It’s hard to understand what’s good about Good Friday when it’s surrounded by so much pain and suffering. One needs to step WAY back in order to see the good. Here are some things to think about on this very awkward and tension filled day.
Empathy
Jesus, the person, suffered greatly on Friday. He was beaten and belittled. His pain was real. His cries of anguish were piercing. So, for those of us who believe that Jesus is God, we serve a God who can identify greatly with our pain and suffering. He knows what it’s like. When we feel hurt and alone, let us remember that we’re never truly alone. May we take comfort knowing that Jesus deeply empathizes with what we’re experiencing, and he’s with us through it all.
Making Things Right
On this day, we can pause and think about how often we’ve tried to rule our own lives and tried to do things our way. All of us come up short and miss the mark from time to time. Back in the day, they’d make sacrifices to try to make things right; today, some of you may go to confession; but on that Friday, Jesus made a statement. He chose to offer Himself once and for all as a living sacrifice to make things right for all humanity. That’s a powerful picture. That’s a powerful statement. It’s on Friday where true grace abounded and continues to overflow into our lives today.
It’s Not the End, It’s the Beginning
When we only look at Friday, it seems like the end and thus, it doesn’t make any sense at all that this is called, “Good Friday.” But, the story doesn’t end there. Sunday’s coming…This is what makes Friday good. It’s the anticipation of what Jesus is doing on Friday knowing that Sunday’s coming…the resurrection of Jesus changed the course of history. Love, compassion, and justice spread throughout the world and continues to do so today. WE, the people who claim to follow Jesus, mess this up all the time, but this doesn’t preclude what happened 2,000 years ago to a man named Jesus. It truly is Good Friday because Jesus was willing to go through it all so that all could be one with him forever. Always remember, SUNDAY’S COMING!
I wish you all a very Happy Easter!
