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Good Friday - Remembering the Passion and death of Christ

The Palm Print of Jesus Christ

by George Tillekeratne

The discovery of the well preserved palm print of Jesus Christ's right hand is said to be the most amazing discovery of this century. This discovery has been made by a team of dedicated archaeologists led by Dr. Evan Thornton.

On March 7, 1977 a team of archaeologists led by Dr. Thornton travelled from Europe to Israel in search of this holiest of holy Relic in all Christendom, the Palm print of Jesus Christ the Son of the God the Creator, believed to exist in a cave not too distant from the ancient city of Jerusalem.The awesome discovery by Dr. Thornton made is said to have changed his life completely.

From the translations of the scrolls and wall writings that were also found inside the cave, it appears that Jesus left behind the fossil like image of his right hand to remind mankind of his eternal life and to heal the sick and dying who stood by him during his traumatic days on earth. Even though 2000 years have passed since Jesus placed his right hand against the rock wall his handprint continues to heal the deserving masses who believe in him.

The original print remains safely intact on the cave wall and Dr. Thornton has taken several vivid black and white photos of the priceless holy Relic after having to overcome a series of nervous jitters.

Archaeologists believe that any attempt to remove the original handprint on the rock cave wall could not only be dangerous but blasphemous too. An extremely powerful current is said to be running through the rock mysteriously as an attempt made by one Archaeologist to place his hand on to the hand of Jesus his arm resulted in his arm being knocked by an electric charge that left him tingling from head to toe.

The aura from the handprint is said to be so strong that hundreds of people are said to have been cured of heart diseases, cancer and a host of other diseases to the amazement of specialist doctors by placing their palms against a life sized photograph of the original handprint in the cave wall. Respected religious leaders from around the world have verified and confirmed the miraculous healings.

It is believed that until the turn of this century this remarkable holy handprint on the rockwall has been closely guarded by generations of Christ followers and when the last one of them left the cave he had carefully sealed and camouflaged the entrance lest it would be discovered by some zealots or treasure hunters.

His meticulous effort kept Christ's hand print safely hidden away until Dr. Thornton and his team of dedicated archaeologists discovered it. The exact location of the cave is a heavily guarded secret but scientists say that it is situated about a half a days journey from the ancient city of Jerusalem.

Dr. Thornton states that the effort to find the cave was exhausting but it was well worth it since they have discovered ultimate proof that Christ did posses supernatural healing powers, British, French and Russian scientists have each compiled stunning testimonials of miraculous healings that occurred when life sized prints of the image were put on display.

In an exhibition held in Moscow recently thousands of frail, disease and ravaged residents are said to have lined up for a chance to touch the photo that gives them a direct link to the miracle powers of Jesus Christ. Russian doctors have been baffled by some of the miraculous cures they had seen.

Experts say that there is no special prayer that must be said to trigger a cure and that all that is needed is a pure heart and a true belief in the healing powers of Jesus Christ. It is the intention of the team of archaeologists who have shelved further research for the moment due to the unsettled conditions in the Middle East to resume their work when there is some sort of peace there.

Thoughts and reflections on the Cross

by Rukmal Salgado

The Cross is sanctified and revered today as a specific and special symbol of Christianity. Specially during Lent and Holy week, the cross of Christ is of special significance to Christians globally, irrespective of sect or denomination. But, as we go back 2000 years in history to the first century AD, and take a closer look at a cross (what it is, for what purpose it was used and how), we will only turn back in horror and revulsion. In the first century of the Christian era, the cross was used as an inhuman, depraved and cruel form of execution for those guilty of treason and rebellion under Roman law.

Two centuries of Christian history has transformed the cross to a religious and sacred symbol or icon and made the world, forget what it was like to publicly crucify a man in the first century. However, we can witness first hand the gruesome and brutal reality of a crucifixion, through a rare and chance archaeological discovery (1968) of the skeleton remains of an ancient crucified man. Here is the description of the startling archaeological discovery:

"A stone chest in one of the tombs of a large cemetery near Jerusalem contained his bones. The cemetery dates from around the first century, and the name of the coffin reads 'Jehohanan ben Hagqol".

Jehohanan was a contemporary of Jesus. Archaeologists and medical doctors were able to deduce several details of his life and death. He probably belonged to a wealthy family. His asymmetric skull indicates that even in his mother's womb some traumatic experience must have endangered his life. At the moment of crucifixion he was a healthy young man in his late twenties.

His feet had been pressed against the pole of the cross by a small board. The nail fixing it apparently got caught in a knot of the wooden pole, so the executioners cut off his feet when they took down the body. This is why the large nail piercing his ankle bone was buried with the body.

From the angles of the bone fracture it was possible to determine Jehohanan's position on the cross.

Both wrists were fixed with nailson the cross beam. The victim was sitting on a wooden block, so that his agony would be prolonged and he would die after struggling for many hours against slow suffocation. By skill measurements doctors could even reconstruct Jehohanan's facial expression. Across many centuries a man as seen from the drawings of his execution, one of those thousands of Jews who lost their lives because of their zeal for the God of Israel. We are brought to face the hard reality of crucifixion."

"One a Friday Noon: Meditations Under the Cross" by Hans and Ruedi Weber. WCC Publications, Geneva. Page 71.

The cruelty and horror of a first century crucifixion in ancient Palestine is not a fanciful historical imagery or memory that one can calmly reflect on. It was this death that Jesus suffered for us. Why did He have to die for us? How will Lord Jesus dying on the cross (almost 2000 years ago, in a land far away from Sri Lanka) bring us salvation? In what ways is the death of Jesus different from so many others crucified?

Here's contemporary description of the siege of Jerusalem (70 AD) by General Titus in the first century. As the siege of the city tightened there was a desperate shortage of food inside the fortified city. In desperation many Jews inside dared to escape even if they knew the fate that awaited when captured by Roman soldiers. This is what the Jewish historical Josephus writes:

"When caught.... they were scourged and subjected to torture of every description, before being killed and then crucified opposite the walls. Titus indeed commiserated with their fate, five hundred or sometimes more being captured daily... His main reason for not stopping the crucifixion was the hope that the spectacle might perhaps induce the Jews to surrender, for fear that continued resistance would involve them in a similar fate. The soldiers, out of rage and hatred amused themselves by nailing their prisoners in different postures; and so great was their number, that space could not be found for the crosses nor crosses for the bodies."

(Quoted from "On a Friday Noon" page 71.)

So many crucifixions. So many deaths, Yet, we remember specially the 'death of Jesus on the cross'. What happened? why? How can one man's death on a cross almost two thousand years ago bring us forgiveness of sins, new life and salvation?

What happened on the very first Good Friday, when Jesus was crucified in Golgotha outside the ancient city of Jerusalem, is a mystery of Divine Love. It is not a mystery in the sense that the meaning of the cross is hidden from human understanding or incomprehensible in its depth and totality. Neither is what happened on the cross as esoteric or magical event. There are two important and significant keys given to us to fathom the mystery of what happened on the cross - how love, forgiveness, grace and salvation saves us in this life and after.

The first key is to seek the meaning of the cross in the totality of God's Love for man; from creation to the cross. God's love for man did not begin with the coming of Jesus. It predates the Incarnation. The divine-human history began with the creation itself:

"Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let him rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created man; male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it". (Genesis 1:26-28)

With the gift of life in all its richness, given to us totally by God in love, He also gave us everything to enjoy life with. The Psalmist wrote, praising God for the beauty and the splendor of the world:

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man, that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:3-5)

Love always begins in giving - this is what happened in the creation - this is what happened when Jesus, the Son of God died for us on a cross.

The second key to fathom and experience the mystery of the cross is - the gift of faith manifested in Christ Jesus. Love, in its multi-faceted diversity, grace and richness cannot be grasped by intellect, reason and logic alone. It can be entered into and experienced by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus died to give new life and salvation for all mankind.

Rukmal Salgado has a B.A (English Honors) from the University of Peradniya. Her first Master's Degree is in international relations from Japan. Subsequently she read for a second Master's Degree in Education and Christian ministry in USA. Her interests are education, social work, Christian ministry and missions.

Who do you say that I am?

by Quentin Jayatilake

A jagged shaft of lightning, followed by a deafening crash of thunder lit up the hill of Golgotha. For a moment it eerily lit the three rough wooden crosses that stood starkly on it under the lowering dark clouds. It also showed the three human figures impaled upon them. Two of the bodies were arched in agony, faces contorted and eyes bulging with the acute pain brought on by this fiendishly designed mode of execution.

The central figure on the gibbet hung limp and sagging on the nails driven through wrists and insteps. The head, hair damp with sweat and matted with blood from the circle of a thorn - barbed vine that had been rammed on it in a travesty of a crown, was bowed on a breast crisscrossed with the open, dried blood - encrusted slashes of a brutal scourging.

The centurion in-charge of the legionnaires of the execution detail stood before the central cross and observed that the heaving chest of the man on it had ceased its laboured sucking in of air. The centurion's name was Marcellus. Moments before that last bolt of lightning he had heard the man cry out "It is finished!", followed by a whispered "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."

What did the man mean by that loud cry, wondered Marcellus. To his ears it was not that of one who knows that he is about to be released by death from intolerable anguish. Rather it was a shout of triumph. The triumphant cry of one who had just accompanied an onerous but cherished and set task.

His thoughts flashed back to the events of the night before; the early morning hours and those that had followed. Although he had not been on duty, he had been present out of curiosity to see again his controversial person when he was brought to trial before Pilate.

He had seen him before and once, out of idle curiosity, had listened as he addressed a crowd on the Mount of Olives, teaching principles of conduct which he considered were extremely pacifist and impracticable.He remembered the man's dignified bearing as he stood before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, hauled there by the orders of the Sanhedrin and the high priest Caiaphas. Marcellus had taken an instant dislike, when he first met him, to the priest whom he regarded as a sanctimonious hypocrite.

He remembered the accused man's bearing when, after the brutal scourging inflicted on Pilate's order, the soldiers had pressed the crown of thorns on his head until the blood had trickled down his face; as they mocked him, cuffed him and spat upon him. His military training and noble family background had revolted at this display of cruelty inflicted on a defenceless man; a man who had not retaliated with the slightest defiant gesture or angry word.

Marcellus recalled how he had replied Pilate's regal claim "Do you not know that I have the power to crucify you, and power to release you", with the courteous but confident assertion, "You could have no power at all against me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered me to you has the greater sin."

It was as if he was positioning Pilate in his correct place and at the same time tacitly sympathising with Pilate's dilemma. Yet it was done in such a manner that placed every one in that assembled concourse, other than himself, was on trial. Recollecting all this, Marcellus marvelled.

He also recalled that this enigmatic person had admitted before Pilate to being a king but that his kingdom was not of this world. That was a concept Sebastian could not then understand, but the fog of incomprehension seemed to be gradually clearing.

Marcellus had served several years in Caesar's army of occupation in Palestine so he knew how bitterly the locals, particularly the priests, hated the Romans and their enforced subservience to the emperor Tiberius. Accordingly, he was filled with disgust and contempt when this very same people had replied Pilate's question, asked in his attempt to free Jesus, "Shall I crucify your king?" with loud shouts of "If you let this man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar." These selfsame priests had hissed "We have no king but Caesar."

The hypocrisy of the priests nauseated Marcellus. Anything to gain their ends! Coming to nearer events past, it had amazed this tough centurion who, in his military service had witnessed or been in-charge of previous executions by crucifixion, that this man Jesus had refused to anaesthetize himself with the customary stupefying draught of myrrh mixed with win offered to him before he was impaled on the cross.

The centurion had wondered why. Most prisoners condemned to such an agonishing death would have implored for more of the draught to dull the senses. The other two had done so, but not this man. To Marcellus it was as if he was determined to ensure that none of his mental faculties were impaired. But, why?

One of the other two crucified men had yelled imprecations at his executioners. The other begged that a sword he used to spare him this horrible agony. In stark contrast, this strange man, after the first cries of pain were wrenched from him as the cruel spikes were driven in, gave utterance to a totally different plea. It was not directed at any of those present for his eyes were focused heavenward as the prayer came clearly to the centurion's ears, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."

Who was this 'Father? mused Marcellus and shook his head in comprehension. Was this man really a king? The centurion asked himself. One of the other crucified men seemed to regard him as such, judging from his plea when he had begged, "Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom." The reply by the dying Jesus rang with supreme confidence despite it being given between laboured gasps for breath. "Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise."

Remembering those words Marcellus found himself confused, unable to comprehend their import for, here a man rejected by the high and the lowly of his own race, deserted by his followers save a small group of women and a solitary man, his life ebbing away to an ignominious end. Yet, his was a confident promise. Utterly so. What then was its underlying meaning? Realisation slowly dawned on him. Yes, of course! It was an acknowledgement of the pleader's absolute faith in the person to whom the plea was made, the belief that he was indeed a king despite all appearance to the contrary.

It was as if the dying man had said, "Today when to all appearances I am absolutely powerless, seemingly unable to save even myself; yet, on such a day as this when you still believe that I am indeed what I claim to be, I give you my solemn promise."

Then, like a shaft of light illumining the darkeness, like the brilliance of the lightning that continued to dispel the unnatural darkness that had descended on the scene, conviction dawned on the battle hardened centurion and wrung from his heart and from his lips the words, "Truly this man was a son of God."

Supposing it's true!

by General John Gowans

If I were to describe Christ as a "A Chip of the Old Block", you would probably accuse me of irreverence. But you have to admit that when it comes to describing HIM, the best of us is stuck for words.

The Christ is so closely, so intimately part of the Creator that spiritually speaking they have the same DNA! Now you assume, I am being blasphemous. But the right words are not available and I must use the worlds I have. The nearest human language can get to describing the Christ in relation to God is probably "Offspring'.... or 'Child'...... or 'Son.' At any rate Jesus of Nazareth said: "When you have seen me then to all intents and purposes you have seen the Father," which is probably like saying: "Like Father like Son."

Now Supposing it's True! Does it make any difference if it's true or not? I think it does. If its true, then the Being who brought the worlds into existence is no longer distant and detached but has some kind of personality and visits his or her creation. That Being (let me call him God) is 'knowable'. At the very least it's interesting. I don't suppose that we see all there is of God in one single human being but perhaps in Jesus we can see and perceive all that a human mind can grasp without serious damage. What if it's true?

Look at Jesus saying a kind word to a prostitute, are we looking at God? Look at Him going to stay with a well-known crook, when there were perfectly respectable people willing to lodge Him. Are we looking at God ? Look at Him with the kids crawling all over Him.... shouldn't God have better things to do? Apparently not. Look at Him laughing at a wedding and crying at a funeral, worrying about the hungry, bothering about the poor, the physically and mentally sick, applauding those who struggle to see justice done.

Frankly if we are looking at God, then He has had a bad press, He's great deal better than we thought! If all this is true, then we are dealing with a God who cares about all kinds of people. May be about me! Presumably He did not have to visit this planet. He is not only knowable but wants to be known. That's good news! Will you permit to call it Gospel?

But didn't they kill Him? Didn't they bury HIM? I think we can be sure of that. The whole bloody business is carefully reported. Not much room for doubt there. He was goodness personified. He was generously incarnated. He was compassion in flesh and blood. He was crucified wholesome. He died a very pleasant death, which we wouldn't give to a dog, and then they buried Him. But He walked out of His borrowed tomb! Did the people who borrowed His tomb for Him know in advance that he would not need it for long? I doubt it. According to the record they were rather surprised. You can't believe all that? A lot of people didn't even want to believe it but... supposing it was true? Does it make any difference?

I think it makes a very great of difference. You see if He did walk out of His tomb, then goodness and compassion, generosity and honesty, wholesomeness and tolerance, beauty of the deepest kind are all uncrushable, indestructible, invincible. They win. The hungry, the marginalised and the damaged will still go on mattering and the struggle for justice goes on ! This is what the Christians celebrate every Sunday morning and frankly I think it's worth singing about: "Up from the grave He arose!"

Brilliant! It seems that God wants to tell us that we should not bother to waste our time trying to bury Him. He goes on!

There have been many attempts to liquidate Him, terminate Him, abolish Him. But his survival does not even depend upon the reliability of his believers. They are often unreliable. The winter frosts of His church have been many but His spring times have proved inevitable. He survives man's unbelief. He is always resurrecting. He says: "Look, I am with you always." Supposing that's true!

Millions of people have timorously believed Him. They have reached out to the God they glimpsed in His Christ and who says that He will never abandon humanity.

They have been gloriously surprised. They discovered that He is with them always. They were afraid of looking ridiculous. They were scared of being disappointed. But they reached out and found Him to be nearer than breathing and closer than hands and feet.

This 'reaching out' is not a physical thing. Human hands do not find divine fingers. But the spiritual person encounters the spiritual God though prayer and life is never quite the same. The Father is found to be Our Father, My Father. It isn't supposing anymore. It is real relationship, real communion, transforming friendship.

'Everyone who seeks finds', says Christ. Supposing it's true!

The Cross

by Rev. S J Jeyaraj

Here is a similar occurrence: in spite of the fear and threatenings of the Jews, there followed Jesus a great company of people, and women who bewailed and lamented Him.

And the Love Incarnate, His face toward the Cross, gave the last word of comfort to His beloved and dejected followers. "Weep not for me" He pleaded, "but weep for yourselves and for your children: "and prophesied in clear accents of the great destruction that was to come on Jerusalem. He made them see the difference between a green tree and a dry one, which by interpretation means, one filled with Grace and one void of Grace.

Having made His last speech of farewell, He was lifted up on the Cross on Calvary. That insignificant place called Calvary, a place of skulls which no man would visit, became since then the soothing melody of all Believers. Certain Evangelicals are almost crazy with Calvary, and fill the air with various chants, centred round this very Calvary. The Cross is the junction where my nature and God's Nature meet. No other death than the death on the Cross can explain the plan of Salvation, so lucidly and so fully.

Although Cross was the Roman method of getting rid of the condemned, to a mystic, it is the predestined plan of the Eternal, involved in the Logos (Word) the Primary Cause. Cross is the plan of the human form: and He that came for me, came in this form. Cross is the plan of the Sun, comets and stars. It is the plan of the fish as it swims and that of the bird when it flies. A palm tree, one of the earliest trees on earth, looks exactly like a Cross from a distance.

There is a beautiful Cross on the back of a sea-crab: mark the Cross on the hood of the cobra and on the back of an Indian ass. Cross is the analysis of World's architecture: the central plan of a Dome, a pagoda, an old fashioned image and the like, is a Cross. Hebrew and its family are written from right to left: Sanskrit and its family are written from left to right: and Mongolian languages are written from top to the bottom: put them all together, you get the cross again. The shaking and nodding of the head, to indicate no and yes, form the cross.

There is the mark of the cross on our forehead and on our breast. And which ever side we turn, while we exist on this mundane sphere we cannot avoid the mark of the Cross; so, the Cross on which the Lord Jesus died was not a sudden invention of human imagination. As I understand in the Spirit, the Cross, the Light, the Life and the Word are all blended in one.

The Lord on the Cross, with His arms extended invited the fleeing sinner, willing to embrace every penitent soul. In olden days the people offered five different kinds of offerings: the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the trespass offering and the sin offering: and the Lord on the Cross offered them all in His five bleeding wounds. There is therefore nothing that can arrest a perversing soul more forcibly than the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I shall never know the mystery of the Cross until I am crucified with my Lord. I do not like to look at a crucifix, nor do I love very much the pictures of crucifix ion, from a mystic standpoint. My person must be on the Cross and my Lord must be glorified in me.

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