We called it, ‘Grandma’s Jesus’. He is looking over Jerusalem.
John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you [a]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
As we try to answer that question, ‘What’s so good about good Friday?’, let’s focus on the goodness of our God. An old favorite song of mine says;
‘He didn’t bring us this far to leave us,
He did not teach us to swim to let us drown,
He didn’t build His home in us to move away,
He didn’t lift us up to let us down.’
That is what the verse above reminds us…’I have overcome the world.’ And these are the ‘red letter’ words of Jesus! Yesterday we left Jesus and his disciples at the Passover Seder dinner. It was a joyous time as Jews remembered their deliverance from Pharaoh through the Red Sea. Jesus celebrated several Passover’s before this in his Jewish home with his Mom And earthly Dad and siblings. It was a time to reiterate all the blessings the Jews experienced over the years. Now, knowing this would be his last opportunity to speak with his ‘students’ about Kingdom attributes, he expounded at length! This is found in Chapters 13-15 of John. You can read it there.
From that point on the plan was set into motion. It could have been stopped, if Jesus just called out one word to his Father, but he didn’t! I believe that his mind was made up, set in stone, he had his total focus on US! We were the reason he stayed on the cross. We were the motivation to endure the pain beyond belief!
So, after Jesus spent the evening in the Garden of Gethsemane praying to His Father for himself, for his disciples and for…us! (John 17: 20-21 20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who [a]will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me”.)
Shortly after his prayer in the garden…He is arrested! He goes willingly, no argument. no fighting back. He even reminded the authorities, ‘I have spoken openly to the world’ (John 18:20) On what charges did they arrest him? The sin of the world! Yours-and mine. This is the reason this day is called, good. It is gloriously good for US! He was the scapegoat. Yet, it was not us blaming him, as siblings will do in an argument, blaming each other. It was his Father working with him to provide this plan for all mankind so our inequity, our sin, would be forgiven. He became the ‘bridge’ between Heaven an Hell by laying down His life, willingly for us.
This began his very confusing, back and forth to several authorities as they tried to determine a crime. There was none! Yet when it was brought before the people, they were so blinded by the religious leaders, they said…crucify him! The religious leaders were pleased, the people were riotously happy, but Satan was ecstatic!
Jesus was on the way to a brutal death!
Good Friday? Yes, it was good for us! We now have a guarantee, paid in full debt that our elder brother Jesus paid for us. Yet just like the gift that sits under the tree at Christmas, it will do us no good if we don’t open it!
One of my favorite pithy statements is; ‘your body will never go where your mind has never been’. It is so important to think about situations we may find ourselves faced with in the near future. How will we respond? Will we crumble and betray Jesus? Will we run? Will we give in and join the crowd saying , ‘crucify him! Think about it.
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