choice. He had power, privilege, and absolutely no obligation to be bothered by puny human problems on earth. Yet, he willingly entered the war zone, into the enemy camp, and gave himself up so that we would be released. The significance of this choice is beyond human comprehension.