It was a good Friday. The sunset appeared and felt different. And I had this sense of calmness that I haven’t felt in days. I wouldn’t say that it was a good Friday two thousands years ago though. Our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. But I guess it was a good Friday for those who were shouting “Crucify Him, crucify Him…”, which we unconsciously shout too whenever we rebel and choose our own way instead of His way. Have mercy, O God. 

But besides the fact that the sunset appeared magical and the calmness I had, which are beautiful in of themselves, what makes Good Friday good? I will argue that the crucifixion made Good Friday good and Saturday was just a day full of uncertainty.

The Crucifixion

Throughout His ministry, Jesus had prepared His disciples for this day: the Crucifixion.

“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away” (John 16:1), few verses later, verse 4, Jesus says again, “ But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.”

Jesus was preparing the disciples for His soon-to-be departure. He didn’t want His disciples to be surprised and alarmed when His time came to be crucified. He didn’t want His disciples to fear anything when He was gone. Understandably, the disciples didn’t want Him to suffer as He did (Matthew 16:22), but Jesus knew that He had to be crucified for the salvation of the world.  In John 16:7 Jesus says, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you”.

The whole world’s future hanged on Jesus’ obedience.  

Jesus came to fulfill what we couldn’t accomplish on our own. R.T Kendal said it beautiful in The Sermon on the Mount:

“His mission was accomplished by substitution. Everything He ever did was done as our substitute. His Holy life became our sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30). By His life, faith and obedience, He did what is required of us- because He did it not for Himself but for us. He believed for us- with a perfect faith (John 3:34; Hebrews 2:13; Galatians 2:20). He was baptized for us- to fulfill righteousness (Matthew 3:15). His holy life became a sacrifice for us. His keeping the Law was keeping it for us. His perfection was our perfection, His righteousness was our righteousness, His obedience was our obedience. We are actually saved “through His life” (Romans 5:10). For His life was a constant, nonstop, perfect obedience from Day One.”

Isn’t this what the good news is all about, that His perfection becomes our perfection, that His righteousness becomes our righteousness, that His obedience becomes our obedience? All these because of His obedience unto death. “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” Philippians 2:8.

The crucifixion allowed us to be what we could never be by just obeying the Law: The righteousness of God.

Now what?

In the four gospels much is said about Friday and Sunday, and rightly so; but we don’t have much text about Saturday. What were the disciples feeling? What were they doing? Were they discouraged? Did they have the courage to wake up and go on with their day, or were their soul too overwhelmed to wake up and do anything like we sometimes feel?

I can’t help but think that there was a now what feeling between the disciples. Yes, the disciples were prepared for Friday, Jesus had told me that He was going away. But He didn’t say much about the day after Friday. So what do you do when you have crystal clear instructions of what God wants you to do, and then suddenly He becomes quiet, and you start questioning if you heard right?

Jesus had been doing ministry for three years and by His side were the disciples. All along, He was teaching them faith- faith in God. He taught the Word to them and lived the Word. This is the only man who ever perfectly lived what He preached. He told them that they had to take their cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23-27).

Jesus had told them that whoever follows Him will have everlasting life, but the problem now is that He was dead, and I can imagine there being an uncertainty between the disciples. 

But the thing is: With God, there is always more than what you see and feel.

You see, He had to die to show us that whatever we think is dead, can and will be resurrected.

He had to die to show us that He can do anything; He crumpled death.

He had to die to bring us closer to the Father.

He had to die so that whoever confesses the name of Jesus as His Lord, may have an eternal life.

He had to die so that we can have the Holy Spirit in us.

This is the Good News and I pray and I hope you receive it: whatever is dead in your life, can and will be resurrected all because of Jesus’ crucifixion and obedience.  

(Side note: today marks a year since I have been writing and I stand amazed by God’s grace. A year ago on this day, my good friend Sharon, whom I am eternally thankful for, challenged me to start writing because I had told her that I only write in my journal. I said yes to her challenge and my first writing was It’s Saturday and Sunday is comin’. I’m writing this just say this: God is mighty faithful!). May peace and joy be with you as we wait for His resurrection and as we believe that He will do whatever He says He will do.