Fridays are one of people’s favorite days of the week — so much so there’s an expression “Thank Goodness it’s Friday!” It just makes people happy to think about it, so there’s even a restaurant TGIF’s to convey the same idea. But of all the Fridays in the world, there is one Friday that is by far and away better than any other Friday — it’s Good Friday.
If you think about it, Good Friday is an ironic name to use for the day that Jesus gave his life on the cross. At that moment, to Jesus’ mother, disciples and followers, it was anything but good. It was tragic, brutal, unexpected way for Jesus to die. It dashed all their hopes and expectations to the ground. Jesus promised to make everything right between God and man, and all of a sudden he was murdered on the cross! So how in the world can we as Jesus’ followers even call anything about that day good?
What makes it good is the result that it had, for through the pain, torture and punishment of the cross, Jesus set us free from the penalty of our failures, shortcomings and sins before God. He willingly paid the price for it all on the cross, but it didn’t end there, for God raised Jesus from the dead to prove that He is the messiah, the One that the Jews were promised that would come and make man right with man.
Make no mistake, there is no way outside of Jesus for one to be made right with God. Only Jesus lived the perfect life. Only Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Only Jesus was raised to life again by God’s power to live forever more and give us eternal life! When I think about it, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness and love for the One who gave His life for me and you.
Because of God’s great love for us in Jesus we can know life, true life. We know life in Jesus, and that life that shines through us and gives us hope, direction, purpose and destiny. I wouldn’t trade anything for the hope we have in Jesus! On this Good Friday, we remember the most amazing display of love ever showed — the love of God in Jesus.