But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.” vs.49
Luke 24:26-49
As the afternoon drew to a close on that fateful Friday, Jesus cried out, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit,” and breathed his last. The chief priests and the scribes lifted up the hems of their robes with thanksgiving and went home rejoicing at the death of their enemy. The repentant thief wondered and waited, and the centurion in charge of the execution praised God and said, “Certainly, this man was innocent.” And all his disciples, male and female, stood at a distance just watching!
This Friday some of us, likely not a lot, will gather in our sanctuaries around the cross again. It’s likely that we’ll be wondering too, and maybe even praising God for the amazing sacrificial love and forgiveness that is represented in the cross. But a good number of us will be there watching, not quite sure how to feel, and not at all comfortable with the inevitable approach of death. Maybe, like the thief, we’ll be puzzled about the radical nature of Jesus’ promise, and wondering what it might mean to be with him in paradise. There’s a lot that goes through our minds in the course of Good Friday worship. The cross really is the central image of our common faith, and it’s a blessing to have a chance to think about what it means.
Thought for the Day: How is praise connected to the death of Jesus?
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