Good(bye) Friday
- Matt Graham
- Apr 10, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 10, 2021
There are few things I hate more than saying goodbye. One of those things is never getting the chance.
As the governor of Missouri announced that schools would remain closed for the rest of the year, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing. The internet was quickly flooded with sappy posts from teachers who would never get to give one last high five. Teachers who wouldn't get to say goodbye.
Trying to make sense of it, my mind raced back to a group of fishermen who had a friend, mentor, and brother in Jesus. To a group who then had Him ripped away. I can't imagine how that must have felt. Did they say goodbye?
On the cross, Jesus chose his last words carefully.
If I were near the cross on that day, I would have been so confused by that final statement. What was finished? Why choose those words? It seems like there was so much that wasn't complete. So much more time I would have wanted with Him. How do you really say goodbye in a situation like that?
As a Christian, I've heard and read stories of the crucifixion on almost every Good Friday. I've mourned the actions of sinners like me that nailed Him to the cross. Each time I'm reminded of a time when things felt incomplete: when there wasn't a perfect goodbye. And almost every time I've been confused at how He could do it. How could Jesus give himself up for what looked like such an imperfect end? I want a perfect ending. And how could a crucifixion be perfect?
Jesus knew something we didn't. Though he pleaded with God to "take this cup of suffering away," he knew what was next. As Jesus walked the Earth, He saw friends, family, and people who were hurting. Coming to save, He led them towards truth, love, and grace. He led them closer to Himself. Giving Himself up to die must have felt incomplete. It must have felt wrong. It must have felt like something was missing. I'm sure there were plenty of goodbyes that he wanted to give, each one breaking his heart a little more. He knew it was not going to feel like a good Friday. And yet he was willing to go. He knew there was more that God had in store for us. As I mourn the loss of time with friends, coworkers, and students, I'm reminded that it is finished. Jesus died so we could truly live.
Good Friday has always represented something that doesn't feel so good. There are plenty of times that life gets heavy. Times when goodbyes aren't perfect and something seems missing. That feeling isn't new. It happened that day with Him on the cross. The day with (what felt like) such a broken goodbye, but what was really a display of grace that none had seen before.
Good Friday.
It is finished.
Join me Sunday.
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