Anguish

Good Friday is an awful yet wonderful day.  Our sins, our failures, our longing for healing are met by love evidenced in God’s Son willingly dying this Day for a purpose! 

“Good Friday?”   It was a day of treachery, cruelty, cowardice, and bloodshed.  Judas sold the Man with whom he had walked, talked, and shared life -  Jesus - for just 30 pieces silver.  Hardened soldiers took sadistic pleasure tormenting Jesus.  Pilate expediently condemned Him to execution!  His death was beyond horrible as He hung on a Roman cross:  naked, beaten, alone. Yet, we all it  good? 

His humiliation and death was the ultimate identification with humanity, broken by sin.  "He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross." (Philippians 2:7-8, NLT) Good Friday was allowed by His Father in heaven to finish the work of saving the world from sin.  Easter’s joy would not exist without Friday’s darkness.

Jesus stands alongside of us. He does not gaze down on us with pity, nor does He stand apart from us, pointing in judgment. He stands with us- the Sinless One becoming sin for us!  With His obedience to suffering for the mysterious purpose of God, He invites us to renewal, to hope, to holiness, to a noble life of purpose. It is true!

If stupidity,  selfishness, or just plain old human choices have brought the world crashing down ‘round your head, He knows the depth and will lift you up.
If the cruelty of another has broken you, seeming to steal your life, He can restore.
If the evil of this world has come to crush you, He can rescue you and empower you.

Will you invite Christ Jesus, the suffering Savior, to come and stand with you?

Will you pray for faith so that you will stand steady while you wait for the fullness of His salvation?

There is another choice.  You can join those who hated Him.  It is not likely we would abuse Him but if we treat His love with apathy, that too is a form of hatred.

Those who choose that road, deepen the darkness of evil. They become part of the evil conspiracy to steal hope.  They feel the desperation of despair seeking relief in ever more sin.

The Scripture paints this grim picture of sin’s ‘progress’ if Christ is rejected. "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen." (Romans 1:21-25, NIV)

“But God,” the Bible says. “But God, who is rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2.4) stepped in. Jesus came to us, God in flesh. He walked with us. He died for us. He rose to lead us to life.  Resurrection Sunday will come but let’s not rush past Good Friday. That dark day has its purpose.  Remember, and live! 

Make this word from the Word a thought for this day. "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven." (Colossians 1:19-23, NIV)  Oh, What  A Savior!

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(Video of this blog at this link)

Alas and did my Savior bleed

And did my Sov'reign die

Would He devote that sacred head

For sinners such as I

 

At the cross at the cross where

I first saw the light

And the burden of my heart rolled away

It was there by faith I received my sight

And now I am happy all the day

 

Was it for crimes that I had done

He groaned upon the tree

Amazing pity grace unknown

And love beyond degree

 

- Isaac Watts