When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Jn 19:30
Why do you think today is called Good Friday?
Today we remember the death of Jesus. It is a solemn day, a sad day, a day of mourning. We remember the depths of the pain and agony that Jesus entered on the cross. We are dismayed at the capacity of humanity to hurt and betray one another. We are aghast at the treatment that was given to a man who did not deserve the abuse he received
Yet today is called Good Friday.
In Jesus God adopted our life in all of its brokenness so that we might be adopted into the life of God in all its fullness.
At Christmas, Jesus emptied himself (Philippians 2:7) and was born with our human nature and embraced the brokenness and weakness of human life. Yet the angels announced it as “good news of great joy.” (Luke 2:10) This was because Jesus was on a mission.
In the wilderness, Jesus was tempted like us yet the tempter went away defeated.
In his ministry, he did not run from the broken people of our world but embraced and transformed them.
He touched lepers and made them clean.
He saw the blind and gave them sight.
He gathered the hungry and fed them.
He spoke to the sick and healed them.
He looked on sinners and forgave them.
Yet, Jesus did not stop there. Today we remember that Jesus even chooses to meet us in the darkness of the human heart. He met torture. He met injustice. He met sin and death themselves.
He assumed our life in all of its brokenness and everything he assumed he healed.
We call it Good Friday because we know that when Jesus touches something he transforms it. We call it Good Friday because we know that since Jesus touched our sin and darkness and death – sin and darkness and death have been overcome.
Jesus shows us that God is greater than our weakness and that there is nothing in our world that can prevent the loving hands and heart of God from reaching out to us to make us whole.
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Question of the Day
What brokenness in your life is Jesus calling you to offer into his hands?
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