The people who stood by to watch Jesus’ crucifixion would say that nothing good happened on that infamous Friday. They had watched the cruel and unjust treatment of Jesus, first at the hands of the Jewish leaders and then at the hands of the Romans. He was beaten, spit upon, and humiliated, but he made no reply. He hung in the hot sun with the agony of spikes through his limbs and the weight of his body squeezing the air from his lungs. One doesn’t have to embellish the story because the reality was gruesome enough. What good could possibly come from such an act? The disciples, except John, stayed away from Golgotha and hid themselves behind locked doors. Good Friday? Not on your life, for it was the worst possible day for the followers of Jesus. He had begun with so much promise and now he was dead.
All things do work together for good for the ones who love God, but sometime the good is not immediately visible. In this case it took three days and the disciples still had their doubt. When the women returned from the empty tomb with the message of Jesus’ resurrection, they were accused by the disciples of carrying “idle tales.” The men on the road to Emmaus continued their skepticism. Thomas, the disciple, did not believe that Jesus was indeed alive until he saw the wounds. The physical presence of Jesus removed all doubt.
What’s good about Good Friday? Nothing without the resurrection. On this day good triumphed over evil and love was victorious over hate. All that John the Baptist meant by Jesus being the “lamb of God” was realized on that fateful day we call “Good Friday.” The goodness of Good Friday can only be seen through resurrection eyes.
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