Good Friday

Cyber Monday, Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Thanksgiving Thursday, Black Friday . . . 

We celebrate Good Friday after the fact but to most of the world, that day was not special and still isn’t. But for God, it may have been the worst day in eternity. 

Thousands of people had been crucified via the Roman Empire. Because most were criminals, even if you were innocent, most people believed the gods were against you to receive this fate. Somehow you were getting what you deserved. Everyone had become numb to this barbaric capital punishment believing society was ridding itself from the guilty. 

If you were the parent of a victim you may find the violent event repulsive but how much more so if your child had done no wrong? On this particular day the innocent Son of God was sacrificed and for the first time, the Father God separated Himself from His Son. His fury and violent power were flooded upon Him. 

When God flooded the earth and wiped out humanity it was a sad day. When God’s first children, Adam and Eve, betrayed Him it was a bad day. Yet, when He crushed His Son it was a day of the greatest sorrow and pain. That would have been the perfect time to cleanse creation again maybe this time with fire. If we are willing to brutalize and murder a perfect man, do we not all deserve annihilation?

God desires for us to celebrate that day as good because of the outstanding mercy He extended to us but at what price to Him? Billions of generations of sinless humans could never measure up to the impeccable Son of the living God. We didn’t ask Him to do this. We would not even know to think of such an exchange. In fact, when He presents the idea to us, most individuals don’t accept. We don’t care. We don’t respect. We don’t receive. 

Celebrate today…the best and worst day God experienced. He ripped His Son to shreds and we get Him and heaven in return. No one will ever love you like that. You must receive this free gift that was of great cost to God. He wants you to be able to be free of guilt, shame, and eternal death. So…receive it and be free. For what He has done for us is beyond good!