Thinking About Good Friday…

As we approach Good Friday I’ve been thinking about how today we sometimes talk and hear sentiment about how “Christ died for us, so that we don’t have to die.” On a certain level that’s true. But this doesn’t strike me as consistent with how the disciples in the early church talked about Good Friday. It seemed their understanding was more about “Christ died, so that we might die with him.” I’m thinking of the apostle Paul in Galatians 2:20: “I’ve been crucified with Christ…” And Jesus’ words in Luke 9 read, “Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way.” So, if Christ died and invites me into that death, it leads me to a life of self-sacrifice. But if Christ died so that I don’t have to die, it leads me to a life of self-help. Christ didn’t just die so that I don’t have to die. Christ died and invites me into that death with him.