Daily Lenten Reflection 

Good Friday, April 2, 2010

Meditation: Isaiah 52:13–53:12

Good Friday

If you were to imagine a king in his moment of greatest victory, at that moment of triumph when his greatest enemies have just been vanquished, you wouldn’t immediately picture a crucifix, would you? But today’s first reading tells us the Messiah would amaze us because we just might not recognize him! There would be nothing stately or attractive to draw us to him.

This is the heart of the gospel message—and the greatest paradox in history: Jesus’ death on the cross is his moment of victory! As he hung there bleeding and dying, he was defeating Satan and emptying sin of all its power. A cursory glance would show only the pain and not the triumph. But on a day like today, God is inviting us to look closely at the cross and see the full picture. He wants us to see the life that flowed from Jesus’ death, the healing that came from his wounds, and the triumph that came from his defeat.

Today, think about how Jesus embraced the cross, a brutal instrument of torture, and transformed it into a symbol of forgiveness. Think, too, of how the cross is no longer just a symbol but a grace-filled instrument of mercy and divine power. Think of how, in his humility and lowliness, Jesus was raised up in glory. Think of how, in his agony, Jesus brought us everlasting joy and how, in his loneliness and rejection, he made us all brothers and sisters. Think of how, in his torment, Jesus healed the wounds of iniquity and broke the grip of death on each of us!

As you look at the cross today, try to see through the suffering to the victory that it won. Look at your King in his moment of triumph. Then, when you are visited by the cold specter of suffering, you will be able to look beyond the hardship of the moment and see the victory that is waiting for you. Let the message of the cross, a message of hidden victory, transform your life!

“Lord Jesus, your cross is glorious! You have taken something utterly despised and transformed it into a source of freedom and joy! You have defeated all your enemies and brought us into your triumph!”

Psalm 31:2,6,12-13,15-17,25; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1–19:42