"...this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it." (Acts 2:23-24)

Good Friday, 2026

Dear friends,

This day we observe as “Good” Friday, which seemed at the time to be the worst of all possible days. Even Heaven appeared to conspire against all goodness. Several court hearings were held illegally. The Jewish authorities conspired to get their way. The lawless crowd shouted to get their way. Pilate, the Roman governor, evaded justice and capitulated to the envy of the priests. The Roman soldiers had a gleeful morning of blood and cruelty. Shame and mockery were poured out upon the only innocent person to ever walk this planet.

NOT AS IT SEEMS. Sometimes, things are not what they seem, and on the third day after these events, everything was changed. Turned right-side up, as it were. The events of Good Friday were carried out by the hands of lawless men, but behind it all was a divine plan with eternal results. As William Cowper wrote of God's plan, "Blind unbelief is sure to err And scan his work in vain. God is his own interpreter, And he will make it plain." The work of the cross was at the same time the injustice of man toward God and the justice of God toward man. The third day would reveal the new creation in Christ.

THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM. I've been reading the Gospel of Mark, and recently in chapter four I read that Jesus told his disciples about the "secret" (or mystery) of the Kingdom (Mark 4:11, 26, 30). The Jews of his day expected God's kingdom to come in a glorious upheaval, which would visibly deal with sin and evil and establish righteousness. That will happen, indeed, at the end of history at Christ's return. But Jesus was teaching that, until then, there would be a hidden phase of the kingdom, where it would be planted and grow like a seed into a harvest. Gradual and largely unseen, Christ's reign would be cultivated in individual hearts. The disciples were to pay attention to his Word and to those seemingly unremarkable motions of grace in human hearts. One day the harvest would come, and then the kingdom would gloriously (and visibly) fill the earth. Everything will be turned right-side up.

OBSERVE THE SEED, NOT THE STORM. Soon afterwards the disciples learned a practical lesson about attentiveness to God's promises and his power. While crossing the sea of Galilee -- Jesus said they were going to the other side, take note -- they encountered a fierce storm and feared for their lives. What power would occupy their attention and fill their hearts? The gale-force winds and waves? Or the rabbi asleep in the stern of the boat? They panicked and thought they were in immense danger, about to drown. We, of course, know the rest of the story. Jesus calmed the storm, and then he said to them, "'Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?' And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?'” (Mark 4:40-41) The disciples' awe turned from the storm to Jesus, where it should have been in the first place. As it turned out, they were in no danger after all.

AFTER GOOD FRIDAY. To the disciples later, all the events of "Good" Friday must have felt like the end of the world, like the storm on the sea of Galilee. And what did Jesus say to his followers after he was raised from the dead? Things like… “Do not be afraid..." (Matthew 28:10) “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!" (Luke 24:25) “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?" (Luke 24:38) "Woman, why are you weeping?" (John 20:15) “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) The resurrection of Jesus was three short days after all the events of Good Friday. How quickly they had doubted. How quickly they panicked. But how quickly things were turned right-side up!

IN HOPE WE ARE SAVED. In one sense the period between Christ's two advents (first and second comings) is like the period between his death and resurrection, a period of waiting and hope. What do we have to hold on to? God's promises, and the empty tomb! At times we may be tempted to panic. But Paul writes, "For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." (Romans 8:24-25) We wait with patience! Patience may be hard to cultivate when it appears that evil has triumphed all around us. How quickly we too may come to doubt. As A. W. Tozer observed, "The resurrection and the judgment will demonstrate before all worlds who won and who lost. We can wait." He’ll turn everything right-side up.

IN OTHER LINKS.

-- About Christ before Pilate: "In our time we can be overwhelmed with the powers that surround us, that look down upon us in judgment. But when our lives are grounded and centered in Jesus, our sights move above and beyond it all as we trust our heavenly Father to bring his ultimate intentions to bear upon the earth. We may live in earthly kingdoms, but our true Kingdom is not of this world. It is the kingdom where Jesus, and not Caesar, is Lord."

-- Here's a PDF of a PowerPoint talk I did a few years ago on the Seven Testimonies to the Resurrection of Jesus (download from Dropbox).

-- One of my favorite resurrection appearances of Jesus, "Come and have breakfast" (John 21:12).

-- Hear the Second Chapter of Acts sing The Easter Song.

-- We are continuing to pray through the 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World. It's encouraging to hear of the ways God is working!

FINAL QUOTE.

“Jesus has forced open a door that had been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because he has done so." (C. S. Lewis)

May you all have a blessed Resurrection celebration this Lord's Day, which really, is what every Lord's Day is about!

Sandy

Afterwords is an occasional newsletter on topics of interest to me (Sandy Young) since my retirement from full-time pastoral ministry. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.