Friday, March 21, 2008

How He Died: A Good Friday Meditation


And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God.” (Mark 15:39)

Yesterday was the last day of school this week for my children. Since I’m typically the first one up every morning and generally responsible for rousting the sleepy ones out of bed, I thought the “last school day” announcement might work in my favor. You know the strategy: face what you have to do today by focusing on what you don’t have to do tomorrow. Sometimes it works. Yesterday it didn’t.

I’m not all that surprised that my kids offered their standard resistance to getting out of bed. What surprised me was their stated reason for not wanting to go to school.

“Stations of the cross,” they groaned.

“What?” I asked, wanting to be sure I had heard them correctly.

“Stations of the Cross” they repeated, this time a little louder.

Thursday is chapel day at their school and this week the chapel service focused on the Stations of the Cross. For those of you (like me) who might be liturgically challenged, the Stations of the Cross are a depiction of Christ’s passion told in fourteen pictures or episodes. There are variations on the practice, but generally the Stations of the Cross involve walking from station to station, picture to picture, praying through the week of the passion. It is, simply put, the story of how Jesus died.

Frankly, I’m delighted that my kids are exposed to this in their school. I’m not sure how they “walk” through the Stations of the Cross, but I’m sure it doesn’t involve the orderly movement of hundreds of elementary aged children. My guess is that the story is read. That’s fine with me.

What isn’t fine with me is their reaction to the experience. Some of this is certainly typical for a fourth and third grader. I didn’t even have chapel in my elementary school and Sunday pew sitting was merely a tolerated fact of life. I can accept their lack of enthusiasm in that regard.

But my fear has to do with the story itself and its power in their young lives. I don’t want the power of that story to be blunted through too much church. The story of how Jesus died changes lives. That’s what I want my children to know. More than know, I want them to experience it.

The centurion who stood in front of the cross came to a powerful realization about who Jesus was. “Surely this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39). I’ve heard this before and I’ve always thought that this confession was spoken because of the darkened skies and the earthquake. That’s not it according to Mark. The centurion’s words are spoken because he saw how Jesus died. That’s what I want my children to see. That’s what we want the world to see.

The death of Jesus shows us how to live: sacrificially and obediently, not grasping at position but taking the form of a servant (Philippians 2).

The resurrection life of Jesus shows us how to die: with peace and the hope of eternity because Jesus defeated death.

For Today:
On this Good Friday, take time to read and reflect and remember how Jesus died. As you observe how he died, what impact does the story have on your living?

Prayer:
We stand at your cross today Lord Jesus. We see your death, your refusal to vindicate yourself with the forces of heaven, your willingness to humble yourself in obedience to the Father’s will. We see your death – and we want to be like you. But we are afraid: Afraid of suffering and not being in charge of life. Teach us to open our hands today, even as you opened your own. On this Good Friday, help us to live as you died and to face death confident of your eternal life. Amen.

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