Good Friday?

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has wondered why we call it Good Friday. Doesn’t seem to make sense does it? The King of the universe nailed to a cross by the people he created and we call it good! And to be sure, being nailed to a cross in itself tells us little. Thousands of people were crucified on crosses. It was a cruel favourite of the Romans, until even they decided is was too barbaric. How was it good? For anyone? Ever? I’m wondering if it might be something to do with looking back. Stay with me here. Queen Elizabeth I wasn’t Queen Elizabeth I until Queen Elizabeth II came along. World War I wasn’t World War I until World War II came along. We have this phrase we use: “with the benefit of hindsight…” I’m wondering if it’s in looking back we call it Good Friday. It wasn’t good on the day was it? I don’t think so. It wasn’t good for Jesus, crucified on a cross. It wasn’t good for the disciples. It wasn’t good for his family. It wasn’t good, was it? Remember shortly after the resurrection, when Jesus walked with two followers on their way to Emmaus? The story they told was one of sadness and disappointment. Jesus had died. That wasn’t supposed to happen. No, it wasn’t. And for those of you who are now worried about some dodgy theology (and you may well be right), I don’t think it was ever God’s plan either. Not his first choice. Not what he really wanted. It wasn’t good for him either. He had trusted his beloved son into the hands of the people he created, only to see them crucify him. Not good. It is Good Friday because as we look back, we see what the first disciples took a while to see, that it was Jesus’ death on the cross that God took and transformed into the means of saving grace. Not his first choice. But a demonstration of the grace and power of God himself. Sometimes in life, we have to look back to see what was good. We can’t see it at the time. I got turned down for ministry the first time I applied. It was devastating. But I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today if that had not happened. Hard though it is for me to say, it was a good thing. Sometimes we have to look back to be able to see what God is doing. We look back at the cross, and we can say: “it was good!” We can look back at Good Friday and call it good. And thank God we can!