I’ve been asked to reflect on the crucifixion during our service today. For some, they would think this is
easy: its Good Friday, a day set apart in the Christian calendar where we reflect and honor the sacrifice
that Jesus gave for us on the cross. Writing a reflection on that for a Good Friday service should be no
sweat. I found it much harder than I thought I would.
You see, a question I get so often is this: “How can a God who is supposed to love us, allow his own son
to suffer such a painful death on the cross?” There is so much suffering in our world today, how can a
loving God allow such suffering? Is it because he doesn’t love us?
The cross is a symbol of suffering and cruelty, and through it, I am confident of God’s love. But the
question that I always feel I am left with is this, “how do I tell this story, and still call it Good Friday?”
There’s a story in Acts 3 about Peter and John going to the Temple to pray. They are devout religious
men, and so are going to the Temple at the appointed hour. Luke, the author of Acts, tells us that a
crippled man was brought to the temple gate to ask for alms. This is nothing special, but was a very
common occurrence in Jerusalem. The hour of prayer is a good time as people are in a generous spirit
on their way to worship. Luke tells us that this man had been crippled from birth, and brought to the
gate called the Beautiful Gate every day for 30 years.
This time, as Peter and John walked by, the man asked them for alms, and instead of giving him money,
Peter healed him in Jesus’ name. The lame man walked.
Now, there are many lessons we can take from this story, but in reflecting on Good Friday and the
crucifixion, a very important detail stuck out to me. Luke told us that this man was brought to the
Beautiful gate EVERY DAY at the hour of prayer, for 30 years.
We know that Jesus was also a religiously devout man. Peter was going to the Temple because it’s
the appointed time. Jesus also would have gone into the temple. In fact, even though Jesus lived in
Nazareth, Jews must journey to the temple once a year for offerings.
Jesus was 33 years old when he was crucified. So if we assume Jesus met the bare minimum
requirements, he would have had to pass this man 30 times in his lifetime. But hey, let’s assume that
sometimes, at least a couple times, this man couldn’t be carried to the temple that day. And, the first
story that we get of Jesus going to the temple is in the gospel of Luke when he was around 12. So with
the benefit of the doubt, and those things factored in, let’s say Jesus passed by this man at least 10
times at an age he would remember.
Even further, Jesus didn’t start his ministry until he was 30. Yet that only narrows it down to three times
at a bare minimum, but most likely even more that Jesus passed him. Do you see where I am going with
this? At the bare minimum, Jesus passed this man 3 times during his ministry, yet he didn’t heal him.
Why? He healed others. He was able to heal 10 lepers. He even healed a gentile woman’s daughter in
Tyre. Yet he didn’t heal this man? Why? Is it because he didn’t love him? Why does God allow suffering
in our world?
Although we cannot know the reason Jesus passed by this man when he healed so many others, I will
tell you this: I am absolutely confident that it was not because Jesus didn’t love him. Yes, Jesus passed
by this man at the gate, and left him in his suffering for that moment, but Jesus’ love for this man and
for us was so great that he personally entered into the deepest suffering in order to set us free. Jesus
loved him deeper than we could ever imagine.
Jesus showed his love not by solving the world’s problems but by entering into them. Jesus not only
took off his garment and washed his disciples feet, he not only healed the wound of his attackers in the
Garden, and was willing to say “father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” I know that Jesus
loved this man at the gate, because Jesus went to the cross for him.
There is suffering in our world, but that is suffering that God himself participated in.
So, you may ask, “how can God allow suffering in the world?” But don’t tell me it is because he doesn’t
love us. Because this is GOOD Friday. The cross proves that he loves us.
I’ve been asked to reflect on the crucifixion for Good Friday. For some, they would think this is easy: its Good Friday, a day set apart in the Christian calendar where we reflect and honor the sacrifice that Jesus gave for us on the cross. Writing a reflection on that for a Good Friday service should be no sweat. I found it much harder than I thought I would.
You see, a question I get so often is this: “How can a God who is supposed to love us, allow his own son to suffer such a painful death on the cross?” There is so much suffering in our world today, how can a loving God allow such suffering? Is it because he doesn’t love us?
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