I was thinking about Good Friday today, and the actual name "Good Friday". I was wondering why we call it that. I mean, the actual act, in and of itself, that took place on this day was horrific. Yet, the fact that God's perfect will was carried out and that Satan was triumphed over was well...excellent! The Resurrection is such a strange and yet awe inspiring thing, and it's sort of fascinating to see what we as humans try to describe it as. So, I hopped online to see if everyone calls it "Good Friday". Here's what I found:
-The Dutch name "Goede Vrijdag" translates as Good Friday (like us).
-In Israel, Good Friday is known as "Great Friday". Many other countries hold to this name such as Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Sri Lanka and etc.
-In German "Karfreitag" is an old German word meaning Friday of Lamentation. This meaning though isn't obvious to many German speakers because of how old the word is.
-In Armenia it is called High Friday.
-In Russia it is called Passion Friday.
-In Ethiopia "arib siqilat" means Friday of the Crucifixion.
-In Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland they call it Long Friday.
-Many Chinese speaking areas call it Day of Christ's Suffering
-Many Chinese speaking areas call it Day of Christ's Suffering
-Arab speaking areas call it Sad Friday
Interesting. In many ways I like the one's that refer to the negativity of the day. Not sure why. I guess it really demonstrates the black and white, the good and evil for me. The evil of man and the murdering of our perfect Savior on the day of the crucifixion and the good and mercy of God on the day of resurrection. In other ways though I think that it isn't really about the actual act of crucifixion. The truth of the matter is that yes, Jesus, a perfect holy being, suffered, was tortured and maimed willingly...and for such sinful, terrible creatures as me. But it just seems like it can't really be about the physical torture alone (and yet it seems that we all place so much emphasis on it). I would guess that there are people who have been tortured even more so than Jesus, for even longer and in even more horrific ways.
It would seem that the true moment of pain, the climax on the day of crucifixion, is that moment when Christ receives all of our sins upon His shoulders and He feels the horror of separation from God. That is the true moment on Calvary...the epitome of torture. A moment that no one else in the history of creation has ever experienced. What this felt like I cannot even fathom...nor would I honestly ever want to experience. Yet...my perfect Savior did this willingly for you and I. He had such perfect communion with God but gave it up in that moment for me. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" I think that on this Good Friday, these words will be repeated over and over in my head. I pray that I won't take lightly the sacrifice that was made by Christ, and may I look forward with joy to the celebration of the triumphal defeat of evil! Thank you Lord for what you have done!!!
1 comments:
Praise God!!! I am encouraged by your mullings on this day. Tommy and I were reflecting how Easter is a day of rejoicing and celebration, but it is empty and void unless we look to the blood of the cross. That moment Christ cries out for the heart breaking separation of His Beloved, I cannot imagine, but as you say it intrigues me what Christ gave up and what it must have been like.
I know a long response.
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