A Good Friday?

When is a day not as it seems? When is an ordinary day not so ordinary? When is a bad day actually good?

As I sit here and listen to the wind howl up against the window and reflect on how spring has been inching closer, yet today, winter seems to be back, I cannot help but think how that Friday must have gone.

Maybe there was a beautiful sunrise with a warming breeze as usual with people starting the normal hustle and bustle of going about their daily tasks. Yet behind the scenes, maybe unknown to most of them, the leadership of Israel has made a decision to put Jesus to death (Matthew 27:1).

The night before, Jesus had been arrested after being betrayed by Judas, one of his own, in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had been brought before the Sanhedrin with the high priest Caiaphas presiding. Their intent was to present false evidence allowing them to condemn him to death - but they did not find any (Matthew 26:59-60) and story after story contradicted each other (Mark 14:55-56). They deliberated throughout the night with Jesus standing silently by. Then, as a new morning neared, Caiaphas, in front of the whole gathering, asked Jesus, “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63). Jesus’ answer was, “Yes, it is as you say” (Matthew 26:64). This sent the whole group into a frenzy as they accused Jesus of blasphemy and death.

On that Friday morning they quickly moved Jesus on to Pilate, the Roman governor. After hearing the case, he attempts to free Jesus by releasing a prisoner. But the chief priests and elders of Israel incite the crowd gathered to release Barabbas instead and to have Jesus crucified (Matthew 27:20).

Jesus is then taken to be stripped, beaten and mocked by the soldiers. They finally force him to Golgotha, making him carry his own cross. There he is crucified between two thieves. As Jesus hangs there, the normal sun-filled sky grows dark in midday and the air chills. People begin to wonder what is happening. Finally, Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and willingly gives up his spirit in death (Matthew 27:46, 50). The earth shakes, rocks split, graves are opened and the curtain in the Temple is torn in two, from the top down. All creation is announcing the news of salvation! Many people miss this, but the guards do not, they exclaim, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:51-54).

This all seems like the makings of a bad day, but in retrospect it was actually a good day - a great day in fact. For through the events Jesus endured on this day we see the heights from which He would descend to draw near to us, the lengths He would go to rescue us, the depths He would plunge to save us and the width of His love for us (see Ephesians 3:18).

After a Friday that was Good, there was a Saturday that was Silent and then came the Sunday that was Victorious! Remember - a great price has been paid for your sin and my sin. Reflect - a God Who loves us deeply has rescued us - be in awe of Him. Rejoice - soon we will celebrate that death and the grave have no power over us because, “He is risen, He is risen indeed!”