GOOD FRIDAY
An Invitation into this Space
Take a moment and be still. Focus on your breath and allow yourself to settle where you are. Accept each breath as the Spirit moves through you. When ready, read this poem and meditate on the artwork provided.
The Box is cracked.
God shatters our expectations
of how God should be
by choosing a shameful death on a Cross.
All of our attempts at righteousness,
(Our religion, our politics, our systems) are put to shame
When they fail to recognize the perfect one.
HE IS NOT HERE.
He is not confined to our human understanding.
Meditate on the Words of this Scripture
“They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left….”
“In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).”
(Mark 15:27,31-34)
A Reflection
Why Have You Forsaken Me?
The crucifixion of Jesus is one of the most confusing moments in the story. For those witnesses, it appeared to be a moment of utter defeat—a shameful loss for a ministry that had once been full of hope. The political powers, which many believed Jesus had come to overthrow, seemed to have overthrown Him instead. The religious leaders and pilgrims passing by hurled insults, mocking the one who had been hailed as the Messiah, as He hung by His pierced wrists, crowned with thorns, and naked before the world.
In the Gospel of Mark, this scene is especially striking. Throughout the book, Jesus' ministry grows in popularity and power. He heals the sick, casts out demons, teaches with authority, and draws large crowds. But in chapter 15, everything takes a devastating turn. The crescendo of His ministry collapses into the darkness of Golgotha. And in this moment of apparent defeat, Jesus's only words from the cross are a cry of desolation: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34).
On the surface, these words feel bleak and hopeless, as if God has abandoned Jesus in His most agonizing hour.
HE IS NOT HERE. It seems the Father has turned His face away, leaving the Son to suffer alone.
But this cry, drawn from the opening line of Psalm 22, holds a deeper significance. David wrote Psalm 22 during an intense personal crisis. King Saul, the man who should have mentored him to be Israel's future king, hunted him down. Instead, David found himself in hiding, feeling abandoned by the God who had once anointed him for this very role. David, like Jesus, felt utterly alone and forsaken.
But Psalm 22 does not end in despair. As the psalm progresses, David moves from lament to praise. He remembers God's faithfulness in the past and anticipates a future where God's deliverance will be proclaimed to all nations. The psalm that begins with a cry of abandonment ends with a declaration of God's sovereignty and goodness: "For dominion belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations" (Psalm 22:28).
By quoting this psalm, Jesus is pointing us toward a larger truth. In His darkest hour, Jesus identifies with the depths of human suffering and loneliness. He fully enters into the human experience of feeling forsaken by God like David did. But Jesus' cry also contains an implicit trust in the Father's ultimate plan—a plan that would culminate in resurrection and the reconciliation of all things.
