Have you ever wondered why Good Friday is called “good”? Being a believer since childhood, I got used to the name and didn’t really think much about it. It came around annually; it was simply the Friday before Easter.
But when reading the events of that day in the Bible, when Jesus was forced to carry his own cross after surviving a whipping, how could the day be named “good?”
When Jesus would die from the capital punishment of the day, even though he was ultimately innocent, how could that possibly be called “good?”
When I really ponder this, it hurts my heart. Would Jesus call that day good?
In Matthew 26:39 we glimpse Jesus requesting his father let the “cup pass from me”. I don’t blame him for wanting another path. Yet in the next breath he added, “yet not as I will but as You will.”
Then in verse 42 he says, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass away unless I drink from it, your will be done.”
Jesus was willing to do something he didn’t want to do, if that directive came from God.
He was willing to obey, no matter what God asked of him.
It’s called “Good Friday” because Jesus chose to offer himself as the ultimate sacrifice- a sinless man surrendering his body and offering his blood to pay for the sins of all humanity.
Why?
Because his father asked.
Because neither God nor Jesus wanted to be separated from you and me for all eternity.
Because even though we make mistakes, even though we can remain aloof, even though we aren’t always obedient to God, he still loves you and me.
Enough to author a path back to him.
Enough to sacrifice his very own son’s life so his other children could also return to him.
And that day when Jesus had to make a decision: would he stand in the gap for you and me? Would he do what we never could, to save us from a permanent separation from God?
Yes. He certainly would.
That decision is what began to weave goodness throughout the ugliness of that day. That thread of holiness became a tapestry that covered over a literal multitude of sins to carry us lovingly back to God. A beautiful love that would surpass any love story was enacted: Love between God and his children.
If you are like me, it can be difficult to fathom such love. To accept the gift of such deep devotion. To abide with a trusting heart that God’s compassionate care carries that much weight.
Yet it does.
If you, too, struggle with comprehending just how important you are to God, let’s ask him together for help understanding just that.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that because of you, Good Friday is indeed good. That because of your solutions and deep love, you authored a way to ensure I would never need to be outside your presence. God, I adore you. Please draw me near and help me to appreciate your deep love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.