“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 NLT

We sit here writing this on the Saturday following Good Friday. We let Jesus’ actions on the cross two millennia ago weigh on us yesterday. At first, we were trying to figure out what was ‘good’ about Good Friday. We watched the Passion of the Christ earlier in the week to bring us closer to the blood that was shed for us – all of us. We can’t fathom a day as dark and full of sadness as Good Friday; yet, after much thought, it was a ‘good’ day.

So many Christians wear ‘crosses’ around their necks daily, but may not stop and realize the significance of the cross. The cross was a torture device and symbol of death. It would be akin to wearing tiny electric chairs around our neck nowadays, but even then the symbolism falls short. The electric chair is actually a “humane” way of ending a life, unlike the torturous death of someone dying on a cross. Each breath would cause severe agony to an already bloody and beaten Jesus. It is now, and was then, the most painful death ever invented by man, and crucifixion is the origin for the word “excruciating.” Jesus came to the cross scourged and bleeding. His skin was raw and in some areas missing completely. Within minutes on the cross, his shoulders and wrists dislocated. He bore his weight on his feet that had a nail driven through them, as his knees were flexed at 45 degrees, causing severe cramping of his thighs. His body was in traction and his lungs and ribs were in a perpetual state of inhalation. Each exhale, he had to drive his full weight up through his pierced feet and raise his fatigued and weakened body upwards of 12 inches. There was the constant fear of asphyxiation, in order not to suffocate. He had to push through unimaginable pain just to breathe. As time went on, his oxygen levels dropped and carbon dioxide levels rose. His heart began to beat rapidly in order to compensate. His heart rate was probably over 200 while his blood pressure plummeted due to dehydration and blood loss. Jesus’ heart began to fail. As his body progressively weakened, he continued to slowly suffocate to death. Jesus died after enduring the single most terrifying torture ever invented.

Good Friday is the day that Jesus suffered the most pain ever suffered by a human being, the weight of all of our sins, and he ended that his life that day on the cross. As sad and dreary as this sounds, Good Friday is our favorite day of the year now. Just thinking about how much God loves us should give us goosebumps. He gave his only son for us – sinners. Because of this, we can have eternal life!

“And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”

1 John 5:11 NLT

In our family, we enjoy the calm of Good Friday. Unlike Easter Sunday, we don’t have to try to balance going to three different houses for a family dinner. We have time to reflect on Him. Some churches don’t even hold a service. Good Friday truly is the best day to reconnect with God through prayer and scripture. I, Brock, read the crucifixion account in Luke yesterday and seemed to be more at peace, closer to God, and angrier with Judas than ever before. It is a ‘slow’ holiday by world standards, but by my standards, it truly is a Good Friday.

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