Yes, I was there

MILLIONS watched last Saturday's thrilling Grand National. But how many viewers noticed the winning jockey Graham Lee crossing himself? To those with eyes to see it was a public declaration by Graham of his faith in Jesus Christ.

This gesture was his way of saying thank you to God for giving him the skills to ride such a superb horse.

Two days later I went into a shop and the young woman who served me was wearing a silver cross as a necklace.

What did it mean to her, I wonder? Was it simply an attractive piece of jewellery - or a permanent reminder of the message of Good Friday?

That message of God's love for our wayward world - the world he made - has brought meaning, challenge, inspiration and encouragement to millions of lives down 20 centuries.

This year, the events of the first Good Friday have made front page news because of Mel Gibson's controversial film The Passion Of The Christ.

It's all too easy to get sentimental about Easter.

I'm all for Easter eggs and bunnies, spring flowers and greetings cards. But they can get in the way of reality. Mel Gibson has powerfully reminded us that the first Good Friday was brutal and merciless.

The man who preached love and showed compassion received neither. After his arrest he was scourged, mocked and hung out to die in the blazing sun with huge nails hammered through his soft flesh.

As we ponder all this, the questions mount. Most pressing is the Jewish question. Is this story anti-Semitic? Such a judgement would be perverse. The accounts of the first Good Friday are no more anti-Jewish than they are anti-Roman.

The point being made in the Gospels, and in Mel Gibson's film, is not that Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers are worse than the rest of us. For one thing, the heroes in the story - the women who remained loyal to Jesus and the man who offered his tomb - were all Jewish.

No, Jews and Romans simply happened to be centre stage at the time. The point of the story is that people such as us crucified God's Son. It was people like you and me who turned against him and - perhaps out of fear rather than conviction - called for his death.

"Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" asks the old Spiritual. My answer is simple. Yes, I was there. I wasn't at the front leading the crowds as they called for his death. No, I was hiding at the back, hoping not to be noticed.

My heart was beating fast and my palms were sweaty. I hated myself for not having the courage to stand up for this good and brilliant man. But I knew that to do so was dangerous. So I kept a low profile.

In doing so I denied Jesus - just like Peter. That's one reason why Good Friday is so important. It holds up a mirror to all who are willing to engage with the story.

This disconcerting mirror reveals ourselves to ourselves. It shows us that we are idealistic - we want to stand up for what is right and good.

It shows, too, that we are weak. When the pressure is on, we are likely to buckle. It shows us what we know in our hearts - that we have already performed a hundred shabby and cowardly acts. We are grateful that - unlike Pontius Pilate - our weakness, cowardice and small betrayals are not held up to public gaze.

If that was the end of the matter, then Good Friday would be Bad Friday. Terrible Friday, even. But the events of that day also open a window into the purposes and love of God.

The New Testament is insistent about this. Quite why Jesus had to die for the sins of the world is a deep mystery. But the Bible tells us that this is what happened on that first Good Friday and countless human lives testify to its truth and liberating power.

This is why that Friday is called Good.

The cross is the central focus of the Christian faith. Many churches are built in the shape of a cross. In baptism, candidates receive the sign of the cross. Holy Communion, which focuses on Jesus' death for us, is the central Christian Service.

The Bible is not fixated on Jesus' death. His death is always linked with his glorious resurrection. The Bible takes a tough, unsentimental journey to get to its wonderful message of freedom and abundant life. It refuses to take short cuts and it embraces death on the way.

But it gets there in the end. The New Testament assures us that Jesus defeated death. He is alive and active in our world today. Good Friday and Easter Sunday continue to have massive relevance.

As Jesus died that brutal death, he did not call down curses on his tormentors. Instead, he prayed that God would forgive them.

It is the example and teaching of Jesus which inspired Archbishop Desmond Tutu to set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This has been a powerful instrument for peace in South Africa - and in other countries too.

Perhaps one day it will be the means of bringing healing to Northern Ireland.

The Easter message continues to make a huge difference on a personal level too.

I think of Mary - a former drug abuser and thief. When I met her she was an impressive Christian. I asked her why she changed - was it through a massive effort of her will?

She smiled and said that when you are on your face in the gutter, you can't get up unless you are lifted. She spoke movingly about being raised to a new life by the Risen Christ.

He gave her spiritual strength and a sense of moral direction and purpose. She testifies to being accompanied through life by the risen Lord - unseen but very real.

This experience of Christ's presence - sometimes challenging, sometimes reassuring, sometimes inspiring - is shared by countless millions of ordinary Christians in today's world, including me.

Then there is Bill, who has cancer. He knows that his life expectancy has been shortened. This makes him sad because he loves life.

But he believes that on that first Easter Sunday, something wonderful happened.

God raised Jesus from the dead and defeated death itself.

This is not only wonderful; it is highly significant too. For through his glorious resurrection from the dead, Jesus has thrown wide open the gates of heaven. He invites Bill - and us too - to share with him in eternal life.

What will heaven be like? Well, it won't be boring! Jesus described it as a great banquet - a joyful party. Each and every one of us is invited to get a foretaste of that great feast this Sunday.

All you need do is attend an Easter Service, so that with Christians at your local church - and believers around the world - you can declare:

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

John Young is a Canon of York Minster. He has developed these themes in several books, including The Case Against Christ and Teach Yourself Christianity (Hodder Paperbacks). His work is in several languages, including Chinese and Russian

Updated: 09:42 Friday, April 09, 2004