A death is putting something to rest.
GOOD Friday. What makes it GOOD? Something good cannot be a death, and especially Jesus’ death which was horrific and gruesome. However, can something that is such be made right? Be made good?
Understanding good means we need to first understand the opposite: Our condition. I only need to think of my heart as not always pure to understand my fallen nature. Raising a daughter from birth helps me see the power of our sin in a baby. The beautiful is not always perfect, and no human is. Proving our hopeless condition, the law pointed out how impossible it was to achieve perfection.
Sin cannot live in God and He cannot justify it without a sacrifice. Who would be the sacrificed? Who would be big enough to take this on? How could he make it right with us once and for all? Good Friday HAD to happen in order for the beauty of justice and LIFE to occur. Forgiveness. Salvation….all coming from the CROSS: Psalm 85:10 praises the moment when “righteousness and peace” will “kiss each other.” God’s justice (Good Friday) intersected and crossed with his love and mercy (Easter).
Ignorantly, we don’t comprehend how God created us to have free will to make poor decisions; ones that allow us to then sin. But, little did we know that he had a plan of redemption. He knew that there would be suffering, and as we question it and shake our fist at it and Him, He has omnipotent knowledge of the GOOD. His plan will reunite us back to him and forgive this ultimate sin of separation, but also the grace to proceed after we continue to mess up.
C.S. Lewis even writes about God creating us as His own “parasites” and he is allowing us to “take advantage of Him.” But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8-9, NIV). He died so we could live back with Him for now (in this fallen difficult world) and in eternity. That is truly love.
So what? So what!? What does it all meant today and tomorrow when I wake up and go about my day? Gratitude. Peace, right? Can I now rest in the hope of tomorrow and the knowledge of how much LOVE there is for me and for others (when I don’t “feel” it) in today? That is the significance.
Finally, an empty life is what I had for years although it seemed meaningful with work and relationships. However, focusing on those things, it was found to be futile and a dark hole. In John 6:35, Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst’.
Find the “it” and Put it to rest. He has it in His hands and lifts it from ours.
May it be a “Good” Godly Friday.