Good Friday

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage, but made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in human appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:5-8)

Jesus died…the greatest injustice that existence has ever seen. Death, the fierce weapon of the enemy sunk its fangs into our King’s heel, and its poison wrapped around His body for 3 days. 

Jesus died. The One who so loved the world, spoke it into existence, stepped into our darkness to light our way Home, held out His arms to us and called us to come to Him…our Messiah willingly humbled Himself to the great punishment of mankind - death. And oh, the wrongness of His death…the tragedy of His sorrow. 

Our sinless Savior owed no debt to death - He never took a cent from that bank, never took a sip from that poison, never took a bite of that fruit, never worked a moment for that wage. Death had no claim on Him, it had no right to His body or His breath…

And still, Jesus died. He stepped between us and our great enemy in the fight we chose and took the blow in our place. He freed us from the slavery we sold ourselves into and put our chains on Himself. He paid the debt we owed but couldn’t pay and took the punishment we earned but couldn’t bear and died the death that we deserved but couldn’t come back from. 

Jesus died…for us.

And the world could not hold up against the weight of that injustice. Death could not keep its hold on our Champion. Resurrection burst forth and death was swallowed up by life and the serpent that bruised Jesus’ heel finds itself on an inevitable collision course with the crushing blow of His foot. 

Jesus died…and He broke death by dying. He allowed it to wrap its cords all the way around Him and then He burst them all on the third day. 

There was only one way for our God to rescue us from death. “Because God’s children are human beings - made of flesh and blood - the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.” (Heb 2:14-15)

We never had a chance against death, but death never had a chance against Jesus. How could the skinny teeth of a slimy serpent ever stand up against the One whose feet are like polished bronze refined in a furnace, whose voice thunders like a mighty ocean, face like the sun in all its brilliance, hair white like wool, eyes like fire, holding the stars in His hand and a devouring sword from His mouth? (Rev 1:14-16)

Death never had a chance against our King.

And still, Jesus died. “He humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross…

But then comes the second part of this passage in Philippians 2: “THEREFORE, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every Name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee in Heaven and on Earth and under the Earth will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father! Amen.”

Jesus died, and He has been raised to life again.

Jesus died, and now He lives forever, has ascended to the Father, is exalted and seated at the right hand of the throne of God and has promised to return to bring resurrection to those who believe in Him. 

Resurrection is the overwhelming victor over death. And what Resurrection has started, NOTHING can stop…His power spreads to everyone who chooses to belong to Christ, “Christ was raised as the first of the harvest, then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back.” (1 Cor 15:23)

The worst things are not the last things. He is coming back again, bringing our resurrection with Him and “when our dying bodies have transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture WILL BE FULFILLED, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ For sin is the sting that results in death and the law gives sin its power. BUT THANK GOD. HE GIVES US VICTORY OVER SIN AND DEATH THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.” (1 Cor 15:54-57)

So we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. (Heb 6:18b) Our Savior tells us, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One. I died, but look - I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.” (Rev 1:17-18)

Jesus died…but look, He is alive forever and ever. 

Jesus died, but He came out of the grave holding the keys. 

Jesus died, but He is the Resurrection and the Life…anyone who believes in Him will live, even after dying. (Jn 11:25)

This is the power of Resurrection. This is the power of Easter. This is the power of God. This is the power of our sinless Savior, our humble Messiah, our resurrected Lord, our conquering King.

Jesus, I live in the light of Your Resurrection. I will bow my knee to You and confess my allegiance to You, for You died, but look, You are alive forever and ever!

Come, Lord Jesus!