Is Good Friday Good To You?
/Tomorrow is Good Friday. While banks and schools will be closed, many of us will go on with our day like Friday is just another day. However, Friday is not just any day. Friday is a good day because we commemorate a terribly awful and simultaneously beautiful day. Over 2,000 years ago Jesus of Nazareth was condemned, crucified, and declared dead. Here’s how Scripture describes Jesus’s crucifixion and death:
“And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. ”
Why Good Friday Is Good
When we read the account of Jesus’s crucifixion and death, we should pause and ask, “Why is Good Friday so good?” From the outside looking in, an innocent man dying does not make for a good day. However, if all you and I see is the death of an innocent man, we utterly miss the goodness of Jesus’s death. The apostle Paul, gives us a glimpse behind the scenes of what the death of Christ actually accomplished. In Colossians 2:13-15, Paul writes,
“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”
For some, this might be old news. For others, it’s new. Regardless, it is good news. Yes, an innocent man died by crucifixion, but it was not in vain. Jesus’s death accomplished
something. While you and I were dead in our sin, Jesus’s death reversed the curse. Through Jesus’s death, we become alive. Jesus’s death brought us life. That makes Good Friday good.
Responding to Good Friday
When things are good, that thing often elicits a response. Good Friday is no different. Because of Jesus’s death, you and I should take time to respond to Jesus. For some of you, Jesus is new to you. And as Good Friday and Easter approaches, you are learning about who Jesus is and what he has done for the first time. Seek him and ask Jesus to reveal himself to you. Perhaps Good Friday could become good to you because Jesus saves you through his death and resurrection.
For those of us who know Jesus, may God remind us of how good Good Friday actually is. Often, time has a way of dulling truth to us. I encourage you to take time this Friday, to read the story of Jesus’s arrest, crucifixion, and death (Matthew 26:47-27:66; Mark 14:43-15:47; Luke 22:47-23:56; John 18:1-19:42). Meditate on his death and the incredible life that it has brought us. Pray, thanking Jesus for his sacrifice. Then share this incredibly Good news with someone else.
Don’t let Good Friday slip by. Celebrate the goodness of Good Friday!