What so Good about Good Friday?

It took me almost 30 years to confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in my heart God raised Him from the dead. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior but I have not always been a follower. With that said, I sometimes have a different perspective on Biblical teachings and events.

I always wondered why the church called if Good Friday if Jesus died. What was so good about death, I thought. To an outsider, it sure seemed silly but I didn't mind Easter because we had lots of chocolate and a big dinner.

But now Good Friday is special to me. After watching the Passion of the Christ I have a new visual playing in my head. Reading and meditating on Isaiah 52 and 53 I believe Mel Gibson went light on the way Christ looked. Mr. Gibson even said so in an interview. So what does this all mean?

Good Friday is followed by Easter and that is when the celebration begins but Jesus' sacrifice on Good Friday paid for everything. When I say everything I mean a complete work, lacking nothing. Read 1 John 2:2

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

All sin past, present and future were paid on Good Friday. What about sickness? Great question, Isaiah prophesied about this before it happened in 53:5

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. (Emphasis mine)

Peter wrote about this in a different tense in 1 Peter 2:24

who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (Emphasis mine)

Isaiah wrote "You are healed" and Peter wrote "You were healed", same stripes, the only difference is one man saw into the future and the other looked back in the past. Why would God write this in His book? Because you are healed! It is a done deal just like salvation.

All sickness, like all sin, was also taken care of past, present and future. Jesus paid it all Good Friday. There is so much more He accomplished for you and I but time and space do not permit me to continue.

Meditate on Isaiah 52 and 53, and watch the Passion of the Christ. Jesus died for the whole world. This is the Atonement, it is the completed work. What a great God we serve.