The cross of Jesus – shame or glory?

For Jesus, his ministry was always likely to end up this way. He angered and divided some people just as much as he amazed and thrilled others. He was seen as a threat to the status quo by those in power, and people who hold power often respond with violence and retaliation when they feel threatened. And so the temple authorities, the Pharisees and the Romans formed an unlikely alliance to arrest and silence the trouble-maker from Galilee.

From one perspective, the death of Jesus is a story of rejection and betrayal, of human brutality and shame as he dies an agonising death on a cross. From John’s perspective, however, being lifted up on the cross is the moment when Jesus is glorified and draws all people to himself. It is the means by which God’s love and glory are fully revealed to the world and also how God’s life is made available to all.

So how do you see the Good Friday story? Is it a story about the darkness and evil that dwells in the human heart? Or is it a story about the light and love and life that God wants to bring into the world? Or is it a strange combination of both these stories?