Good (?) Friday?
My eight year old daughter knows that Jesus died on the cross for her sins, but there are still some mysteries in Christ’s life that puzzle her. This week, in Palm Sunday services, she heard the term “Good Friday” and immediately questioned me a bout this seemingly inappropriate name. Why do we call this day “good” when it is the day remembering the death of the most important person in the world (God in the form of man)? What is good about that?
It wasn’t a good day for him. It was filled with torture, betrayal by personal friends, ridicule, scorn and intense pain, not just physical but emotional and spiritual as well. This was the day He spent His whole life preparing for, anticipating with a mixture of sadness and joy, because He knew it had to be done, but He wished it wasn’t that way.
No, it wasn’t a good day for Him, but still he approached it with joy.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
Without Good Friday we wouldn’t have forgiveness of sins, and we wouldn’t be able to stand before the throne of God unblemished. That one day in history bought our freedom for us, paid our admission into a wondrous eternity and rescued us from the grip of sin. What a good day that was!
After a much simpler explanation to the little girl snuggled into my side in the pew, we continued listening to the events of Holy Week. She seemed to understand why Friday was good and why it had to happen, but she didn’t know why anyone would want to kill Jesus. Her brown eyes clouded with tears as she heard of Jesus’ whipping and how the guards spit in his face while alternately deriding him and beating on him.
Why would they treat Jesus this way? It’s hard to understand in our day and age when we wouldn’t even treat our greatest enemies this way.
Jesus was a good man, healing many people, teaching them God’s ways and extending grace and forgiveness to the needy. From our perspective, what’s not to like?
What caused all the strife between Jesus and His enemies? Jesus made scandalous claims about His identity and this alone created murderous thoughts in the religious leaders of the day. He called Himself not only a healer, or a great teacher, or even the King of Jews, but the Messiah, the Son of God who is like His Father in identity.
We might think of Jesus as a good man, but the people of His day knew that He was much more than that. As C.S. Lewis so aptly put it, there are only three ways to view Jesus: as a liar, a lunatic or as Lord. He claimed to be God – who do you know who has ever made such an outrageous claim? He was either a bold faced liar (which seems totally incongruent from His character) or a lunatic (but again his behavior was that of a sane man). If he is neither a liar, nor a lunatic, then He must have been God in the flesh, as He said He was.
There is only one response to that: either rejection, hatred and denial, or acceptance.
I still find it hard to believe that people so vehemently hated Jesus as to put him on a cross, but I know it was in the Father’s plan and out of His great love for us. And it reminds me how very good this week in history was for my soul.
Heather, good devo this morning as we reflect on the meaning of this resurrection week. May we not forget the torture, the pain and the suffering for this is truly what brings us to forgiveness and Grace. -blessings, Laurie
Amen to that Heather. Our son asked the same questions as you daughter did when he was younger. Yes, it was not a good day for Jesus, but the most glorious day for all of us.
We humbly thank our Lord for His sacrifice for His children. We are only worthy through His grace! Thank you for renewing our thoughts about this Easter Season…a NEW beginning, a NEW life, a NEW birth…God richly bless you…Sharon
Bless you for sharing this.