By David Reising
“He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.”
We have all probably heard this scripture passage many times. So much so, in fact, that we can glance over it or take it for granted. But when we pause to consider the logic behind this passage, we find that it goes completely against our natural inclinations. He “humbled himself” to the point of “death”, and that is why he is “exalted”!? That doesn’t seem to make sense. It’s no wonder that St. Paul speaks of Christ crucified as “a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles”. Apparently, God thinks that success looks like being born in a stable, living a simple life of service mainly unnoticed by others, and then dying a terrible death!
Or maybe we are asking the wrong question. Maybe it was never about being successful, but about being faithful. Maybe it was all about remaining in the steadfast love of the Father until the end, no matter the circumstances, no matter the cost. And maybe, just maybe, when we see everything through this lens, we can have the courage to look at a day that seemed like a complete failure in the eyes of the world and call it “Good Friday”.
So the next time we pause to reflect on how our day is going, let’s take a moment to ask God to help us see what actually makes for a good day.