TODAY IS GOOD FRIDAY, one of the most significant days in the Christian calendar.
It is the day when Jesus Christ died on the cross for all our sins.
It is also a day when Christians remember the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ and his great sacrifice on the cross of Calvary.
Good Friday is usually a solemn day when many will head to church to commemorate this sacrifice.
Many Christians will spend this day in fasting, prayer, repentance and meditation, as they reflect on the agony and suffering of Christ on the cross.
As is recorded in the Bible, the events of the first Good Friday saw Jesus arrested, and taken before the high priests.
According to the Gospels, Jesus was taken before Pilate and Herod and it was decreed that he would be condemned to death.
Jesus was mocked and beaten, crowned with thorns and forced to carry the burden of the cross.
He was then crucified.
While the crucifixion was the cause of much suffering for the son of God, this sacrifice really represents an end to the suffering of man and a chance for salvation.
In churches across Barbados, many will be commemorating the passion of Christ and in a sense “celebrating” Good Friday since many Christians believe that without Christ’s death on this day, there could be no resurrection.
There is no greater sacrifice than this, and while no other can be compared there is still a lesson for all of us.
Sacrifices for the greater good are still within the reach of many.
There are still deeds to be done that serve others, the wider community and the country. It would therefore serve us well to action some of these deeds, especially now when so many in our society are in need.
Let us put aside our selfish acts, and look to lend a helping hand.
The lesson of forgiveness is also another teaching of the crucifixion. Even while nailed to the cross, blood dripping from his head to his face and down his body and no doubt in pain after being battered and bruised, Jesus uttered the words: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”.
According to Mark 15:42, “a man named Joseph” who was a counsellor, begged for the body of Jesus which was then prepared with spices and ointments.
The story of the crucifixion has many lessons. It speaks of sacrifice, repentance, forgiveness and mercy.
These are lessons that hold true to this day and would serve us well not only to observe but to try to follow in our daily lives.
As many of us observe Good Friday, which forms part of the Holy Week, let us all remember the greatest sacrifice of all. Jesus Christ gave his blood and body so that we all can be saved.
It is indeed a Good Friday.
