“For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.” (1 Corinthians 15:16-18)
We call the Friday before Easter good because it’s the day we remember Jesus’ terrible sacrifice to pay for every last one of our sins on that terrible cross. We earned his torture. We deserved his agony. He took it for us, instead, so we could be pardoned.
But without the resurrection, that Friday would have been just another day, another execution of a Roman prisoner, another slaughter in a Middle Eastern religious dispute. And our faith in Jesus would not bring forgiveness. We would still be awaiting the eternal torture, the endless agony.
Without Easter, Jesus was a liar. The ancient prophesy and his own prediction said he, the Messiah, would rise again. If he didn’t, it was all pointless. And those who died believing died as fools.
The disciples probably felt like fools by the end of Good Friday as the stone was rolled into place over the mouth of the tomb. But Sunday would change everything.
Think: After 3 years of following Jesus, believing he was the Messiah, how do you think the disciples felt on Friday night and all day Saturday? Do you think any of them felt like Friday was a victory before they saw Him again?
Pray: Thank God for Jesus’ sacrifice in your place on the cross on that terrible Good Friday. Thank him for loving you so much he gave his Son’s life for yours. Then thank him for raising Jesus from the dead.
Do: Take the time to remember the cross today.