"Jesus does not resurrect for himself but for us. He wants to show us the way to resurrection," writes Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche.
Jesus dies because he loves. He loves his disciples but he also loves those who are killing him. Jesus is madly in love with all of humanity. He knows that by giving himself completely, he is offering life to others.
The death of Jesus is paradoxically fruitful. Jesus does not choose to die; rather, he chooses to love and it is this total, absolute, and gratuitous love that leads to his death.
I don’t think we can look at Good Friday without remembering Holy Thursday. On Thursday, at the Last Supper, Jesus takes bread and says, "Take this, all of you, and eat, for this is my body.” We recognize here Jesus’ desire to live within us, to be with us in our vulnerability. Then he kneels and washes the feet of his disciples. Only in the light of these two acts, these two gifts, can we understand Friday's death on the cross. The gift of love precedes Jesus’ death.