This Friday, people will be celebrating Good Friday across the globe, remembering the death of the Son of God.
For Christians everywhere, we celebrate this known historical fact: That a man named Jesus of Nazareth was crucified after many trials and beatings, eventually dying from that crucifixion. This was documented by Phlegon, Flavius Josephus, Tacitus, Thallus, Suetonius, Pliny the Younger, many writings in classical Jewish rabbinical records, the satirist Lucian, Celsus the philosopher, and more. All of this was documented within two centuries of His death and by people who did not believe He was the Christ. But Christian writers also documented it, including Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Papias, and Quadratus.
But what is most curious about Good Friday is that a horrific death by any measure is celebrated worldwide as “good.” Anyone familiar with the process of crucifixion would agree it was the most gruesome death anyone can undergo. It was a death of humiliation and extreme torture used by the Romans, reserved for the worst criminals. We have nothing that even compares to it today. Yet we call it good.
The suffering victim of this gruesome death was no less than God incarnate, the Creator of this world and all that inhabit it, who did nothing wrong in His whole life. He was the one person in all of human history who we would not think should suffer such a humiliating and painful death, yet we call it good.
But of course we do! Because what is also well-documented in history is that this same Jesus rose from the dead three days following His death. Not all historical records agree He was resurrected, but those records document an empty tomb and that many died because they believed Jesus rose from the dead.
We celebrate this as good because we as Christians know something the world does not, but should:
- That all our problems stem from one source: Sin
- That at the beginning of the world, mankind brought sin into the world and separated us from our Creator
- That this separation inflicts us to this day
- That every one of us to this day disobeys God, betraying who He made us to be, making us diseased and subject to certain death
But because of this horrible death of a perfect Deity, those of us who were through faith baptized into his death (Romans 6:3,4) will one day be raised from the dead, fully healed of our greatest affliction (sin), not having to face the penalty for our crimes.
This is amazing news. Because, as you read this, my friend, I tell you that you are sitting there deserving death, as do I. Our crimes against God are that bad, just as bad as if we had murdered millions personally. But because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we will not die. We will be raised from the dead one day.
That is the good news!
That is what we celebrate this weekend.
Preachers, please do not neglect the great opportunity you have this weekend to proclaim this good news. Some only get this message once a year at Easter. It is one of the most well-attended services for churches, second only, if at all, to Christmas. But some will neglect it.
I have heard preachers knock their Easter sermons out of the park. I’ve also heard preachers swing and miss. I pray your sermon isn’t on how the resurrection teaches us that sometimes we’ve gotta look up because Mary looked up at the tomb and saw the angels, despite it being an issue of height. I’ve even heard a sermon that the resurrection is about us leaving our comfort zones. I am not kidding – these were real sermons by a Christian preacher. If you go to a church that teaches this or anything less than the full gospel, leave. You aren’t going to a gospel-based church, but a moralistic church. That’s not a church. That’s a social club.
Christians, rejoice in the good news of Christ. Live in joy knowing that your sins have been paid for by Christ, then spread this news to anyone who has ears to hear. Sin is what ails all the world, and we alone know the cure.
Happy Good Friday, all! Let us joyfully remember this momentous event in history until the day our Lord comes to bring us Home.
Laura Clark is a wife, mother, and community activist. She currently serves as the interim president of Alabama Center for Law and Liberty, a conservative nonprofit law firm that fights for limited government, free markets, and strong families in the courts. Anything written by Laura for this publication does not constitute legal advice.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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