“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last.” – Luke 23:44-46
Today is Good Friday. The origin of this odd (to our ears) name is that in earlier English, holy and good were synonyms. So today is Holy Friday. It remembers the day on which Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, God in the flesh, was tried, flogged, sentenced to death, paraded to His place of execution, nailed to a cross, suffered in agony for hours, and died. On that cross, Jesus in His humanity suffered all the physical torture of that brutal means of execution. On that cross, Jesus in His divinity suffered the spiritual agony of His Father’s rightful anger for our sins. On that cross, Jesus took our sins upon Himself, paying the penalty of death for them, so that we won’t have to.
For all who put their faith in Jesus, Peter’s reflection on the events of Good Friday applies: ‘He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.’ (1 Peter 2:24). Take time today to remember the terrible price that was paid to bring you spiritual healing and reconciliation with God. Ask forgiveness for your sins and embrace your Savior who died for you.