“It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.” (Luke 23:44-46 NIV)
I once heard about a person who had written out their will. They thought all was in order. After their death however, it was discovered that the will was neither dated nor signed, which left the person’s last wishes in jeopardy, as to whether they could be carried out or not.
The will of God, as written to benefit the whole of mankind however, is not and never was, ever in jeopardy of being carried out as He ordained it to be. Gods will was dated the day Christ died and it was signed by Christ’s blood.
On that first Good Friday, God’s will was signed and sealed. The gulf of sin which separated man from reconciliation with God, our Father, was once and for all bridged by Christ’s death on the cross that made the gift of salvation, to all mankind, through the forgiveness of sin, available, to all who choose to embrace its grace and truth.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16,17 NIV
Good Friday, was for many the darkest day of their lives. It was however a day of dawning for all mankind. Never again would man be in jeopardy of spending eternity in darkness, away from God, who is light, unless they so choose to do so. The curtain of the temple, which signified man’s inability to approach God because of our sinfulness, was torn in two, a new day was born. A day which opened the way for all to be washed of their sins and to be made whiter than snow, through the purity of the shed blood of Jesus.
Therefore, this Good Friday, let us choose to not only be somber and thoughtful as we contemplate the great gift that was sacrificed for us. Let us also praise and glorify the One, “who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8 NIV)
Prayer: Father God, thank You that Your will for mankind was signed, sealed and delivered in and by Christ’s blood on the cross, on that first Good Friday, so long ago. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
Lynne Phipps
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
