Looking Farther Forward

"looking forward to these things"

2 Peter 3:14

Funny thing.... I wrote the other day about anticipation.  About the fun of looking forward excitedly to something ~ in this case, seeing a movie for the first time.

That was Thursday when I wrote that.

But then I woke up, and it was Friday.  Imagine that.

But more than that, Good Friday.  And I was looking forward.

When I was a child, I could never understand why it was called "Good Friday".  I knew what had happened on that day, and it wasn't good.  It was bad and sad and wrong.

But of course, it's called Good Friday for a reason.  Actually, two reasons.

The first is what was accomplished on this day.  Jesus' death on the cross was for us.  His sacrifice, for our sins, offers us salvation. 

"He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead in sin, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes we were healed" ~ 1 Peter 2:24

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" ~ Romans 6:23

Good Friday is good, when compared to what came before... to what we were before.

The second reason that Good Friday is good, is because it didn't end there.  Good Friday is good, because of looking forward.

A friend of mine reminded me recently of a poem I first heard a few years ago.  I don't know the whole thing, but there's a verse that goes something like this:

       It's Friday
       Jesus is buried
       A soldier stands guard
       And a rock is rolled into place

       But it's Friday
       It is only Friday
       Sunday is a comin'!

It's catchy, but more than that, it's about looking forward.  It's about hope.  And hope is the difference between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  We know what no one knew on that first, very bad Good Friday.  And now, every Good Friday, I'm thinking about Easter.

As believers in Christ, we have a hope that non-believers will never know.  We have a hope that is the difference between despair and rejoicing, even in the midst of the trial.  We have the knowledge that He works all things in our lives, for good.  And we have the promise that He will return.

~ "And on the third day 

He will rise again" ~

Luke 18:33

~

Good. And Better.

"even the death on the cross"

Philippians 2:8

I'm thinking about Jesus today.  Which is appropriate, because I'm writing this on Good Friday. 

When I was young, I couldn't understand why this day was called "good".  Jesus dying on the cross was not good.  It was sad, and unfair, and mean.  He was abandoned and abused.  And killed. 

And yes, I understood that the phrase meant it was good for me.  And you.  That His death on the cross was for our sins, and our salvation. 

But that, to me, was the Easter Sunday conversation, not the Good Friday conversation.  Easter Sunday is the beauty of new life.  It is light and color and joy.   Good Friday is blood and nails and thorns and death. 

But the fact is, you can't have one without the other.  There's no rainbow without rain.  No birth without labor.  His resurrection from the dead could not have happened if He had not died. 

His death and resurrection 

are who He is....

His death on the cross ~ His love;

His resurrection from the dead ~ His power. 

~ "He humbled Himself and became obedient 

to the point of death, 

even the death on the cross" ~

Philippians 2:8