We call it Good Friday, but it was a horrible Friday for Jesus and for his followers. Betrayed by one of his disciples, denied by another, and deserted by most of the rest of them, Jesus was condemned, tortured, and nailed to a cross to die in the most agonizing manner. At that time, it seemed there was nothing good about it. But now, on the Sunday side of the cross, with Jesus raised from the dead, we believe that Friday was good, in the deepest way.We were talking about Good Friday in our Crossroads group that meets online on Fridays. We were meeting on the most recent Good Friday, March 29, 2024, and I referenced a hymn that had come to mind, “And Can It Be.” The hymn was written by Charles Wesley a long time ago (1739), but its powerful message still speaks to us today. The refrain of the hymn is:

“Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me!”

Later that day I emailed a link to an online video of a performance of the hymn to members of our Crossroads group. I had watched the video several times before I sent it, and I couldn’t get the hymn out of my mind. I even dreamed about it during my sleep that night.

The next day I saw a reply to my email from one of the members of our group, Diane Gardner. Diane included a snapshot from a daily devotional book she has been reading. The devotional for March 29 was based on the Charles Wesley hymn, “And Can It Be.” How coincidental, or not?

In the Introduction to Spelunking Scripture: Easter I offer this conclusion: “That Jesus died for our sins and was raised to new life by the power of God is the heart of the gospel.”

Without Easter Sunday there would have been no Good Friday. Without the resurrection of Jesus, it would have been “Horrible Friday,” for him, and for all who loved him. But the Resurrection changes everything. That’s why I say, “The resurrection of Jesus is the linchpin of the Christian faith.” As Paul wrote, “If Christ hasn’t been raised, then your faith is worthless” (1 Corinthians 15:17a, CEB).

But our faith is not worthless, because Jesus was raised from the dead, and his death on the cross became Good for all of us.