Why do you call that Friday 'Good'?

As Easter approaches, I have been planning to yet again to update this blog. Originally, I had a different title in mind: "the sack of rice" (rhymes with sacrifice). But given the recent circumstance, I definitely do not want to be sadistic and come off as making light of the present situation. If there's anything I've learned is that text is a bad delivery system for humor, especially when you're not intending to be humorous or you are and the other person isn't aware.







I am at a loss of some of the original words I had intended to type into this blog entry as all I can recall is it likely has to do with Christ's sacrifice for others but also a follow up to some of the other topics I have been blogging about recently I think, namely loving others and making sacrifices consistent with the character of Christ.






But before we can get into that, let's once again return to the middle of the 'meat' that is Easter and talk about Christ' situation and meaning behind "Good Friday", 'what is 'so good about it?' these other topics and hopefully I'll post a follow up entry on "Black Saturday", yes I just coined a new holiday.  It is namely I want to give people time and space to 'focus' on some of the things behind the meaning of Easter.  I recall another point I wanted to make had to do with Christ's suffering on the cross I believe not only encompasses the 'weight of sin' at that moment, but also the 'weight of the consequences of those sins' as well which is not something we often consider when we look at the Easter narrative.  However, I would like to assert here that perhaps the author of Hebrews, in Hebrews 6:4-8 is giving a stern warning that those who are not yet living in realization of the consequences of sin aren't really truly alive in the love and light of Christ to begin with.  So what I really love and take away from all of this, is that no matter what I'm going through, the kind of pain I'm experiencing, the trials I face, the crosses I bear, I know that Christ has already bore it all for me that moment on the cross and continues to stir up in my heart hope for seeing this light again in the midst of the darkness I often perceive when going through tough things in this life. 




4. You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless
    and I am pure in your sight.’
⁵ Oh, how I wish that God would speak,
    that he would open his lips against you
⁶ and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,
    for true wisdom has two sides.
    Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.

⁷ “Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
    Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
⁸ They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do?
    They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?
⁹ Their measure is longer than the earth
    and wider than the sea. [Job 11:4-9]

I have also been re-reading some of the biblical passages surrounding Christ's death and once interesting thing to note is that Jesus already predicts people 'pretending to be him' prior to his death and resurrection according to the order of events in Mark 13 and Matthew 24 even though most people perceive this to be a "foretelling", I have learned in theology classes all scripture contains a "forth telling" component' as well.  This used to be a huge psychological fear of mine, that I was in fact the anti-Christ due to how much of Christ was seen to be emulated by me or attributed by others when they say things like "I see Christ in you." I now know this type of reasoning is not of God as why would God want me to reason being too much like Christ is 'dangerous'?  In fact we as Christians should take ownership, humility (based on the Christian definition of this term) and rejoice in Christ's transforming grace and power to become more like him/Jesus; also for the record 'it is NOT crazy to think of yourself as being LIKE Jesus Christ'. =) Perhaps Christ's concern here is mainly that people will grow impatient or doubtful (like Peter did in the 'roster crowing denial story') of Christ's return that they will start to pretend to be Christ before Christ is resurrected in order to give people hope in a time when it seems all hope is lost.  So it is of no coincidence then, in the following chapter of Matthew 25 that Christ talks about various ways of growing our faith in him, while waiting for his return, even if the meaning of these parables wasn't as apparent to his target audience at the time.  And not just 'waiting', but what constitutes as 'meaningful waiting' versus waiting that bears no fruit (note the use of the word "seed" in verse 24 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?earch=Matthew+25&version=NIV).  Most importantly, do not forget the most beautiful quality of being like Jesus is that we like him, are already risen and will continue to 'rise' (see 1 Corinthians 15).  It's definitely a "good" thing to know and eventually develop the wisdom to experience.