Good Friday Reflection: The One Who Ran Toward the Cross

Not long ago, on 14 December 2025, Australia experienced one of the darkest days in its recent history. A terror attack at Bondi Beach left many dead and injured, sending fear through an entire nation.

Gunshots rang out. People fled in panic. Chaos filled the streets.

Two self-radicalised gunmen opened fire on a crowd of approximately 1,000 people at Bondi Beach in Australia. (Source: The Times of Israel)

Witnesses described scenes of panic as people fled for their lives at Bondi Beach in Australia. (Source: The Guardian)

Paramedics provided aid to a woman following the shooting incident. (Source: Fortune)

In the aftermath of the terror attack, flowers were laid out at Bondi Beach as a tribute to the victims. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

Political leaders rightly named it for what it was: “an appalling act of violence,” “shocking and distressing,” “an act of pure evil.”

Yet in the midst of fear and flight, one ordinary man did something extraordinary.

His name was Ahmed al-Ahmed, a 43-year-old father of two and a fruit shop owner. When he heard the gunfire, instinct told everyone to run away.

But he ran toward the danger.

Video footage shows Ahmed al-Ahmed approaching one of the shooters from behind. (Source: The Guardian)

Ahmed al-Ahmed tackled and disarmed the shooter. (Source: Reuters)

Footage later showed him confronting the gunman, wrestling a weapon away, and placing it aside, at great personal cost. He was wounded in the process. He did not act for recognition. He did not pause to weigh the risk.

He simply responded.

When the story spread, the world responded too. Social media overflowed with spontaneous praise and gratitude:

“Not all heroes wear capes.”

“He should never have to pay for a beer again.”

“May his shop never be empty. May he never know suffering.”

“A true hero who ran toward danger so others could live.”

“This man restored my faith in humanity.”

The response was immediate.

It was heartfelt.

It was filled with honour and thanksgiving.

People praised a man who risked his life to save strangers, and rightly so.

And this brings us to a deeper and more searching question:

If this is how we respond to a human act of courage,

how much more should our response be to Jesus?

Because what Jesus has done goes far beyond even the greatest act of human bravery.

Jesus did not run toward one moment of danger.

He stepped fully into our broken world.

Jesus did not wrestle a weapon away.

He bore the full weight of sin, evil, and death upon Himself.

Jesus did not merely risk His life.

He willingly laid it down.

Scripture reminds us:

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

This is the heart of Good Friday.

Jesus is not only our Saviour.

He is the One who saw our deepest need and chose the cross.

The One who loved us not at our best, but at our worst.

The One who did not turn away, but moved toward us with grace.

Jesus is our true Hero.

So the invitation before us is simple, yet deeply personal:

Will our response to Jesus be any less than spontaneous?

Any less than heartfelt?

Any less than filled with praise and thanksgiving?

Good Friday invites us not only to remember, but to respond.

To receive His love again.

To return to Him with open hearts.

To walk in quiet obedience and renewed trust.

Wherever you are, and whatever season you find yourself in, may this be more than a day on the calendar.

May it be a fresh encounter with the One who ran toward the cross, for you.

Written by: Daniel Liu