What's So Good About Good Friday?

What's so good about Good Friday? I found myself - asking myself - that very question. After all, this was the day Christ died...the day the Church commemorates the death of Christ on the cross...the day Jesus:

...was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. (Is. 53:3)

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed. (Is. 53:5)

But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him. (Is. 53:6b)

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth. (Is. 53:7)

Something about that just doesn't seem right. Where's the "good?" He was a king...no, He was THE KING. He was the exact representation of God here on earth, and yet instead of treating Him the way He deserved, we spat on Him and sold His clothing for money. The God of Heaven sent His Son to us, and we thought of Him as stricken, cursed of God. Christ left everything that was His for us...His home, His glory, His Father's presence, His wealth, His power, His riches, His esteem...He left it all and came here as a baby...to die for us.

I ask you, what's so good about that? What's so good about Jesus dying an excruciatingly painful death on a gnarled, old tree?

Well, it didn't take long to figure out the answer. For you see, after careful consideration of the death of Christ, I decided that I couldn't call it anything but good. It wasn't a tragedy or even a mistake. It was a Divine appointment...an end AND beginning to a beautiful plan. Good Friday is good, simply because:

...without the death of Christ, there would be no resurrection;
...without the resurrection, there would be no new birth;
...without a new birth, there would be no home in heaven with God;
...without a home in heaven with God, there would be no hope.

May we celebrate this day, God, with reverence and awe as we reflect on Your goodness for providing a way for us to come to You...for You to become our Father. Thank You, Jesus for the price You paid on that cross. Thank You for being so strong...for leaving all that was good and right to come here, to make the world good and right. Praise You, Jesus. Praise You!