Good Friday

When I was at Walmart today, the clerk and I discussed Good Friday and Easter. She could not understand why they call it good. It does make one wonder, and as I just looked at some of the photoblogs, the one from Athens had a photo of a giant crucifix with Jesus hanging from it.

Historically, I do not believe that Jesus appeared on the cross in this fashion, but I do not want to debate it. Having learned of Alexander and how he had crucified 2,000 men at Tyre, it struck me to see a photograph of a crucifix of Christ from Greece. Greece was where Paul preached the gospel and so was converted to Christianity. But long before Christ was crucified, many others earlier had died horrific deaths in the same fashion.

Today, none of us realizes the importance of that kind of slow death, but we are conditioned to accept it as the church has spun its story. In truth, probably the real story is much different than the one that has been fed to this generation of believers.

Nonetheless, no matter the means, it was clearly stated that no bones could be broken, but that the Roman soldier did pierce his side to see if he had truly died before they took him down from the cross. It is interesting to note that any soldiers bothered to wait around, but apparently they were instructed to do so. Most usually, an army would make certain all men were securely fastened and simply leave them to die slowly while they went on their way. So this story of Jesus's death does deserve some explanation and examination as to why he was treated in a deferential way.

His resurrectioin is the meaningful part of the story and so while we suffer through the death of Christ it is only a short time later that we celebrate his victory over death, having proved that the soul is more powerful than the flesh temple of the man who is God.