"Good" Friday?

It's Good Friday. Have you ever thought about that title before. "Good" Friday. What's so good about it? A man, Jesus, was arrested, beaten and hung on a cross to die. He sacrificed physically-his life was taken. He sacrificed emotionally- he was stripped and put on display for Jerusalem to see. He sacrificed spiritually- he was separated from God. Meaning God's presence was absent from Him. And we call this "Good" Friday? Not for Jesus. He even knew how bad it was going to be for Him. He prayed in the garden to have the cup (of wrath) to be lifted from Him. Followed by a promise to fulfill God's will.

Was it a "Good" Friday for God? Think about it. He watched his only Son die an agonizing death and was separated from him as he payed our penalty of sin. And we call this "Good" Friday? Not for God the Father.

Here are some others that may not categorize it as "Good" Friday. How about Mary, the mother of Jesus? "Good?" How about Jesus' friends? "Good?" How about the disciples? "Good?" I do not think it was a "Good" Friday for any of them.

Sometimes I wonder if calling it "Good" Friday is selfish on our part. The reason it is a "Good" Friday is because it is a day for us to remember when our penalty of sin was paid. It is "Good," for us, because His death is what allows us to have eternal life. Calling it "Good" Friday is like the prayer I heard a woman pray one time. We were praying for someone who had a terminal disease. The woman's prayer was, "God, thank you that none of us have what she has." What a selfish prayer. Someone Else's pain reminds you of how lucky you are.

The Friday before Easter is "good" because it reminds us how important we are to God. It reminds us of how much he loves us. It reminds us that if we believe in Jesus, we will never be separated from God's presence.

But in what makes this Friday "good," we should never forget the sacrifice that was made on our behalf to make it "good."

On this Friday ask your self this question, "What can you sacrifice to bring goodness to the world around you?"