Good Friday - Just Another Holiday?

Dear Wonderful Friends,

In the anticipation of tomorrow's Good Friday public holiday, I hope that we can just spend a little time thinking of the significance of this very important day two thousand years ago when a man, whom no judge could find any wrong-doing by him, yet was sentenced punishingly to death by Crucifixion on a cross.

I hope that before we just ignore this mail and go on about surfing sites/or work, that we will at least sit down to ponder on the actual happenings that have occurred, and if indeed it is not just a fictional recording, what does it mean for me?

Born by a virgin birth, Jesus grew up progressively and reaching the age of thirty travelled around towns and cities of Israel, making disciples, whom have recorded his teachings which have made up the Gospel books today as found in the bible. He gave comfort to the hurt, rest to the weary, healing to the sick, nourishment to the tired, hope for the faint, peace to the worried, joy to those in sorrow. He was sinless, not even a faint drop of wrong-doing was found on him.

Yet the most important thing was not about the impact of his actions but about whom he claim he was. He proclaimed and taught of Himself as the Saviour, the fulfillment of the Messiah as prophesied in the Old Testament completed five hundred years ago. That through him and only through him, we can gain eternal life. And that is not in abstract terms, but eternal life realized in being able to live in God's heavenly Kingdom for eternity.

With jealous, hypocritical, untrusting and murderous hearts, the religious teachers of that time whom are well versed with the prophecies of the Old Testament about the Messiah, plotted to discredit him, shame him, hurt him, kill him. And in doing so unrealizingly that they had actually fulfilled one of the many prophecies that Jesus was to be brought like a silent lamb, to the slaughter.

Betrayed by his disciple for 30 silver coins, whom later admitted that the had spilled the blood of the innocent, he was arrested and was brought before the temple priests, whom couldn't find charges against him. They later referred him to the Roman courts and repeatedly, the judge, Pontius Pilate refusing to condemn him of any charges, an act shared by his wife that "this man is innocent". Finally relenting to the shouts of the people who wanted Jesus crucified, Pilate gave in but not before professing that the blood of this man was not his head and he was found to be innocent.

He was flogged, severely whipped, till his flesh and muscles were left dangling from head to toe, with intestines and bones being exposed. A crown of thorns put onto his head, being mocked, spitted, shamed as the King that he had claimed to be. And the final act of punishment, the crucifying of him on the cross oh which, nails driven through both hands and legs, he finally succumbed to the tortuous treatment and breathed his last.

There was a huge earth quake after that and the curtain temple separating the Holiest of holies from the holy place was split into two. Many who witnessed then wondered, surely he was the son of God!

Before he breathed his last, he uttered two very important phrases. "Father, spare them for they do not know what they are doing." and "It is finished."

What these two phrases mean is that all the suffering and ultimately death brought upon Jesus Christ was actually God's wonderful plan to save man kind. With tremendous pain, Jesus still had mercy on the people whom are killing him, pleading for them before God the Father. And as he breathed his last, "It is finished." Signifying that the price for man's sins for all time has been paid by His death on the cross. That whoever accepts Jesus as dying for him/her, he/she can appear clean of sin before God.

And that is, really, the really Bad Bad Bad Friday which ultimately turned out Good for God's Love for Man that day was shown and accomplished.

So dear friends, I hope that the significance of Good Friday speaks to you today. And it is all summarized in our often over-looked verse which I would add some elaboration,
"For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, to die for us on the cross on Good Friday, that whoever believes in Him dying for us, will not perish but have eternal life."

And lastly dear friends, it does not end here, but He who died today, will resurrect three days later, disapproving once and for all, any doubts that He was the Messiah, proving once and for all, that He is the Messiah, Saviour of Man kind.

The empty tomb, the mark of my salvation.

God Bless,
Jason