Today we observe Good Friday. The name deceives us and I fear robs us the reality of a day like today. Yes, something very good historically happened today: Jesus Christ died for all people. But for the people present that day, I doubt they saw any good. I'd say the rioting mob was frightening when they demanded Jesus be executed, inviting a curse upon themselves saying His blood would be on them and their children. There was the scourging and brutal beating, the kind of violence that would make men and women alike weep. The parading of a broken man, suffering under the weight of a cross that he would ultimately die on, the bystanders hitting and spitting on Christ the entire way, and of course the execution itself. The Bible says there was darkness over the land for 3 hours, darkness in the middle of the day! For the disciples, the Jews, and the Romans alike, something deeply disturbing happened and the day was anything but good.
Easter eggs and pastel outfits have robbed this weekend of its power in my own life as I feel I have no true sense of the reality of this event. It is my hope that today Christians and non-Christians alike experience the despair of Christ's execution so that Easter Sunday will be a time of celebration like never before. I want us to know how the disciples felt. I want Easter to be our greatest hope in our greatest time of despair when Jesus Christ rises from the dead! May the glory of God be seen as never before this Easter. Many blessings and the hope of our Lord be with you all!
