What’s So Good About Good Friday?
“And they crucified Him, and parted His garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture did they cast lots,” Matthew 27:35
Jesus had just suffered through a “kangaroo court trial”, which, according to Mr. Webster, is “an unauthorized, irregular court, usually disregarding normal legal procedures” so named because its justice, or lack thereof, proceeds by leaps and bounds. He had now been mercilessly nailed to a cross, lifted up, and dropped into a prepared hole in the ground with a thud. I can’t imagine how much that hurt Jesus physically not to mention mentally that people could be so cruel to treat anyone that way, especially One who was completely innocent. Pilate ordered some of the men to put a sign over His head, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Some of the Jews objected to the sign, insisting that Pilate change it to I AM KING OF THE JEWS, but he refused. Perhaps he was retaliating against the Jews for putting him in the position that they did. Pilate was not a believer in Jesus Christ, but he either intentionally or unintentionally honored Christ in proclaiming Jesus’ true identity.
In Psalm 22:18, written by King David 1,000 years before Jesus’ crucifixion, the gambling for Jesus’ garments was foretold. Most artists’ renditions of Jesus hanging on the cross show Him wearing a loin cloth over His private parts, but in reality, He likely hung without any covering at all. Not only did He suffer pain and agony, He was also humiliated before all those who came to watch the crucifixion. In addition, they placed Jesus between two thieves, “numbered with the transgressors” as Isaiah foretold in Isaiah 53:12. We know that one of them acknowledged his sinful condition before Jesus and asked to be remembered when Jesus entered heaven. Jesus said to him, “Verily, I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with Me in paradise”..
As people watched Jesus suffer, they mocked Him and dared Him to come down from the cross since He claimed to be the Son of God. Jesus made seven utterances from the cross. The first one is found in Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” What love Jesus had for those who hated Him. The second is found in John 19:26-27: “Woman, behold thy Son. Behold thy mother.” Jesus gave John the privilege of caring for His mother. I cannot imagine how difficult it was for Jesus’ mother to see her firstborn Son suffering so horribly and could do nothing to stop it. Thirdly, in Luke 23:43 was the statement that Jesus made to the repentant thief stated in the prior paragraph. The fourth utterance is found in Mark 15:34 and Matthew 27:46: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” This statement has been one to cause controversy among Bible scholars. Some believe that God could have never turned His back upon His Son even temporarily. All people who do not receive Christ and His atonement as payment for their sin will spend eternity separated from God. I believe that it was necessary for Jesus to be temporarily separated from His Father in order to experience the most extreme penalty that unbelievers will experience–eternal separation from Almighty God. In this way, Jesus paid the complete penalty for man’s sin.
In John 19:28, Jesus stated, “I thirst”. He was given some vinegar, and then He said, “It is finished”, found in John 19:30. The last thing that Jesus said was, “Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit”, found in Luke 23:46. Jesus had lived an exemplary life on earth, had performed miracles, taught truths to His disciples and the multitudes, had discussions with the religious leaders who did not believe that He was the Messiah, made close friends, and had a mother, brothers, and sisters (Matthew 13:55) who loved Him and whom He loved very much. I think that Jesus enjoyed His life on earth even though He experienced much prejudice from the religious leaders who were fearful of losing their positions. He enjoyed traveling with His disciples, teaching them, and preparing them to spread the gospel when He was gone. It wasn’t just the pain and anguish that He experienced, but it was also having to leave all those whom he treasured as friends and relatives which likely weighed heavily on His mind.
Even for all the reasons that He could have stayed on earth, He knew that His mission to pay the penalty for man’s sin was the only way whereby men and women, boys and girls, could be forgiven and have eternal life. Don’t you think that if there had been some other way for God to be reconciled to His creation, Jesus would not have had to suffer and die? However, it took a sinless sacrifice to satisfy God’s requirement for salvation. Jesus didn’t die on the cross to please us; He died to please His Father. He “humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). What’s so good about “Good Friday”? It was bad because Jesus had to suffer so, but it was good because He did. Otherwise we would be eternally lost without hope.