Today the Friday 18TH of April 2025 is the yearly anniversary of the crucifixion of Lord Jesus Christ known as Good Friday. It is sadness and a joy for His Christians followers.
Sadness because He died young man in His thirties of age in ancient Rome time, which was the oppressive and corrupt cruel ruler, with its values and morals. That cruel empire was building its greatness on the bondage of the human creature and using him like an animal. He had no value or personal freedom, but his name was only ‘slave.’
Jesus was witnessing with his own eyes how soldiers and tax collectors took supplies entirely from the people to provide for themselves, their horses, citizens, slaves and leave them with their families and children in a state of hunger and needs. Jesus watched the young men, matured men of his homeland Nazareth and Israel, being tied with chains and driven into slaves to hard labour and war on the remote fronts located on the borders of Rome, whether in the east, west or Africa. They would never return, leaving their families, friends, loved ones, children, villages, livelihoods and cities to the far, awaited death. Jesus was affected by the cruel behaviour of the Roman rulers. In his prime youth and manhood, he watched his fellow human beings dying slowly on the crosses in open air as condemned by stern Rome. It was happening in the face of fierce freezing winds, descending snow, under heavy rain and the harshness of the sun in the scorching heat.
Jesus heard how the rulers and Caesars of Rome held parties and celebrations for the people to watch the swordsmen, wrestlers and gladiators kill each other in the battlefield ring. No one dared to confront corrupt Rome, defend the dignity of the human being and get rid of the yoke of oppression. With the exception of some groups of Hebrew – Jewish heroes, rebellious resistance fighters adhering to their Jewish customs and laws, they worked stealthily underground and launched their blitzkrieg attacks from time to time on Roman soldiers, their posts and their rulers. Jesus witnessed and touched his human brother’s pain, torment and despair for life. All that fierce Jewish resistance resulted in increasing the pressure, persecution and injustice of the authority of corrupt Rome on the people of Israel. Jesus rejected violence, and this was his first choice, and he decided to teach the people and preach the kingdom of God with a spirit of Love and liberate his country and the world from evil, sins and violence to make peace.
He was the first martyr for the sake of knowing God, the Most High One and respecting ‘humanity’ and establishing the Church before all martyrs in the global community, He is the eternal glory.
He was martyred and died on the cross for the salvation of the entire world from vice, sin and for the advent of light, meaning Love, knowledge, awareness, truth and a new life.
In His evangelization He said: ‘Truly, truly Heaven and Earth will pass away, and my words will not pass away.’
This was His motto and the essence of the words of his philosophy in his evangelization and martyrdom, as He said: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’
And in other place in Gospel He said, ‘I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but has the light of life.’ See John 8:12, 14:6
At His martyrdom, He defeated the darkness of human thought; He defeated oppressive corrupt Rome in peaceful way for ever and made the victory in His resurrection on the third day which is the joy and the hope of the believers to make peace on Earth and have a safe eternal life in heaven.
Without the teachings of the Spirit of Christ, life has no meaning!
Excerpts from the book: “Is God a Lie or Are We? Certainly We Are!
Author: Jamil Elias Kabalan
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