In 1968 I was twelve years old and off for the Easter vacation (it was called Easter and not spring break back then) riding my bike with my good friend, Donnie Dixon. I was racing and slipped off the pedals, flying over the handlebars and hitting the road with my face. Later that day with ten stitches on my chin and eyebrow, I wondered what was so good about Good Friday.
There are a couple of possibilities. One is the Germanic language of Gaul calling it good or holy. The other is the idea it was once called God's Friday. In any case, Jesus denied the term good for himself saying only the Father is good. Good is more than the opposite of bad. God and God alone makes the right and best decisions.
"It should always be remembered that the Hebrews often relate descriptions to functionality. The word tov would best be translated with the word "functional". When looked at his handiwork he did not see that it was "good", he saw that it was functional, kind of like a well oiled and tuned machine." (Ancient Hebrew Research Center on line) The word, tov, the tet is the initial letter of the word tov, "good." The form of the tet is "inverted," thus symbolizing hidden, inverted good--as expressed in the Zohar: "its good is hidden within it." (inner.org)
So maybe we need to look at the hidden good of Good Friday. It is the culmination of a ministry which separated Jesus physically from the Father to come to earth to show us God in the flesh. It is the beginning of the end for death and sin. It is the highest example of love and sacrifice. It shows the depths God will go to have a personal relationship with his creation--man.
Today is Good Friday--the once hidden meaning of good or tov is revealed in one verse of Scripture: gave.
God gave his Son to have a relationship with me and that I will never die. Sure sounds like a Good idea to me.
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