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Cross Words: Good Friday?
On the surface it seems odd that we Christians use the term “Good Friday” to describe one of the most important days on our religious calendar.
It wasn’t all that good of a day for Jesus.  If you’ve ever read through the ending of any of the four Gospels or watched Mel Gibson’s “The Passion Of The Christ” you would agree.
It wasn’t a good day for the members of Jesus’ family.  His mother Mary had to watch Him endure the beatings, the mocking, the jeering, and ultimately His excruciating death.
It wasn’t the best day for Jesus’ disciples.  By sundown of that first ‘Good Friday’ their leader was dead along with all their hopes and dreams.  They were left confused and disillusioned by the end of the day.
I’m just speculating on this one, but I don’t think it was such a good day for God.  He was forced to punish His only Son for someone elses wrongdoing.  The Bible says that He in essence turned His back on the only soul whoever loved and obeyed Him completely.
So what was so ‘good’ about that particular Friday, and why do we continue to celebrate it by taking the day off and planting our gardens?
It was on that day that all of humanity was given the opportunity to have a real, vibrant relationship with God.  It was on that day that the rightful punishment for our sins was accepted by someone else.  It was on that day that each of us was granted the privilege, if only we will take it, of having an eternal future even after we are physically dead. 
Come to think of it, it really was a good day after all.

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