April 2: Good Friday
Read: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; John 18:1-19:42
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Good Friday. A strange name for a day when an innocent man was condemned and crucified, yet appropriate too for its part in changing history. Today we see it as good because we know that it is through the shed blood of Jesus that we have forgiveness of sin. We know his death took the place of all who believe. It is good because without it, we have no hope.
But the “good” in Good Friday actually comes from a sense of the word we’ve lost. The American Heritage Dictionary says that the word “good” used to have a sense of “pious” or “holy”. The day was called Good Friday in the sense of it being a holy day like the Bible is the “good book” because it is a “holy book”.
In Old English Good Friday was called “Long Friday” and it is still called that in Finnish. In German-speaking countries it is “Mourning Friday” or “Silent Friday” or even “High Friday, Holy Friday”.
In Greek, Polish, Hungarian, Arabic and Romanian it is generally called “Great Friday”. In Bulgarian it is sometimes known as “Crucified Friday”.
Whatever we choose to call it, it is a day the disciples of Jesus were saddened and mourned because they did not understand that Jesus’ death was necessary and temporary.
It was a day when evil rejoiced and those who opposed Jesus’ ministry thought they’d gotten rid of the Nazarene once and for all. They did not realize it was a day God had planned from time eternal, from before the foundation of the world when God would begin to undo what Satan had done in the Garden of Eden.
It was a day when the earth trembled. Darkness reigned. Hope was lost. A ransom was paid. Chains were broken. Death’s defeat begun. Judgment finished. A glimmer of hope found in the midst of a darkness.
Perhaps a better name for that Friday so long ago would be “Grace Friday” because on that day, God did for you and I what we could not do for ourselves. Jesus took upon himself the punishment we deserved.
Centuries earlier Isaiah declared that the Messiah would be a suffering servant. He wrote, “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt…by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities…he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
When we were lost in sin and unable to save ourselves, Jesus died in our place. Falsely accused, beaten, and mocked, they crucified the King of glory. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5).
No matter what you call it, Good Friday, while a time of somber reflection, is also a time of joyful anticipation. Though Jesus’ followers had no understanding when Jesus told them about his death and resurrection, Sunday is coming! A day will dawn when their tears will become joy; the tomb will stand empty; and hope will be restored!
The late pastor, S.M. Lockridge, wrote a poem called “It’s Friday But Sunday’s Coming” (You can listen to the poem read by him here: (https://youtu.be/8gx6_rGLz20). It’s a powerful reminder that God is working in ways the people could not understand. His purposes were being fulfilled. He was using their evil to bring about the greatest good.
It was Friday. The Jewish leaders, the Roman authorities, and Satan himself thought they had won. They thought they had rid themselves of Jesus. But, they too, could not see past Friday or Saturday – all the way to Sunday!
His poem finishes:
It’s Friday
The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands
To the cross
They nail my Savior’s feet
To the cross
And then they raise him up
Next to criminals
It’s Friday
But let me tell you something
Sunday’s comin’
Questions for Reflection
Of the different alternative descriptions for “Good” Friday, which is your preference? Why?
Some people don’t think we should spend so much time reflecting on the cross because of the empty tomb. Do you agree with that? Why or why not? What can be gained by reflecting on the cross and our part in sending Jesus to it?
Is there anything you’ve felt the Holy Spirit impress on you that you want to pursue or avoid as you seek him in the future?