Good Friday?!?!

growing up in a christian context, Good Friday is not a strange term to me. it has been a part of my life every year for as long as i can remember. but you might ask, "then why the question marks?" well, just because something is common and familiar doesn't mean that it shouldn't be evaluated and thought through deeply.
so the last few years i have sought to think through Easter and the events surrounding it through the eyes of the unbeliever. and Good Friday is such a strange term for what actually happened that day 2,000 years ago. what is possibly good about the death of an innocent man? what is good about the beatings and mocking he endured? what is good about his journey to Golgotha carrying his own beam that he would be nailed to once he arrived on that hill? there isn't much good to see when you just look at the events of Good Friday! it all seems dark and grim and hopeless.

Luke 23:44-49

^"44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,⁴⁵ while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶ Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. ⁴⁷ Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” ⁴⁸ And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. ⁴⁹ And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things."

BUT GOD...
i feel like that phrase should come next! whenever i see that phrase in scripture i hang on to my seat to see what God is going to do next! and what God does next here is just incredible!

Luke 24:1-12

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. ² And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³ but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. ⁵ And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷ that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” ⁸ And they remembered his words, ⁹ and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰ Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, ¹¹ but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ¹² But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened."

God raised Jesus from the dead! now that just doesn't happen! but He did to show that the payment for the sin of the world was acceptable to God. and Jesus had to die on Good Friday so that he could be raised to life 3 days later! only in the light of Easter are the events of Good Friday truly GOOD! through our reliance and faith in Jesus Christ we can come near to God because Jesus took away our sins on that cross 2,000 years ago. now THAT is good news!
as you celebrate this Easter weekend, find hope in this Good Friday if you are a new creature in Christ Jesus. and if you are not, lay your life and desires down before the cross that you may truly know the hope that Easter morning brings!

Isaiah 53:4-6,11

 ^"4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

¹¹ Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities."