At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

- Mark 15:33-38

Even the execution of a guilty man is a tragic thing. How off-course does a life have to be to contemplate such punishment as the best possible outcome? The death of an innocent man could be nothing less than appalling.

What then, is this Good Friday? Why does Jesus' death take centre stage when people began to share the good news? Why does the apostle Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, say, "I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified".

Because the cross says that God loves us. Nothing else that we rely on - nothing else that we look to for our identity or purpose - can compare to the complete self-giving love we see on Calvary. We all desire human love, but human love is always limited. As good as it is, it isn't good like the love we see on Calvary's hill.

Because the cross says that power and brute force doesn't win out in the end. It says that the arc of the universe is indeed long, but it really does bend toward justice - and more, toward our good. It says that a life of service really is the most significant life - even the Son of Man came to serve, and give his life as ransom for many.

The cross says that we can stop reaching and start receiving. We don't have to transcend ourselves to find God, because God has descended to us. He meets us not when we escape our own failings and brokenness, but when we're at our lowest, weakest and most defeated. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Church will remember this day as long as it exists. We will sing it, preach it, and pray it until the end of time and beyond. It truly is Good Friday.