Hope is Alive!
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” John 20:18
When Jesus said, “It is finished,” It was an end and a beginning; It was the start of a new life in Him When He paid our debt for sinning. His death was not a period- The end of His life; Instead it was a semi-colon- Hope of heaven in the afterlife. Remember the resurrection, When Jesus came alive! Hope is never canceled; It's what helps us thrive!
Easter is full of hope. It’s a promise fulfilled. It’s a joyful celebration. But there is no Easter without Good Friday, which seemed to dash hope, cancel promises, and was anything but joyful. Do you ever wonder why the day Jesus was crucified is called Good Friday? He was betrayed by His followers who sentenced Him to death. Even His disciples deserted Him out of fear for their own life. He was beaten, ridiculed, and nailed to a cross to die. How could such a day be called good?
Several things happened while Christ was on the cross. There were 2 criminals on either side of Jesus. One sensed that Jesus was the Messiah and asked to be remembered in Heaven. Jesus assured the man that he would be in heaven with Him. (Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43) That is good news to us! Jesus gave us the hope of heaven through the example of this man.
After Jesus took a drink, He called out to His Father and said, “It is finished.” What did Jesus mean? His time on earth was done. He had accomplished what He was called to do. He taught us how to live on earth and saved us so we could have eternal life in heaven. His death on the cross wasn’t a period as the disciples thought. They were in shock, because their expectations were lost. They were sad, because their master and friend was gone. But, they had forgotten what Jesus had promised. “I am going to die; however, I will be back!” (Before long, the world will not see Me anymore; but you will see Me. Because I live, You also will live. John 14:19) Instead of the end, that semi-colon represents a new beginning! Although it was an end to Christ’s life on earth, He is coming back. That is good news to us! Jesus gave us hope of a resurrected King. Because of His resurrection, we can have a new life in Him.
When He died, the curtain in the temple tore in two from top to bottom. (And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Matthew 27:50-51) The curtain in the temple separated the Holy of Holies (the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence) from the rest of the temple. It represented man’s separation from God by sin, because no one was able to go beyond the veil. Only the high priest was able to go behind the veil once a year to atone for the people’s sins. When Jesus died, God tore this curtain in two to show us that sin no longer separates us from God. Through His death, our sins were forgiven. That is good news to us! Jesus gave us hope that our sins are forgiven when we accept Him as our Savior!
So, it does make sense to call it Good Friday. It gives us hope in a resurrected King. It gives us hope of the forgiveness of our sins. It gives us hope of eternal life in heaven. It’s why we are able to celebrate with joy on Easter. It shows us that Hope is alive!
Dear Jesus, thank you for Your sacrifice so that we may live. As I continue to walk in faith, may my hope in You continue to increase and my doubt decrease. Let me not just live in You but thrive because of the hope of what's to come. Halleluiah!