For He Has Overcome

Good Friday is coming soon. What does it mean for you? At G12 meeting last Wednesday, pastor let us watch a snippet from the Passion of Christ video. It is just a montage of scenes being played to the song, Jesus Died for Me. As I watched the scenes of Jesus being tortured by the Roman soldiers, I asked the Lord to search my heart. I realised that it is so easy to watch a scene like that, then feel sorry for what happened but point the finger to the Roman soldiers and blame them for such a sinful act. A sense of self-righteousness arose as I thought to myself, if I were alive at that time and knew Jesus, surely I would have fought to protect Him. Really?

Who was it who crucified Jesus to the cross? Was it just the Romans soldiers? If Jesus died and felt the pain of sin then, is it true then that He doesn't feel it anymore today? As we began to worship the Lord, I felt the Holy Spirit convicting me that each time we sin against the Lord, we crucify Him on the cross again. I am as guilty of putting the nails into His hands as any of the Roman soldiers. Yes, Jesus died and He rose again. He overcame death after paying the price for our sin. Sin that was not just the condition of man then. But also that of man today. How does our sin affect God? Does sin bring consequence only to our eternal being and have no consequence on anyone else? Surely not! Could it be that each time we sin, we continue to add to the pain and suffering that Jesus felt as He bore the weight of the world on His shoulders?

What then does Good Friday mean to you? What's so great about celebrating the death of Jesus? To me, it is about His deep love for me. A deep love that causes me to want to obey Him because I want to reciprocate as much of that love back to Him. It is also a time to remember that Jesus did not remain dead. He rose on the third day! It was as if Jesus was saying, "There is hope in me! Even to the point of death, I have overcome." No matter what situation I am going through, there is hope and victory in Jesus! He demonstrated it when He rose again! It is the reason why we can believe in Him, why we can trust in Him!

May this Good Friday not be just another ritual for you. May you truly know the depth of Jesus' love and His desire for you to have freedom and victory in Him as you remember His death on the cross and then His victory as He rose again to be with God.