As we enter Holy Week, we consider the nature and significance of the crucifixion. The crucifixion shined a spotlight both on God and the human race. Seen from the perspective of Jerusalem, the crucifixion revealed all the power and majesty of God and his redemptive work. But if you turn the spotlight from the cross to Jerusalem, the spotlight reveals all the sin and depravity of the human race that necessitated God's redemptive work in Christ. The power play between the religious establishment and Rome, and all the fear it evidenced. The passivity of the general population to oppression and injustice. The overall acceptance of horrific suffering and violence.
Good Friday is a day of darkness. But only by understanding the true darkness revealed when we shine a spotlight on the human race and its nature reflected in the crucifixion can we begin to understand the wonder of the resurrection and God's salvific work