Bonus Episode — ”Why Was Friday Good?”
Why Was Friday Good?
If I was naming it, I’d call it Bad Friday.
The night before, Jesus eats a final meal with His closest followers and friends….
He prays under such intense agony and pressure that he sweats literal drops of blood. His followers sleep through His pain. His humanity begs and pleads with the Father to remove “the cup” from Him…that if there’s any other way for humanity’s salvation, that the plan would be shifted.
He relinquishes His will saying, “nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.” He is betrayed with a kiss by one of His disciples. He is denied by one from His inner circle in His greatest hour of need.
He is mocked and hit and blindfolded and slapped across the face.
When Friday dawns, He is taken before the Jewish council, then led by a crowd to the Roman governor, Pilate, who, though he finds no fault in Him, refuses to release Him out of fear of the people.
Jesus is sent to Herod, who is glad, hoping Jesus will perform a miracle on command.
When Jesus is silent in the face of Herod’s interrogation, he and his “men of war” treated Him with contempt (#1848), mocked Him, put a gorgeous robe on Him, and volleyed Him back to Pilate.
Pilate refuses to press charges and places Jesus’ very life in the hands of an angry and volatile mob.
Pilate allows them the choice to release one prisoner, either Jesus or Barabas, a murderer.
The crowd vies for Barabas’ release and chants “Crucify Him. Crucify Him” of Jesus.
Jesus is beaten and whipped, after Pilate “contents” the people. (Mark 15:15)
39 lashes with a cat-of-nine tails — His back flayed.
He is clothed with purple.
A crown of thorns is platted and placed on His head. (Mark 15:17)
He is hit upon the head with a reed.
He is spit on.
He is bowed to in grand mocking gestures, as the soldiers say, “Hail. King of the Jews.”
They place His cross on His broken body, requiring Him to carry it uphill to “the place of the skull,” Golgotha, where Roman convicts are crucified in brutal Roman fashion.
Simon of Cyrene steps in to bear His cross to Calvary.
He is laid on the rugged cross beams of a crude cross, and the sound of mallets and nails ring across Mt. Calvary.
A scornful inscription is placed over His head as His cross is erected between two thieves, “numbered with the transgressors.” (Mark 15:28 and Isaiah 53)
“Jesus, King of the Jews” writhes in anguish of spirit and physical pain.
He cries out “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” As the wrath of God and all the collective sins and guilt of all generations were laid on Him.
“The LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53)
His followers, for the most part, are nowhere to be seen in HIs darkest hour.
He forgives those who are taking His life as they gamble for His robe. (Luke 23:34)
The crowd passes by, continuing to mock Him.
At noon, “the 6th hour”, the sun went black, and for three hours, Jesus hung on the Roman cross—“the emblem of suffering and shame” in agony.
There is an earthquake.
Graves are opened.
Saints came out of their graves. (Matthew 27:52)
The veil in the temple is torn from top to bottom.
Finally, after a sleepless night of brutalizing agony, Jesus’ body succumbed to all it had endured, ad He uttered, “Father, into thy hands I commit My Spirit,” (Luke 23:46) and “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
Jesus bowed His head, and “gave up the ghost.” His Spirit separated from His physical body yet on the “tree.” His heart, formed in the womb of Mary, stopped beating. He heaved one final breath.
The soldiers see He is dead, and instead of the typical breaking of the leg bones, they pierce His side with a spear and blood and water flowed.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus “beg” the body of Jesus, prepare it for burial and bury it in Joseph’s tomb.
None of this is good if this was the end of the story.
But Good Friday was named by someone with the hindsight of the Resurrection.
Without the resurrection, Jesus’ death would’ve proved to be the death of the blasphemer the crowds proclaimed Him to be.
But Friday is good because Friday was overshadowed by Sunday.
Friday is good because without the suffering and shedding of blood, we’d have no Savior.
Jesus endured Friday, “endured the cross,” “for the joy set before Him.” (Hebrews 12:2)
He endured all the very bad of Friday, because He knew it was the path to resurrection power for Him and the path to salvation and redemption for humanity.
There was nothing in Friday to make it good, other than what came next. Sunday made Friday good.
Sunday gave us a lens to see that all Jesus endured was very good; very purposeful.
Sunday indeed proves that it is a GOOD FRIDAY.
And at times, as we walk the road with the Savior, we find ourselves in seasons of no apparent good. No “good” in the moment. No good is readily obvious. The moment is dark, and the pain is real.
We, too, must look beyond the moment, like the One Who “endured the cross, despising the shame,” (HEB 12:2) to the joy down the road.
“Joy comes in the morning…”
It might not be “good” right now, but Sunday’s comin’ !
That’s why we call it “good.”
Thank you for joining me for this journey!
Go grab your Bible and your journal!
I look forward to the power of this habit in your life. This is Unedited.