Why Good Friday Was Good
Today is the day when the Christian church remembers the crucifixion of Christ. Only five days before, Jesus had triumphantly entered Jerusalem welcomed by crowds waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of Lord”. Now those same crowds cried out to Pilate, “Crucify him, crucify him!” He was betrayed by one of his followers, arrested under the cover of night, falsely accused of blasphemy, unfairly tried, his flesh ripped and torn by whips.
He was mocked, and nailed to a cross by his hands and feet to suffer while a murderer went free in his place. How could this have happened? The Son of God, sinless and innocent of any wrongdoing, was being brutally executed alongside two murderers. He had healed the sick, fed thousands, even raised the dead, so why was he being put to death? Even when nailed to the cross he asked forgiveness from God for his executioners … All of the powers of evil rose up against him that day and aided by sinful men, the Son of God was put to death. It was the day when the creator died for his creation.
So why is this day called Good Friday? Good Friday was a day like no other. Without Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday, Good Friday could not be seen as good. Without Easter, Good Friday would have been the darkest day in the history of the world. For reasons we human beings can neither fully comprehend or grasp, the horror and suffering of Good Friday made it possible for us to have eternal life. Christ was the perfect and unblemished Passover Lamb whose willing sacrifice washed away our sins.
His precious blood was shed to pay the price for us to be seen as righteous in the eyes of the Father. It covers us and makes us clean, now and forever. Thanks be to God the Father and to his Son Jesus Christ for that “good” Friday, for it was the day when our real lives began.
~Ray Walker~
