Good Friday

So, why is it called Good Friday? My wife and I were visiting some neighbors in our building, ones that we have grown close to and have been building a relationship with. Our relationship with them has grown to where we call upon them with cultural questions regarding different celebrations and such. They have also invited us to be at the wedding celebration of their son in May. We are very fortunate to know them. We have shared with them that we are followers of Jesus, to which they have said they also worship Jesus, along with their other gods. We have given a New Testament Bible in their language, but have not had the best opportunity to share the Gospel in full with them.

This weekend we are in the middle of the Hindu festival called Holi. Tomorrow people will be celebrating by throwing colored dry and wet paint at each other. It coincides with Easter, in which we celebrate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The wife asked if we had any other celebrations like Holi in America, and I said that this weekend we celebrate Easter and we color hard boiled eggs in bright colors. We color eggs, you color people, so it is similar. She responded by saying, "Oh, today is Good Friday!" She then asked a question I had never even thought of : "It is called Good Friday because Jesus came back to life this day, right?"

Only the Holy Spirit took over in answering, because the response came from me immediately. I said, "Jesus was crucified and died on Good Friday. God raised Jesus to new life on the third day, Easter Sunday." Then she said, "I always had it in my mind that Good Friday was the day that Jesus came back to life, because it is called Good. Why would it be called Good Friday if Jesus was crucified on that day?" (What a perfect lead in to share the good news!) I said to her, "The reason it is good is that when Jesus was crucified, He took upon himself the punishment for the sins of all people of the world, and made a way for us to escape the coming judgement that all people will face one day. The even better news is that on the third day, Sunday, He was risen to new life so that we could also have new life." After this, we saw that she was deep in thought and contemplating the new way of thinking about Jesus and His sacrifice.

A large gospel seed was planted today. Pray with us that this family begins to realize the truth about Jesus. Pray they will realize that He is not just another god, but the Only God. Pray that the Bible we gave them at Christmas is a light among the dark idols in their home, and that the simple mention of the name of Jesus brings them a peace they have never felt before.