How “Black Friday” brought Good on a Sunday

The crowd, it shouts. A governor questions, and then he washes his hands. A “stroke of the pen,” a press of the ring, and the accused is sentenced to death.

Death by crucifixion.

While a guilty man’s set free, the Innocent One’s nailed up. Blood drips, crowd taunts, a spear pierces, anguished cry, and then He breathes His last, and He dies.

All hell has opened up.

The sky goes black. The earth, it rends. Creation groans and shudders. Panic reigns. Confusion, chaos, and everywhere, the screeching.

It’s Friday.

Oh, what blackness then. How can we call this “good?” With earth asunder, hell has won, and we dare call this “good?”

But then.

In the smothering dark, a veil is torn, clean-ripped by unseen hands. As the Innocent’s friends weep, hearts broken, things shift in eternal realms. Starting Friday in an ancient land.

Over 2000 years later, it’s Friday again, and hell, it’s raining right down. A stroke on a page by a governor’s pen, religious “riots,” hatred and screeching.

In a modern-day land, political earthquakes. The world, it seems, is on fire. There’s panic, confusion, chaos. And screeching.

Such blackness on “Good Friday.”

In the middle of it all, an old cross still stands on the top of a hill far away. No upheaval on earth. No scheming of man. No demonic assignments have moved it. For it’s what came next that broke evil’s hold, that crushed satan’s death-grip forever.

Sunday came. Sweet Sunday came next, and the Conquering King, He strode forth. The tomb’s empty!

The blackness, it’s lifted in the light of the Christ, in the face of His glorious victory. The cross still invites, still calls us to die. Still offers true life, and redemption. Resurrection, because of Sweet Sunday.

“Black Friday” didn’t last. It made way for the Good, and that’s why there’s hope for the living. The veil’s been torn. Death’s grip has been broken, and we, the redeemed, are rejoicing.

“The Lord is risen. The Lord is risen indeed.”

Happy, hope-full, joyous Easter to you, my friend, and your loved ones.