What's so GOOD about it!

 

AS A KID, I always wondered why they called it Good Friday when it was such a terrible day. I always knew it was about Jesus death on the cross, but I thought, What is so GOOD about this FRIDAY? As I have matured in my faith it is obvious that something GOOD does come from this day. So this day is just a precursor to the GOODNESS of GOD. But, I still do not like the term GOOD FRIDAY. 

I also found out that in Old English the word GOOD carried with it the idea of HOLINESS and piety. So in OLD ENGLISH this day would be called HOLY FRIDAY. I much prefer that term over GOOD. I just can't rap my arms around the punishment Jesus had to take for mankind. There is nothing good about our sin and rejection of God. The term Holy fits my thoughts because holy means to be set apart and Jesus definitely set himself apart from the whole world by taking on our sin as an innocent man. The scripture that described Jesus last breaths on the cross, are anything but good. They were definitely HOLY:

"At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you foresaken me?") When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah." Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and ordered it to Jesus to drink. Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"" (Mark 15:33-39, NLT)

Indeed, this man surely was the Son of God. Today, he is that same Son of God. He defeated death that day for each of us. He paid for our sins so that we might live forever with him in paradise. THAT IS THE GOOD PART OF GOOD FRIDAY! Praise God!

Heavenly Father, may I never take for granted what you did on that cross, the suffering, the pain, the humiliation of taking on the sins of the world are hard to grasp. But, you did it all for us. Today, we mourn your death, while realizing at the same moment, death is not the end for us who will rise to meet Jesus at his second coming. Praise him! Amen!

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If you haven't repented of your sin, accepted what Jesus did for you on the cross, dying for your sins, or if you have not committed your life to Jesus, TODAY could be that day. give your life to the Lord. 

"because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." (Romans 10:9-10, ESV)

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