Well it's Good Friday. I've heard the question asked, "Why in the world do they call it good Friday? What was good about it?" The thoughts behind the question are that it certainly wasn't a good day for Jesus. Pain and suffering do not a good day make. It certainly wasn't good for Judas who committed hari kari out of guilt. It wasn't a good day for the other eleven clueless disciples who were witnessing the death of all their dreams. The sky turned pitch black from noon until three o'clock. Not a good day for the beach crowd. Seems llike Black Friday would be a better name for it. But that's from the world's viewpoint.
But in fact it was a good day. In fact it was the best of days. Even for Jesus. One of the most satisfying things in life is seeing a task of major importance brought to a full and total completion. Even more so if that task is your very reason for living. Everyone loves Christmas. The song says, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." But the only reason for Christmas was to make Good Friday possible. On that day Jesus finished the very work for which he was born into this world - banishing the inevitability of sin and death. Certainly the pain and suffering were not good. But the result was the ultimate good. By paying the debt for our Sin on that day, Jesus set us free. By allowing his body to be broken, he made it possible for us to be whole. By shedding his blood unto death, he gave us life.
It actually was a good day for his disciples too, although that was not what they thought. It reminds us that even when it seems darkest in our lives, the Son is about to shine so brightly it will be hard to behold; that "it may be Friday...but Sunday's comin'.
And where was God the Father during all this? Right where he is when we hurt....right there in the middle of the pain. And as in Genesis chapter 1, God looked down...and "God saw that it was good."
No comments:
Post a Comment