Sunday’s coming!

Darkness is an inevitable part of life. But then the light gets through the cracks – and the darkness doesn’t seem quite so dark.

On that fateful first Friday, nobody knew it was going to get called ‘Good’.

When Jesus was crucified, he faced betrayal. Abandonment. Denial. Mockery. Humiliation. Cowardice. Envy. Hatred. Violence. Brutality. Cruelty. Injustice. Pain. Suffering. Sorrow. Loneliness. Despair. Defeat. Destruction. Death.

All hell broke loose. The Devil was seemingly in control.

Jesus was in the darkest of dark places, having made the ultimate sacrifice.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.”
(Isaiah 53:5-6)

But when the darkness struck, the light struck back. It shone through the cracks. It broke into the darkness.

It bamboozled the Devil, who didn’t see the light coming. He didn’t bank on Jesus rising from the grave and defeating death. He thought the darkness had conquered and won.

The story did not end on that fateful first Friday. It did not end in the darkness. It did not end at the cross. It went on to be called ‘Good’ for a reason.

Without the cross, there would be no forgiveness. No mercy. No peace. No resurrection. No renewal. No hope. No Easter. No light in the darkness.

These words of S.M. Lockridge (1913-2000), pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego (1953-1993), sum it up perfectly:

“It’s Friday
Jesus is praying
Peter’s a sleeping
Judas is betraying
But Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
Pilate’s struggling
The council is conspiring
The crowd is vilifying
They don’t even know
That Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The disciples are running
Like sheep without a shepherd
Mary’s crying
Peter’s denying
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The Romans beat my Jesus
They robe him in scarlet
They crown him with thorns
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
See Jesus walking to Calvary
His blood dripping
His body stumbling
And his spirit’s burdened
But you see, it’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The world’s winning
People are sinning
And evil’s grinning

It’s Friday
The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands
To the cross
They nail my Savior’s feet
To the cross
And then they raise him up
Next to criminals

It’s Friday
But let me tell you something
Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The disciples are questioning
What has happened to their King
And the Pharisees are celebrating
That their scheming
Has been achieved
But they don’t know
It’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
He’s hanging on the cross
Feeling forsaken by his Father
Left alone and dying
Can nobody save him?
Ooooh
It’s Friday
But Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The earth trembles
The sky grows dark
My King yields his spirit

It’s Friday
Hope is lost
Death has won
Sin has conquered
and Satan’s just a laughin’

It’s Friday
Jesus is buried
A soldier stands guard
And a rock is rolled into place

But it’s Friday
It is only Friday
Sunday is a comin’!”

[Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash]