A Good Friday After All

It was Friday, the Friday before Easter, the Friday when we remember the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus. Some call it Good Friday, but when I sat down on my floor with my Bible to spend some time with the Lord on this Good Friday, I didn't feel like "good" was the right name for a day of such grief. To be honest, I really didn't want to think about suffering, especially the suffering of Jesus, who is the last person on earth who I would ever want to suffer.

I see enough suffering. I come face to face with it everyday. I am surrounded by it. I hear it and smell it. I try not to let it harden my heart, but I also have to try not to let it absolutely tear me apart. Therefore the thought of sitting down to contemplate the suffering of Jesus, the one whom I love the most, was just more than I could bear on this particular Friday. 

As I opened my Bible to Matthew 26 to begin reading the story of the last days of Jesus, my attention was drawn to the very first story - the story of the woman with the perfume. She poured her most expensive perfume on the head of Jesus, to anoint him for his burial. 

"What a waste!" said the disciples who were watching. "That expensive perfume could have been sold and the money used to help the poor." Which was true. A valid point, one could say. 

But Jesus told them they were wrong. "She has done a beautiful thing to me," he said, "and she will forever be remembered for it." And she was.

This is possibly my favorite story in the entire New Testament because the woman recognized something that all the other disciples missed in that moment: the immense and infinite value of Jesus Christ. He is worth pouring out the most expensive perfume. He is worthy of the most precious, costly gifts. 

Nothing is ever wasted on him. 

So instead of pondering the suffering of Jesus on this Good Friday, I pondered his worth. And that's when I realized that it's a Good Friday after all. 

Jesus, the one who is the most worthy, the most valuable, the most precious, chose to suffer for us. 

This raises three questions for me. First, why did Jesus have to suffer? Why did he have to die? Couldn't there have been another way? The secret is found in Romans 3:26 where it says that God sent Christ "so as to be just and the one who justifies." 

God is first just. It is his very nature and character to be rightly and completely just. The problem comes when we realize that we are sinners, and since God is just, he cannot let sin go unpunished. And what is worse is the punishment of sin is death. So God had to make a decision. How could he stay true to his character and remain just while still showing his unfailing love to his sinful people? 

The answer was Jesus. He sent Jesus to take our necessary punishment, death. Through Jesus, the price for our sin was paid for. In this way, God could still remain just, loving, gracious, and righteous all at the same time. It was the only way. He is one who is just and who justifies.

So that brings me to the next question: why is there so much suffering in the world? I think it's because our world is broken and Jesus hasn't come back yet. Until he returns, we are in the heat of a spiritual battle, and Satan still has a kingdom in this world that causes brokenness, sickness, loss, grief, war, poverty, and death. 

And the final question: what are we supposed to do about the suffering in the world?

To me, the first thing is to just look at it. Don't turn away. Jesus never turned away from suffering when he was here, and he doesn't turn away from it now. Sometimes, I wonder if he just wants a friend to see it to and feel the same way he feels about it. God experiences anger and sadness when he sees our suffering (2 Samuel 22:7-10) and when we see the suffering of the world and feel sad or angry, we are one step closer to the heart of God. We are feeling what he feels, and our broken hearts pushes us closer to him for comfort, strength, and proper perspective. 

The second thing is to know that Jesus related to suffering. He knows how bad it hurts, and he knows how evil and unjust the world is probably more than anyone else who ever walked it. He is not blind to it, but infinitely familiar with it. This should bring us so much comfort since so many people think God is immune to the suffering of the world or that he doesn't care to do anything about it. 

Last but not least, know that it is because of the suffering of Jesus that we have hope. This is why Good Friday is so "good" after all. Because Jesus suffered in our place, we have real life in Christ. What an exchange! The blood of Jesus for eternal life with God! We can know God and come close to him. We have a restored relationship with the God of the universe because of the suffering of Jesus Christ. 

Therefore, the solution to suffering in the world is hope in Jesus Christ, and the only way that hope is possible was through the suffering of Jesus. 

So as I sat in the floor with my Bible open and tried to avoid the thought of my Jesus suffering, I seemed to here him say, It's because of my suffering that you are here right now. That you are free. That you have salvation. That you have a hope to share with the suffering world around you.  

Perhaps my favorite part of the crucifixion story is the "it is finished" part. I breath a sigh of relief. The suffering of Jesus was finished. The power of sin was finished. Our separation from God was finished. Our guild was finished. And one day, I wonder if we will hear Jesus proclaim those words again when he comes again and all suffering, disease, death, war, poverty, loss, grief, and sadness will be finished forever. 

Come quickly, Lord Jesus, come. 

It's a Good Friday after all.