“Good Friday.” I suppose that we call it good because it was on that day, the day that Jesus died, that the price was paid for our redemption.
But for the disciples of that day, it was not good. It was not good
for the apostles, and it was not good for the other followers of Jesus. It was
not good for Mary, the mother of Jesus, nor for the other women who were his
followers. It was not good for the several others who, after Jesus had been
crucified, retreated behind locked doors out of fear of the Jews.
The day for all of these people was not good. It was the darkest of
all possible days.
These people were not only followers of Jesus, but they had placed
every hope that they had in him. They did not have an option number two.
Of course, before he died Jesus had told them that they should wait
for three days, after which he would rise from the dead. But these words of
Jesus were for them, too difficult to grasp. Despite the very clear meaning of
what Jesus said, they had put these words into the same category as other
enigmatic sayings of Jesus. They either did not take what he had told them
literally, or perhaps they simply did not understand.[i]
The only thing that was clear to them on this day was that Jesus had
died. No one ever survived the cross. It was the worst form of death. They saw
him die.
It was not “Good Friday” for them. It was the darkest of all possible
days.
Today we celebrate Good Friday almost without thought. We color our
Easter eggs and we hide baskets of candy. Most years there is a feeling spring in
the air and we are in good spirits. Friday is the day for us to plan our happy
weekend gatherings.
For very many people, Good Friday is no different at all from any
other Friday. It is a good day for them because it is the last day of the workweek.
The weekend is here. TGIF.
But we cannot know the joy and the deeper meaning of Resurrection
Sunday if we miss the agony of Good Friday. On this Friday, try to imagine the despair of the disciples on that
day some 2000 years ago. They saw every hope in their lives dashed to pieces.
Every single good thing had been taken away.
Whether we are conscious of it or not, this is exactly our own despair
without Christ. Hope itself is dead and there is no option number two. If
Christ is dead to you, you are among the most miserable of creatures and of all
people most to be pitied.[ii]
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