What Makes Good Friday 'Good'?

The most frequently asked question on Good Friday: What makes Good Friday 'good', if it's the day Jesus is crucified?

Hmmmmm. Let's see: That Jesus is faithful in the face of tremendous opposition; That Jesus' faithfulness is what truly makes Him the unblemished Lamb of God; That Jesus understands death is not the final victor; That Jesus so trusts His life in the Hands of God that even death cannot separate Him from God's Love; That God, in Jesus' faithfulness, conquers death and opens the tomb that we might have hope; That Jesus' blood of faithfulness, much like the blood of the unblemished lambs of that first Passover, is that which covers our life and brings us through the valley in hope; That the Jesus' body, though badly beaten and given unto death for His unyielding faithfulness to God, cannot be held imprisoned by mortal means; That Jesus, in His love of God and all of humankind, will not let those who follow Him alone on the journey; That we are recipients of a grace-filled life of prayer summarized in the Gospel of Luke's recording from the cross, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."; That, bottom line, Rome (and by extension, no other human government or religious institution in the world) can lay claim to or have power over life itself, no matter how much obeisance they may require of those they rule; and, That God has the final authority over life, declaring a definitive 'Yes!' to life everlasting through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What makes Good Friday 'good' has nothing to do with what humanity does, but has everything to do with what God is actively doing through Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit that all people might know the fullness of life in God's Love. What makes Good Friday 'good' is that Jesus shows us the way home in faithfulness, that death in this world has no power over us. What makes Good Friday 'good' is God. All else is superfluous.

Others may give the goodness of Good Friday finer language and be able to cite chapter and verse in defense of their stance, but when I am asked all I can offer is my faith . . . and to be found in Jesus is all that I can hope on Good Friday. That is what makes Good Friday 'good' for me.

Have a blessed journey with Jesus on this Good Friday