Good Friday is a good reminder of how we killed God. One is reminded of Mel Gibson's "Passion Of The Christ," a gruesome motion picture of how cruel we can become, especially if we wear the cloak of religion. Religion crucified God in the name of God.
Christ was at his most ferocious when confronted by religious leaders. The scribes and Pharisees of his time anointed themselves with the exclusive right to represent God on earth, and he overthrew that. They had been waiting all their lives for the Messiah and when he showed up, they killed him. That is very typical of religion, and that is why it thrives on dogma. People who hold a thing to be the truth of all times are capable of the worst kinds of cruelty. Religious people can be very dangerous, especially if they do what they do in the name of God
But who can kill God? A God who dies does not deserve to be God at all. And that is the difference between the Christ of God and every other known religious leader. He died and he rose again! Everyone else is still in their graves. If he didn't rise again the religious leaders of his day would have been more than ready and willing to prove otherwise. Mary Magdalene--the first woman apostle--carried the good news of his resurrection. And of course the men thought it was all nonsense. God's foolishness will always confound the wisdom of the day.
Jesus died and he rose gain! All it takes is a leap of faith, believing that he was who he claimed to be, "Christ the saviour of the world, and the Son of the living God." It's like banjo jumping, the only difference is that you land in the hands of God. God never dies!
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