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“The passing of Jesus Christ—his crucifixion, his resurrection and his ascension—is crucial for Christianity, and the current clergy and laity are charged with continuing his mission.
“… The message is one of Love, that is, love of God and love of our neighbours and doing unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:27-45).
“… Therefore, it is profoundly clear that ‘Love’ is the glue that links us to God. And in the midst of its poignant sadness, the message of Good Friday is one that evokes joy and a fervent commitment to ‘Love’ as the foundation of our humanity and world view.”
The following Letter to the Editor about the message of Good Friday was submitted to Wired868 by Atiba Ajene Bostic:
Christianity is founded on the law of grace or forgiveness, and the belief that the Christ in each person is his/her redeemer and salvation. Christians believe that Jesus Christ, that is, the Truth made manifest, in his teaching ministry was charged with the mission of establishing this principle for the benefit of humanity, as the Messiah.
They believe that Jesus Christ came to confirm the Torah but also to make lawful some of what was previously forbidden. He came with wisdom and brought a radically new interpretation to the law, that is, to pursue the spirit of the law rather than placing emphasis on its literal interpretation. In fulfilling his mission, he had to make the ultimate sacrifice of death on the Cross.
Christians believe that Jesus came to suffer as an atonement for the sins of humanity. His death crystallised the birth of the Christian Church and its movement away from Judaism.
When we observe Jesus Christ as the ‘Son of God’ and the ‘Son of Man’, from his baptism, his temptation, his experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, his experience before his arrest, his transfiguration and his torture and death on the Cross, we see his intense determination, his courage, his commitment to his mission and his perfect and unconditional love for humanity—“Father forgive them for they know not what they do”.
In effect, his mission is an inspiration and an example for all human beings to follow in order to fulfill our destiny and bring into manifestation the divine design of our lives.
Jesus Christ, in his teaching ministry, urges all to ‘hear these words of mine and act on them’ (Matthew 7:24). He said: “I came to bring fire to the earth … Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you but rather division” (Luke 12:49).
Further, in answer to a question asked by the Pharisees—when the Kingdom of God was coming—he responded by saying: “… in fact the Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).
In response to a question from Nicodemus, he said: “… the light has come into the world and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil … But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may clearly be seen that their deeds have been done in God” (John 3:19-21).
In his response to the Samaritan woman, Jesus said: “God is Spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).
At the ceremony of the Passover, Jesus said to his disciples who were present: “I give you a new commandment that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should also love one another” (John 13:34). Jesus particularly warned against greed. He said: “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15).
The passing of Jesus Christ—his crucifixion, his resurrection and his ascension—is crucial for Christianity, and the current clergy and laity are charged with continuing his mission.
Many years after his passing, his works and teachings were recorded in four different gospels or commented upon in the Epistles. These confirm that the teaching, testimony and work of Jesus Christ are directed towards convincing others that God is true and that we can only accept this testimony by Faith.
The message is one of Love, that is, love of God and love of our neighbours and doing unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:27-45).
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” This message is repeated, in particular, by John at (1 John 3:8): “Whoever does not love, does not know God for God is Love.”
Therefore, it is profoundly clear that ‘Love’ is the glue that links us to God. And in the midst of its poignant sadness, the message of Good Friday is one that evokes joy and a fervent commitment to ‘Love’ as the foundation of our humanity and world view.
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Full marks to Atiba Ajene Bostic, the writer.