Look Forward, In Hope
Why Is The Friday Before Easter Sunday Referred To As Good?
My answer to this question is a “bitter ~ sweet” one. I remember when my ‘birth’ Mother died. She was 42 years old, and I was 22. She had struggled with cancer for three years. I remember the day before she died, I looked at her and said, ”if I could take your place, I would”. She in turn said to me, “I would not let you do that”. And she told me that she was ready to die. I knew that she was very tired and in much pain. It was really difficult to hear her say this, but I had no wish to watch her suffer physically any longer. The bitter taste was that I would have my mother no longer, and she would never see her 3 year old Grand-daughter (Kim-my daughter) grow up. I remember the first thing she said, just after she was told she had cancer, was “I won’t get to see Kim grow up”. My goodness, it’s been 33 years since she died and I can’t hardly type this through the tears. There is still that bitter taste, I guess. But the sweet taste is that the moment she died, there was no more suffering and I had that hope of Paradise and to be reunited with her. The funny thing was, that I had not given my life to Jesus yet, but I remember still having that hope…that this life was not the end. And, the Lord saw fit to give me second Mother, whom I love very much.
I also lost my Father 3 1/2 years ago to cancer. I have to tell you, there was a much bitter taste to this moment in my life. Not because I loved my ‘Daddy’ more than my Mother, but I had many more years with him to build a relationship. And, I was young when my Mother died. Not only did my Father suffer physically, but he anguished over certain areas of his life. It was extremely difficult for me to watch him suffer physically and emotionally. I had never seen my ‘Daddy’ so frail and weak, literally. It was a very bitter taste. I remember saying to him, the same thing I said to my Mother…”I would take your place if I could”. I knew the day my sister and I left to travel back to our homes (230 miles away), after spending his birthday with him, I would not see him alive again. But, as with my Mother, I had no wish to watch him suffer any longer. Again, the sweet taste was that hope of Paradise and no more suffering.
Today, this day we call ‘Good Friday’, is a “bitter ~ sweet” day. The bitter taste is the horrible, tremendous torture that My Lord suffered…He bore my sins in agony on the cross. His blood was spilled for me. It had to be that way. He did, in fact, take my place! I (nor anyone else) could not graphically explain how horrible the torture of my sins were for Jesus…I can’t even imagine it. Bitter taste? You bet? Do I weep when I think about it? Yes! Should today be called ‘Black Friday’ (not the shopping day after Thanksgiving)? Maybe! Would Mary and the Disciples have called that day a ‘Good Friday’? Absolutely not! Remember, the Scripture says that they did not yet fully understand……But, We Do Understand!
Today is ‘Good Friday’ because of the sweet reason that “God sent His Son”, to pay the price for me and for you. I know that Jesus is Alive ~ And I have the hope of Paradise! Without His death, there would not be that hope. The results of that Friday so long ago, is the reason we call it ‘Good Friday’. So Bitter ~ Yet So Sweet!
As ’Christians, we should always be looking forward. The only reason we should look to the past, is to praise God for what He has done for us….to say thanks for pulling us out of those pits we were in. Today, I choose to look forward to Easter Sunday…that sweet day that we focus on the results, of what happened on this day, we call ‘Good Friday’!
Tomorrow….Easter ~ E is for……
This entry was posted on Friday, April 2nd, 2010 at 10:17 pm and is filed under Bible Studies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
