When I was a kid, I often fell and it left me with several memorable scars. Every time I see my scars, I will remember about the time when I got the wound and tell people about the story. The scar is a reminder of my past.

Past could be an enemy for many people. Our relationships that hurt us, our ambitions that have failed, expectations that did not meet reality, pain and sickness, anything. And breaking up with that and letting go, is not as easy as it looks. It creeps you within your sleep, your free time, your relationship with other people, everywhere you go. And the reason is this: we are not ready to let go because we keep questioning why things didn’t happen as we’d like. I love my spouse, but why did she/he left me? I like her/him, but why our family were against it? I want this job/scholarship and I tried my best, but why didn’t I get it? I lived a healthy life, but why did I get this cancer? Sometimes, it happen also because we did something wrong, and we think that everyone judges us because of it. Then we keep on thinking that we are not worth it anymore. 

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If you have these issues, I have a good news for you: We are all broken people. We fight, and we fail. It’s normal. And those limitations are exactly the reason why we need power above all power, king above all kings. Can you imagine how God looks at us, know that we are all broken, and in our brokenness, He sends His son to save us? 

The Good Friday, when Jesus died for us, is a proof that human are broken and sinful, and we don’t deserve Him. All initiative comes from God––that’s the beauty of Christianity. His love makes Him to send Someone that is the same with human but can carry every burden so human can be saved. 

Let us go back to several circumstances that happened before Jesus died on the cross. Peter, who haad said that he would never deny Jesus but before the morning rose already denied Jesus three times. Judah, kissed Him yet betrayed Jesus, and gave Him over. Hundreds or thousands of Israelites whom a week earlier, embraced Jesus with palm leaves, exclaiming ‘Hosanna’ — within a week they screamed “Crucify Him!”

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But why the cross? Why Via Dolorosa? Why He has to bear all the wound and pain? 

Cross is a paradox. It is a sign that reminds us that we are broken people who should die instead. Christ was wounded and died for us, all by Himself. He is the only way and He broke the wall between us and God, because He is the only one who can bear the wound. 

Jesus was wounded, but that wound and pain brought us healing. Human are by nature very fragile and limited. Wound hurt us, it does and it did. And the process of wound healing takes time. Depending on how deep it is.

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Let me remind you again for a while about our biology class during high school. Wound heals in stages. The smaller the wound, the quicker it will heal. The larger or deeper the wound, the longer it takes to heal. When the wound breaks your skin, your body's immune system starts to protect the wound from infection. Blood vessels open in the area, so blood can bring oxygen and nutrients to the wound. Oxygen is essential for healing. White blood cells help fight infection from germs and begin to repair the wound until it heals and may left scar on our body. I like to imagine that like white blood cells helps our wound from germs, Jesus helps us to fight other infections that might cause us to bleed even further: Hatred, lost, denial, unworthiness.

Then, wound left scars or keloids on our body. It is the same with the the wound in our past. Wound is like a tattoo that reminds us about our fragility and weakness, and how God helps us to get through all those times with all of those healing process, either with the help from the people we love or ourself. At the end, for better or for worse, we would not be the same person as we are today, without the wound. 

Jesus heals us, while he is wounded. He is the ultimate wounded healer. He never promises that life would be easy, but the fact that he died for us and rose again, shows that He will never leave us alone. Through the wound He bear, He gave us the chance to live this life, full of hope and joy. And when we see His cross, remember His scars that he beared for us. And like him, we are ought to deliver the same healing process to the others. The job only ends when we die. May this reflection of Good Friday not only ends here, but let us bring the job to heal other people throughout our life.

Photo by Paul Green on Unsplash

“We are not entitled to pain-free, trouble-free life. Embracing this will ease the collision between expectation and reality.” 

– John Piper