{"id":973,"date":"2017-04-14T13:37:23","date_gmt":"2017-04-14T13:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/safeplacewithruthgraham\/?p=973"},"modified":"2017-04-14T13:37:23","modified_gmt":"2017-04-14T13:37:23","slug":"whats-good-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/safeplacewithruthgraham\/2017\/04\/whats-good-about-it.html","title":{"rendered":"Good Friday"},"content":{"rendered":"

I noticed a message on my cell phone asking the question, “What’s so good about Good Friday?”<\/p>\n

That’s a great question!<\/p>\n

We live on this side of the resurrection so we know “the rest of the story”. The disciples didn’t. When they witnessed the brutality of the crucifixion and watched Jesus die then put Him in the tomb; they thought it was over. It was not a good Friday. It wasn’t a good day.<\/p>\n

All the hopes and expectations they had in Jesus had been nailed to the cross and buried in the tomb. They couldn’t begin to imagine how life would go on. How could they have been so misguided? Pain. Heartbreak. Self-doubt. Self-Condemnation. Especially for Peter who had sworn that he didn’t even know Jesus, his best friend. How could he have done that?<\/p>\n

Well, we ask those questions because we have the benefit of knowing Sunday was on it’s way!<\/p>\n

But if we can put ourselves in their place…what would we have thought? It would have been a horrible Friday. The worst.<\/p>\n

They didn’t know the Resurrection was around the corner. Yes, Jesus had told them. They were slow to believe. We would have been, too. We still are.<\/p>\n

What has Jesus told you that you have not yet believed? Make this your Good Friday!<\/p>\n

Good Friday is good because we know Jesus’ death open the way for us to know God personally. He died to wash away our sins. Totally. We can begin again! That’s good news for a hurting world. There is hope!<\/p>\n

Yes. It’s a Good Friday!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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