Good Friday

Think about it. We call this Good Friday. It was not so good back on the day they crucified Jesus. They beat Him. Spit on Him. Mocked Him. Scourged Him. Made Him drag His cross partially to Golgotha before His strength gave out. They shoved a crown of thorns into his head. They topped all of that off with crucifying Jesus.

Think about it. Creatures executing their Creator. Slaves killing their Master. Peasants murdering the King of Kings. Sinners crucifying the Savior. For the first time Jesus felt the sting of sin as the sewage of humanity got transferred onto Him. Rightly did the day turn black in the middle of the afternoon. Rightly did the Father turn away at the repulsiveness of that sin and Jesus cried  out, "Why have You forsaken Me?"

That Friday was a gruesome day. A horrid day. A sad day as His mother watched. A terrifying day as the disciples went into hiding. An agonizing day for Jesus. A brutal days for His followers to have to witness. A hopeless day. A terrible day.

The only good that came is what Jesus died for; to forgive and redeem sinners. Millions have stood in need of that salvation so savagely purchased so many years ago. His torture meant our deliverance. His death meant our life. His willingness to take on our sin penalty meant our pardon.

Jesus suffered all the bad. We received all the good. On this day, I'm thankful for a courageous, obedient, humble, fearless and faithful Lord who took your place and my place on that cross. We are not deserving. Perfection died for imperfection. There is nothing we can do to earn what Jesus did for us. We will forever be in debt. His sacrifice through suffering means our reward through faith. Salvation! I wanted to write hallelujah next, but somehow that seemed trite. The somber weight of the good we received in comparison with the bad He endured is humbling and sobering.

On this Good Friday, I reflect on my Savior's sacrifice. I meditate on the price He paid. I sit silently reminded of how undeserving I am and yet how loved I am. A good reflection on this Good Friday.

Romans 5:7-9 (NASB)
⁷  For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
⁸  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
⁹  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.