Day 6

GOOD FRIDAY:
Jesus’ Death Brings Life to All

READING:
Mark 14:32-15:47

Why is Good Friday referred to as “good”?

What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was definitely not good; however, the results of Christ’s death are very good!

• Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

• 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.”

The crucifixion was a brutal form of execution initiated by the Romans to intimidate and humiliate the nations they occupied. Criminals were hung on crosses, which were then lined along highways leading into the cities (in this case Jerusalem). But as only Jesus could accomplish, this unbridled evil hostility was emptied of its power and replaced by the victory that Christ won through the Cross. In reality, what was intended to disgrace Jesus boomeranged on hell itself which was crushed by the victory of the Cross (Col 2:14-15).

The cross you wear as jewelry or other decorations symbolizes freedom and victory. If it were merely a reflection of an ancient form of capital punishment, then you might as well wear an electric chair. No, the beauty of the “Cross” is found in the triumph of the Savior.

“Good Friday” is our Independence Day. It is the day our freedom from oppression and the curse of the enemy was established! Only the Savior could accomplish such a victory.