I don't know about you, but I've often wondered why we call this "Good Friday," when it calls to mind a most brutal, inhumane death--the death of Jesus the Christ. Yes, others had been crucified before, and two other men were crucified with Him. But they were being punished for crimes they had committed, while He was being killed for who He was. Not a good day, in my book!
One year, I was especially struck with how utterly bereft His disciples must have felt. This Man, this Jesus, who had taught with such authority; this Man, who had lived like no one they had ever known, and who had called them to live as He lived; this Jesus, who showed such compassion and who also spoke such harsh words to the religious leaders (the "Robes") of His time; this Son of Man, in whom His disciples had placed all their hopes, all their dreams, was dead. Tortured by Roman tactics of the time, He was crucified on a cross--a horrible, horrible death.
The soldiers assigned to Jesus' crucifixion mocked Him and cast lots for His clothing. Yes, this same Jesus, who had committed no crime and hung as the pure, sacrificial lamb for the sins of the world and for my sins, hung naked for all to see. Robbed of strength, robbed of blood, robbed of his clothing, robbed of any human dignity, there He hung. And there He died.
For what purpose did He die? Where was the good in that? Oh, most people who know anything about Him, whether they accept Him as the Christ, the Savior that He is or not, most people know that He died to save us from our sins, to reconcile us to God the Father, and to make it possible for us to enjoy eternal life with Him. But what does that mean today? What does it mean to you?
Some of what it means to me is that I know God is at work in me and, amazingly, through me. He is not content with behavioral modification, although some of that is often desirable. He is all about transformation, changing me from the inside, out; renewing my mind, transforming my heart, my attitudes, my thoughts. Now. Here. In this life, He is transforming me . . . and He won't likely finish before I die. But I am very aware of some of the areas in which transformation has been taking place--and some of the areas where I desperately need transforming. It starts here, it starts when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. Our eternal life begins now.
The transforming power of God is possible, here and now, through the work of the Holy Spirit, because of what Jesus Christ suffered on what we now call Good Friday, and what God did with that two days later in raising Christ from the grave, to make my reconciliation to God and my eternal life with Him possible.
He makes this a very Good Friday!
