On our calendar, they’re separate. Good Friday and Easter Sunday are a day apart–bookends of what we treat as an amazing weekend.
But in God’s perspective, they belong together. The New Testament links Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The cross and the resurrection, while not identical, connect with each other. They’re two sides of a coin; God’s plan of salvation. We don’t get one without the other. Jesus accepted the negative to achieve the positive.
“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death–even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:8-11
Paul tells us that Jesus humbled Himself more than anyone could imagine. The Author of life allowed Himself to die. And He did so in the worst way the Romans had devised–crucifixion.
But God honored the obedient humility of His Suffering Servant. The Father has exalted the Son; Jesus now has the name greater than any other. And in the end, everyone will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. His death demonstrates His dedication to the will of God. And Christ’s exaltation reveals God’s approval of Jesus.
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” – Hebrews 1:3
The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus in lofty language. He is the Revelation of God to creation and the Sustainer of creation.
This all sounds so wonderful but Jesus dealt with the dark side of life, too. Rather than mentioning the cross, the writer says only that Christ “provided purification for sins.” He shed His shed blood for our crimes and failings.
And God honored the work of Jesus. He now sits at the right hand of His Father in heaven. The One raised from the dead governs this world, spreading the kingdom to all who will receive it.
“But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” – Hebrews 10:12
Jesus had to die only once. Good Friday accomplished what it needed to. And to prove its sufficiency, the writer repeats the line that Jesus has taken His seat at the right hand of God. Had the cross and the empty tomb not covered everything, Jesus wouldn’t be sitting. He’d be up and about, trying to finish what He’d started.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:1-2
When contemplating Good Friday, it’s easy to reflect on the physical pain Jesus suffered on the cross. But this passage emphasizes shame, not pain. Remember Paul’s comment about Christ’s lowliness? His humility led to His humiliation at Calvary.
Except that the degradation didn’t work. Jesus rejected the world’s assessment of His predicament because He saw a coming joy. For the third time, the writer of Hebrews declares that Jesus now sits at the right hand of God on His throne. What looked like a terrible defeat became God’s greatest victory.
Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Two remarkable occasions joined together in the ministry of Jesus Christ.
While it’s good to look back, doing so can make these events seem 2000 years removed. Too far out of reach to have any effect on us.
But that’s not what Paul thought.
“I want to know Christ–yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” – Philippians 3:10-11
We have the full range open to us. If we want to know Jesus, we will share in His sufferings but we will also learn the power of His resurrection. They belong together in Christ’s ministry and in our discipleship.
May you have a blessed Good Friday and Easter Sunday as you come to know the crucified and risen Savior Jesus.
