Luke 23:44 - It was about the sixth hour and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour
In our American Calendar there are two major Fridays we highlight. They are called by different names and I think they should be switched. On Thanksgiving we gather with loved ones (or friends or strangers) and enjoy (or make do or drudge through) interactions, and finally we overeat and then pass out, but we awake (or just don't sleep) to a Friday that is a very good day for businesses. We go out and spend way too much money on things that will end up trashed or obsolete within 3 years. The businesses call it Black Friday.
Black Friday is an accounting term. It’s simple, when you balance your books and you are in the negative (owe money) it's called being in the red. On the flip side, if you end up with a surplus (make money) it’s called being in the black. Being in the black is a good thing. It’s overall good for the business and the economy and the person (provided you spent well and can get past the feeling of buyer's remorse).
The Friday before Easter is actually an observation of a much more meaningful day. Before we have ham and deviled eggs. Before we search for candies and baskets. Before we wear new clothes with pretty pastel coloring. Before we celebrate new life. Before we remember Resurrection. There is what we call Good Friday. It’s the day we remember the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross.
On this Friday, God the Son, who added humanity to His deity and walked the earth for 30+ years, was murdered. He was tried unjustly, spoke no lies, and sent to die by simple popular opinion in a horrific way (Luke 22-23). But none of these things were the real reason He was nailed to the Cross. 1 Peter 3:18 tells us that He suffered on the Cross to “bring us to God”. That Jesus, though He was righteous, carried our unrighteousness and bore it on the Cross so that we could receive His righteousness.
God wanted us to have peace with Him, and we couldn't reach it. He wanted us to be healed from our sin, but our medicine would never be enough.
In speaking of Jesus about 700 years before Jesus ever existed, the prophet Isaiah spoke of His sacrifice. In Isaiah 53:5 we find that He carried our grief and took our chastisement so that we would have peace and healing. It was His love and my unrighteousness that held Jesus to the Cross. God wanted us to have peace with Him, and we couldn't reach it. He wanted us to be healed from our sin, but our medicine would never be enough. So He had to come and He had to live and He had to pay the price for my selfish heart. His love for me and you and the world compelled the greatest rescue mission ever, and on “Good” Friday Jesus paid for our sins.
I propose a switch. Since “Black” Friday is good for businesses, let’s call that one Good Friday. Since on the day we celebrate the payment for our sin (Jesus death on the cross) God made it black, let's call this Black Friday. If you know the freedom of His Sacrifice, consider this day a great day to pull back and remember what what our rescue cost. It’s a great day for sober thankfulness and grateful thought to our loving Saviour. If you don’t know His sacrifice or have any other questions, then today is a great day to ask. Make this Black Friday a day that you’ll learn how significant Easter Sunday is as well.