The Meaning of the Cross, Day 39

Welcome to day 39 of our “40 days of the cross.” Each day we have taken just a few minutes to look at a word which will help us better understand the meaning of the cross. Today’s word is good. 

Tomorrow is Good Friday. Perhaps you have wondered why we call it “good.” I mean after all, some of the words we’ve used to describe the cross in our journey thus far have been judgment, rejection, agony, curse, death. I remember, as a young Christian, wondering how we could call the horrific death of our Savior, good. We are commemorating a dark and bleak day. Yet for hundreds of years, Christians have called this day good. It is a bit of a paradox.

Some places call it by different names. In Germany the day is called “Karfreitag” which translates to “Sorrowful Friday”. It IS a day that includes sorrow. We feel sorrow when someone we love is hurt. Certainly, what Jesus went through on the cross should cause sorrow. If you attend – in person or online - our Good Friday Tenebrae Service, here at Christian Assembly, you will see that it is not the typical upbeat gathering. It is a somber, quiet, reflective time when we remember the suffering of Jesus. Our very act of communion contains symbols of a body that is broken and blood that is shed. Yet we still call this day of remembrance “good.” 

And we call the cross, the instrument used to execute the sinless Messiah, good. The goodness of the cross is a reality. It was good for us. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross provided a way for us to receive a new, righteous life. 1 Peter 2:24 (our verse of the week) says, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” The way to God was denied to us by our own sinfulness, so Jesus took those sins in His own flesh on the cross. Because of this, we can be dead to sin and receive a life of righteousness - not our own righteousness, but the perfect righteousness of Jesus through the shedding of His blood. 

Yes, the cross is good for us! And despite its cost, the cross is good to God, reestablishing His with us, and that brings Him joy. The cross allows God to reveal Himself to us. We’ll talk more about Revelation tomorrow, the last day of our journey. 

Thanks for reading today. After we pray, I encourage you to take a few minutes and meditate on why the cross is good. 

Father God, although this day is somber and heavy, it is also good. The weight of your grace and compassion makes it good to us. Help us today to remember well and apply this goodness to our lives. In the name of Jesus, amen. 

Continued tomorrow