JESUS DIED AND WAS BURIED
(John 18:1-19:42)
There is no Mass today. Today is
a mournful day. Today is a day of sorrows. Today heaven and nature weep. Today
evil is temporarily rejoicing over good. For the enemies of Christ, the battle
is over. He's been won. Nke ya agwula. For His admirers and disciples,
the only voice resounding within their hearts is: We are finished. And Jesus seems to have attested to this when
He said: It is finished! Jesus has finished the cup he received for our
salvation. Jesus has died.
The Son of God died? Why did God
allow this? Why did Jesus accept this type of shameful death and cowardice?
These and many questions are asked.
As a child, I cursed all those
who treated Jesus badly during the stations of the Cross. One of the Years, I
came back on a good Friday and wept outrageously. When asked why I was crying
my reply was: Jesus anwuola! (Jesus has died). Some adults laughed at
me. But I was told to wipe my tears that it is a remembrance of His death. That
Jesus can't die.
But he did die. Was it not
reasonable for me to cry? People who lost their loved ones cry? And a God died,
and people are just not concerned? Let the child in me weep biko. Let the Child
of God in me look up and survey the wondrous cross on which my Saviour died.
It is no longer for the others
but for myself and what I am still doing after the death of Christ that should
make me cry. I must have to take the
death of Christ as the reality it is in order to take the radical decision not
to put Him to death in my life and by my life. But make him live and reign.
WHAT KILLED JESUS?
But wait, when someone dies, the
question is usually: What killed Him? What led to his death? Jesus died because
of love. He suffered love. He lived loving. He loved his haters. He tried
making His enemies friends and they killed Him. But even in death He prayed for
them and buried their crimes, died their death and gave them His life.
WHO ARE THE KILLERS OF JESUS?
Jesus did not die because of
Herod but because of the evil in the world that brought Him face to face with
Herod and Pilate. Christ didn't die because of the pain of the scourging, but
because we had the opportunity of preventing Him from falling into the hands of
these barbarians, but we refused and kept on living the type of life that gives
God pain in the heart. Jesus didn't die because of the cross' weight but
because of the weight of our sins, abandonment of God and indifference. He
cried, we mocked Him, He thirsted, we gave Him vinegar. He opened His heart for
us we pierced Him with a lance. He opened the Paradise for us we ran away,
running into hell, He gave us His all, even His Mother but we will not take her
home. He commits us into the hands of God, but we commend ourselves into the
hands of the enemy of our souls. But he bled and died to set us free still. That
was all he could do for us.
THEN HE WAS BURIED
He died after suffering the agony
of the cross. But that was not enough. His act of salvation is not a
superficial one. When death has done its last, Jesus went down to confront death
with a life that can no longer die. He went to bring back and to restore. To
give hope of new life and to destroy the powers holding us down. But, have we
really stopped empowering the power of the evil one from operating in us? This
is what Jesus died for. Let us start to live for that which Christ died for.
LET US LOVE JESUS CHRIST
The passion story according to
John began with the story of betrayal, denial, evil judgement, wickedness and
everything bloody. But at the end we saw the lovers of Jesus left with Christ's
lifeless body.
Let us be among these friends of
Jesus who will not live even when others live. Let us be like the Mother who
will carry Jesus with love no matter how tough things are for us. Let us be
like Nicodemus who will carry Jesus to burry when He has been abandoned by all,
Let's burry the body of Christ in our souls through communion. Let us be like
the beloved who will take all that belonged to Christ and care for them.
Let us appreciate the price paid
for our salvation. Let us not be ashamed to live for him who was not ashamed to
die the most shameful type of death for us.
Let us feel sorry for our sins, burry them all in the grave awaiting the
resurrection on the last day.
Let us pray
I don't deserve what you did for
me on the cross dearest Redeemer. Thank You Jesus. You died for love of me,
thank you Jesus. You died that I may have life, help me to live for you. I am
sorry for causing you to bleed through my sins. Forgive me and never permit me
to separate myself from You again. Into Your hands I commend my spirit. May
Your death give me life now and ever. Amen
Happy Good Friday
Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh
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