Thoughts Along The Journey

I’ve often wondered why, in the liturgical calendar of the church, we call this day, “Good Friday”.  Surf the net and you’ll fall on a host of responses.  Certainly, we know from Scriptures that it is at time to remember Christ’s betrayal and crucifixion (Mark 14:32-15:41).  But why call it “good”?

Some say that the term is derived from an older meaning of the word ‘good’ which meant ‘holy or set apart.’  With that in mind, the day was one that stood out from others and which called for us to stop and consider the deeper implications of the events of that day. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is not longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and delivered Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

Others say that the term, ‘Good Friday’, may be derived from ‘God’s Friday’ in the same way that good-bye is derived from ‘God be with you’.  Whether this is etymologically true or not, I found this thought added a new dimension to my reflection on this day. As I wrote yesterday, all the effort expended for our salvation then comes from God. This is His day. This is His work. This is His act of love and justice to bring us back into relationship with Him.

Oh yes, this day is ‘good’ because on this day, God the Son offered Himself for us as a holy and acceptable sacrifice.  However, this day is, in every way, God’s day. In our helpless state, and at the right time, God the Son “died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6)

Since it is His day, may I offer a ‘sacrifice of praise’ today that is worthy of Him.

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Charles Spurgeon once preached: “If ever there should come a wretched day when all our pulpits shall be full of modern thought, and the old doctrine of substitutionary sacrifice shall be exploded, then will there remain no word of comfort for the guilty or hope for the despairing.  Hushed will be for
ever those silver notes which now console the living, and cheer the dying; a dumb spirit will possess this sullen world, and no voice of joy will break the
blank silence of people.”

I like that phrase, ‘substitutionary sacrifice.’  In many ways, it attacks my pride which would want to say that I have something to bring to God, something to offer in exchange for my wrongdoings. I ultimately have nothing to offer, nothing but my heart cry for His mercy and grace.  I need a substitute.  I need someone to stand in my place.  I need Jesus.

“But he, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.”  (Hebrews 10:12)

I have wondered, though lately if that is the message I am ultimately sharing with others.  Or am I offering them another ‘substitute’ such as program, a study guide, a structure for their life, or even me as a friend and spiritual mentor?  I should be pointing people back to Jesus, back to the cross as the only substitute that they need, as their only source of comfort and hope.

Jesus went alone to the cross … for me.  I need to figure out how to share that in new ways with those around me.

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May this thought help us “set the scene” in our hearts and minds for this week as we remember the death of our Lord and celebrate His resurrection:

“This understanding of the cross of Christ stands at the very heart of the gospel.  There is a captivating beauty in the sacrificial love of a God who gave himself for his people.  It is this that first draws many believers to the Lord Jesus Christ, and this that will draw us to him when he returns on the last day to vindicate his name and welcome his people into his eternal kingdom.  That the Lord Jesus Christ died for us – a shameful death, bearing our curse, enduring our pain, suffering the wrath of his own Father in our place – has been the wellspring of the hope of countless Christians throughout the ages.”

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