It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!” And having said this He breathed His last.
(Luke 23:44-46 ESV)
Good Friday is the story of how God died. This is the story of how the God who made everything, and who can never die, did die—laid down His life on purpose, dying on a cross. He became a human being on purpose, for just this reason—so that He could suffer and die. Because His enemies needed Him.
Who were those enemies? Me and you. All people who have turned away from Him and gone after what we wanted instead. It didn’t take long for us to break our world, our lives, our very selves. And we couldn’t put ourselves back together. But God could, and He did.
Because He loved us. Because He wanted to rescue us—remake us—bring us home to be part of His family, as His dearly loved children, alive and well and happy with Him forever, in His kingdom. This is why Jesus died on that cross. This is why He did what He did, willingly. For you in particular—because He loves you. And now that He has risen from the dead, He calls you to belong to Him and be with Him, forever.
We Pray: Lord, I love You. Keep me with You forever. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
• Has Jesus ever blamed us for what happened to Him? Why not?
• How does He feel about us, then?
• How can you tell?
Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on April 3, 2026
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights reserved