Easter Together, Day 3- 'Friday, and why we call it Good'

Good Friday are the two words forming our name for the Friday of Holy Week, but as I asked people in the community to tell me why this was so, I received varied response. 

Here are a few:

Honest - TEENAGER AT EINSTEIN’S - HALF KIDDING, BUT NOT:  ‘It’s a ‘good’ Friday because we get the day off from school.’

Clueless - YOUNG PROFESSIONAL AT CAR SPA CAR WASH: ‘Aren’t all Friday’s good?’

Closer - NEIGHBOR: ‘I suppose because it is the Friday before Easter – and Easter is good.’

Right On– JUAN OF OUR CHURCH MAINTENANCE STAFF: ‘Pastor! Jesus was crucified on Friday, and that was sad – but for me it was very good.’ 

GotQuestions.org – a source for quick answers to everyday Bible questions writes:

‘What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was definitely not good (see Matthew chapters 26-27). However, the results of Christ’s death are very good! Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” First Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.” Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/Good-Friday.html

After Jesus institutes the LORD’S Supper on Thursday evening (Mark 14: Matthew 26: Luke 22), A.T. Robertson in his Harmony of the Gospels, turns to the chronology set forth in the Gospel of John - by placing that Christ shared two great discourses with His disciples (John 14-16). The first he places as occurring while still in the Upper Room (Jn.14), and the second while 'on the way' - perhaps while crossing the Kidron valley/stream and coming to the foot of the Mount of Olives – or, as Robertson has it, ‘perhaps on the street’ as they walk. (Jn.15-16). 

Robertson next records Christ’s Great Intercessory Prayer for us (John 17), and surmises that this occurs near Gethsemane. Then, John's gospel follows in chapter 18 v.1, with Jesus entering ‘a garden’ for prayer.  In all of this, John becomes our singular source in his chapters 14-17 for Jesus’ shared words from the Upper Room to the ‘Garden of Gethsemane’.  Matthew and Mark simply recite that ‘after they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives and came into a place which was named Gethsemane (Mark 14:26; Matthew 26:30).  And Luke tells us only that they ‘came out’ and went as was His custom to the Mount of Olives, and when He was ‘at the place’ He asked His disciples to pray before he moved from them ‘about a stone’s throw’ and knelt and prayed himself.  (Luke 22: 39ff)

Turning now to the activities of Gethsemane and beyond, it is assumed that throughout the late night and into early morning Jesus prays. Then, sometime before dawn on Friday, He is arrested and brought before the ex High Priest, Annas, first - then the High Priest, Caiphas himself.  As dawn arises or likely before, Peter denies Jesus 3 times outside the High Priest’s home and Sanhedrin 'trial'. Following this, after being condemned by the Sanhedrin, Christ moves through a series of Roman authority trials (Herod Antipas, and Pilate twice).  On this same Friday, Judas repents of his deed and returns the 30 pieces of silver to say, ‘I have sinned in that I betrayed 1innocent blood’ then ‘goes out and hangs himself.’ (Matthew 27: 3-5) And on this Friday - early in the morning - Jesus is mocked by the soldiers, and before 9:00 am arrives He is walking to Golgotha, carrying His cross. 

For the first three hours Jesus hangs on the cross (9:00 am – Noon) our gospels record Him saying, ‘Father forgive them’ – “And I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise’ – and to His mother, “woman, behold your son’ (indicating John and Jesus’ appointment for her care)

In the next three hours (Noon till 3:00 pm), as darkness covers the sky, the gospels record four more sayings of Christ – ‘Eloi, Eloi, la ma sabachthani which interpreted, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me’ –‘I thirst’ – ‘ It is finished’ – and “Father, into your hand I commit my spirit.’ 

On this Friday, as Jesus breathes His last, the Temple veil is torn from top to bottom – signifying the wall of partition separating God from man is now gone.  And on this Friday, before 6:00 pm, Jesus is taken down from the cross and laid in Joseph of Arimethea's tomb. Death had come, our sin sacrifice is complete and our penalty is paid in full. 

Yes, on this Friday, as Juan said, it was a 'sad day' for us who love Jesus because we know it was a day of great suffering and agony.  But, praise be to God, by His death we are forgiven, by His stripes we are healed and by His sacrifice we may cry – ‘Oh my God, thank you’, for this is our Good Friday, indeed!

 

Pastor Sam