Getting Ready For 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

Not a year goes by that the question doesn’t get asked, “Why is the Friday Jesus suffered and died on Calvary’s Cross called ‘Good Friday?’ Thats a really good question since what Jesus suffered through over the last 24 hours of His life that fateful Friday was anything but 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 not only for us but 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 and yet Jesus knowingly and willingly 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 which is why we have confidence when we approach God in prayer.  

Jesus sacrifice paid the price for all our sins, our past sins, or present sin and our future sin too! 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! Jesus did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. He saved us. We have much to be thankful for this Good Friday but what we should be most thankful for is what Jesus pain and suffering has done for us.  

As you prepare for Good Friday this year, 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 in Him and trust in what He would do. You were worth the pain, loved one, you were worth the shame Jesus went through. 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 today 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! You can believe it and better still you can receive Him, Jesus can be your Savior and Lord because…

 
“God is love.”

1 John 4:8

I LOVE YOU!