by Pastor Anthony Pranno
Every year we contemplate the events that surround the crucifixion of Jesus… and every year we’re left wondering, “What is good about Good Friday?” The betrayal, the mock trials, the crown of thorns, the torture and execution of Jesus represent the exact opposite of good. But the results of Jesus’ death on the cross are very, very good. God’s love is demonstrated to us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Jesus died for our sins, once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus, because of the utter joy set before him, endured the cross and scorned its shame. Why? So that we would not grow weary or lose heart (Hebrews 12:2-3).
If the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the paramount event in a Christians’s faith, then we have to have death first. Friday is good… insofar as it leads us to Sunday.