Good Friday Indeed

Reading through the Gospel of Mark this morning, reflecting on the crucifixion of Christ brought me to tears. The part that hit me the most was Mark 15:16-20. “And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.”

The striking thing about this passage is that I see myself in that battalion. I just sat reflecting on how lost I was before the Cross of Christ meant life and breath to me. Had the Holy Spirit not gripped my heart with truth, convicting me of my sin, and drawing me towards the Savior—I would still be lost in my sin. The reality of my need for a Savior is splashed all throughout these verses. These men of Jesus’ day needed a Savior, but instead of belief in Christ they chose to mock, spew hatred and spit of the Savior of the World.

Not everyone chose to hate. I love the picture of Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome, who once Jesus was dead, desired to anoint His body with spices (Mark 16). They saw Jesus, for who He truly is— the Great I Am, The Son of Man and the Son of the Blessed One.

Today, as we head into Good Friday, a day set aside to remember His sacrifice, which group are you a part of; the unbelieving battalion or the ones wishing to rightly respect the Savior? Which one am I? This question seems so black and white. Truthfully, it is. Either we love God with all of our lives or we don’t. He’s either our everything or He’s not important to us. By the grace of God, and with gratitude in my heart on this Good Friday, I want to shout it out that He truly is my All in All!