April 15, 2022

Adam's Blog: A Good Friday

Good Friday is a big part of the Easter story, to be sure. It’s the day Jesus was crucified on a cross, and we can read in detail the words that were uttered and the pain he endured. I encourage you, right now, to go read Luke 23 in the Bible. As you do, put yourself in the place of those followers of Jesus. How would you have felt that "good Friday?" It would likely have been a devastating day. The day ends with hope being extinguished. In this one chapter of the Bible events on what we call "Good Friday" that seem anything but "good."
 
And then, nothing. Just the darkness that comes from love being lost.
 
I've always found it interesting that there isn’t a whole lot in Scripture about Saturday. Some of the women who followed Jesus were in the process of preparing Him for burial but ran out of time. Luke 23:56 says, “Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.” So, they did what was required of them. They obeyed the law. That’s about the extent of what the Bible says they did on Saturday.
 
Can you imagine what Saturday was like for those close to Jesus? See, they had just watched their friend be brutally murdered. Another of their friends had betrayed them. They had scattered when Jesus was arrested. They were sad and frustrated. They were scared of what might be coming next. They didn’t understand what was happening. It was a time of grief and shock. They didn’t know that Sunday, and all that came with it, was coming.
 
I’ve had some Saturday moments in my life. Have you? Days I’m sad and frustrated. Days I don’t understand what is happening. Days where I feel like Saturday will stay forever.
 
But Sunday always comes.
 
This weekend, we have the opportunity to celebrate this three-day story and the joy and peace, and hope that comes with Sunday. Hope to see you soon to celebrate this hope together, in person or online!
 
Whatever it takes,
 
Adam