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Why is
Good Friday called good? It seems wrong the day our Savoir suffered a
horrible death at the hands of betrayal and cruelty could ever be called good! Some
countries call it Suffering Friday, or Long Friday. Apparently it’s only called Good Friday in
English. For me it’s good, as I believe
Jesus took my place on the cross that day, to pay for my sin. And he rose from
the dead three days later, on Easter, assuring me of eternal life with
God.
I wonder
though, what Good Friday means to God? Thinking about that challenges me to
understand and know him more.
In the
past several years I have been struck by the deep desire God has to love the
people he created. It’s staggering to
think that the God Almighty who exists in Three Persons, needs and wants other
beings to love. The Bible teaches that
Adam and Eve, the first created people, were allowed to dwell with God in the
Garden of Eden. This is remarkable,
because God is Holy, and described as a Consuming Fire, who generates so much
light and glory that to be in his presence means death. But Adam and Eve dwelt in a peaceful
relationship with him, without dying. They were given everything with only one
“do-not” command. Just one rule -- just
one tree God said they couldn’t touch or eat from. It seems like such a small test of love, but
Satan told them if they ate from it they would be like God.
So they
ate and ruined it for all of us. One
tree, one command, one choice, and they chose themselves over God. So selfish.
So human.
The
wonderful gift they had of dwelling safely and unhindered in the presence of a
Holy God was lost. Holy God couldn’t
dwell with unholy people, so they were expelled from his presence and condemned
to death for their betrayal.
It’s not
recorded how God felt about losing
them. But he must have been devastated
because he devised a plan to get them, and all of us, back. He still
longed to love and be loved back. Even
after such rejection.
God’s
plan unfolded for 2,000 years and landed on Good Friday. A day that shows just how deep his longing
for us goes, and how far he would go to get us back. A day of brutal death that is good because of what it means to God
himself, as well as the people he so longs to dwell with. Jesus’ death meant that instantaniously the
wall between God and the people he lost was torn down. God, himself, dying in our place. An ingenious and eternal way to bring us back
to life with him, without judgment. A
way to bring us back into his waiting arms.
So unselfish and forgiving. So
Divine. Good Friday must be a very
precious day to Him of terrible loss, but ecstatic gain of loving and being
loved.
And so, dear brothers, now we may
walk right into the very Holy of Holies, where God is [waiting for us], because
of the blood of Jesus. This is the fresh, new, life-giving way
that Christ has opened up for us by tearing the curtain—his human body—to let
us into the holy presence of God [who loves and adores us]. ~ Hebrews
10:20 (LB)
What a privilege to be able to walk into God's presence - and He's waiting for us! Iva, that was a beautiful reminder that I should never take for granted (yet I tend to).
ReplyDeleteI especially loved how you phrased it, "An ingenious and eternal way to bring us back to life with him, without judgment. A way to bring us back into his waiting arms. So unselfish and forgiving. So Divine."
Thank you.