The meaning of Good Friday

I always wondered to myself, why is Friday considered Good when it was the day that Jesus suffered so much? So much humiliation, so much rejection, so much suffering. How can it be good when it was the day that he gave up his last breath while carrying the sins and burdens of the world upon himself?

"When they came to the place called Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals - one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, 'Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing'. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said 'He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One'. The solders also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said 'If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself'. One of the criminals who hung there next to him insulted him 'aren't you the Christ? save yourself and us!'....
It was now about the sixth hour and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father into your hands I commit my spirit ... for it is finished". Extracted from Luke 23:33-46 & John 19:30

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed... For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors' Isaiah 53:4-12

Then I realised, it was the day that Christ has finally fulfilled the prophesy (from the Old Testament such as Isaiah, Joel, Daniel etc) and most importantly fulfilled the duty that He was called for in His life by his Abba Father. For everyone on earth, it was the day we were reconciled back to our God the Father. It was the day that our sins were finally forgiven. It was the day that His Blood has completely set us free. It was the day that we were no longer called servants but a child and heir to the throne of God.

"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. He forgave us all of our sins, having cancelled the written code with its regulations that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away...nailing it to the cross." Extracted from Colossians 1:21-22 & 2:13-14

On this Good Friday, Pause. Reflect. Give Thanks.

*Happy 24th Birthday to my dearest chicky, Yin Zi *