The Good In Good Friday

“And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”

Colossians 1:17-20


Every year around Good Friday I am asked, why do we call Good Friday Good? Thats a really good question since what Jesus suffered through over the last 24 hours of His life was far from good. The word “Good” originally meant “Holy” or “Sacred” and the events surrounding what took place on what we call “Good Friday” might best be summed up in the words of the apostle John who said in what might be the most well known passage in all the Bible in John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

The reason we can call the Friday that Jesus Christ was crucified on Calvary’s Cross “Good” or any other day of the week good is for one reason and one reason only, because God is good all the time! But Good Friday stands alone above all other days because of the suffering Jesus willingly endured for the entire world, for me and you when He died in our place. The Cross revealed the worst of mankind and the best of God’s divine love. It should have been me, it should have been you who was crucified. We have sinned and we deserved to be punished for our sins yet Jesus took our place and if that wasn’t good enough, Jesus perfect righteousness was put on our account so that before God, its as if we have never sinned!

Jesus sacrifice paid the price for all our sins, our past sins, or present sin and our future sin too! Thats why we celebrate an event that took place over 2000 years ago because it will never happen again for the simple fact it doesn’t need too as Hebrews 10:1-4 remind us, “For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” But the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who gave His life for us did so once and for all Hebrews 10:10 goes on to say, “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Paid up in full by the grace of the Lord! The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:21 put it like this, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” And you know what? That’s not just the good news on Good Friday, that’s the good news of the gospel for all time!  

Think about what Jesus death upon the Cross has done for you! He paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. And to think, Jesus did it willing and for the joy of knowing His sacrifice not only pleased the Father but for the joy of knowing His death would make heaven possible for all who would believe. You were worth the pain, loved one, you were worth the shame Hebrews 12:2  reminds us, “…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Heaven is possible because of Jesus as the apostle John reminds us in chapter 1 verse 12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” Yes, friend, Good Friday is good because Jesus did it for you, He did it for me, He did it for love. Jesus is the good in Good Friday!

 
“…for God is love.”

1 John 4:8

I LOVE YOU!