Day 5: Why is Good Friday, good?
Experiencing the Upper Room - A Good Friday Devotional Series
Rest.
Silence your mind, savor whatever you are drinking, and speak to your Dad. Invite him in.
Read.
Bedtime stories with my seven-year-old, Camden, brought about a sweet conversation I will treasure always. We were reading about Jesus dying on the cross. As any inquisitive kiddo, he was filled with questions. His curiosity both stretched me and blessed me.
After a myriad of questions about wood, nails, and why, he just said, “I wish Jesus was made of metal so nothing could have gone through him, not even a bulldozer.”
When reading about the moments leading to the cross, I am often tempted to step back. To step away from the vivid pain of the crucifixion, in a kid’s-bible-version-kind-of-way.
But really I, we, should step in. Step in to see the sights. Step in to feel the persecution. Step in to hear the crowds. Allowing our minds, hearts, and bodies to relate with our Savior.
Paul says it this way in the book of Philippians, “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”
When we suffer with Christ, our Savior’s sacrifice is not minimized but maximized. And then again, so is the resurrection. So with courage let’s step in to a small portion of his suffering.
I’m not sure what part you’d pick, but an extremely painful passage for me to read is found in Matthew 23. To set the scene, Jesus had been crucified at about 9am and it was light out. But at noon a supernatural darkness fell over the land, as if God had to hide his righteous face from his sin-covered son.
Then we read in verse 46, “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (Which means “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”).
And with that, my heart is broken in two. There is something extremely painful knowing that there was silence between the Father and the son, on my behalf.
Moments later we see Jesus cry out again and give up his spirit.
This might seem a bit cavalier but do you recall that Kellogg’s commercial that asks, “What will you gain when you loose?” I can’t help but think that Jesus gave up so much. So much. And what did he really gain?
Jesus gave up his spirit to gain each one of us.
What love.
What sacrifice.
What forgiveness.
What grace.
So if you wonder why this Friday is called good. Well, now I hope you can see. It is good because it is the day that the God who has been pursuing us, purchased us. It is good because it is the day that gave God his plan to gain back his family. It is good because our God is greater and our God is stronger than any grave that would try to hold him.
He gave up his spirit so he could gain you and me despite all our faults and failures and welcome us into the family of God. That is one good Friday.
Sure I wish that Jesus was made of metal and that nothing went through him. But because it did you and I got to him.
Praise Jesus!
Reflect.
Journal why this good Friday is good for you.
Respond.
Dear Jesus, you are good and you are great. We worship you! Exalt you! Give you praise! We thank you! We worship you as our King and Savior. May your kingdom come in our lives this Easter weekend. We love you. Your kids, who really do wish you could have been made of metal.
I invite you to respond in worship with Waymaker by Leeland. If reading this as an email, to view the video, you might need to click to the “view email in browser.”
A Message from Erin
I truly hope and pray that through the messy moments leading to the cross, the message and mandate of Christ was awakened in your mind and your hearts awakened to his love for you. Would you share how God met you throughout this series, Experiencing the Upper Room? Stop by, Say Hello and let me know!