Wandering Wednesday

After reading all four gospels, I have to admit that I don't know exactly what Jesus was doing on the Wednesday of Holy Week. So, instead of guessing, I'm going to do my usual Wednesday thing.

Ever since this weekend, I've had this internal debate raging in my head. It all started at the conference I went to about Missionality and Kingdom. During one of the breaks, I listened to people talk about their plans for Friday. What sparked my debate wasn't what they were doing on Friday, but what they were calling it: Dark Friday. I may have had my head stuck in the Southern sand a little too long, but I don't think I had ever heard it called that before. To me, it was always Good Friday. Maybe I'm overthinking this, but I think that what we name something conveys meaning and needs to be thought through carefully. If you think I'm being silly about this, feel free to stop reading. You won't offend me. Honest.

What should Friday be called? Maybe it can and should be called both Good Friday and Dark Friday. Here's my analysis. Calling it Dark Friday may convey the deep sense of mourning that Christians feel when we think about the death of Jesus. That Friday was a dark day, even literally at one point right before Jesus gave up his spirit. Jesus experienced a level of agony, both physically and mentally, that I will never experience. His family and friends watched their loved one go through an ordeal that was meant for only the worst criminals. But I feel like calling it Dark Friday doesn't tell the whole story. It was a dark day, but it was a good day also. It was a Good Friday because Jesus' death had meaning and purpose. At the moment of Jesus' death, the price was paid and sin was forgiven. No other sacrifice would ever be needed beyond Jesus. That's good news!

I think where I land on this one is that I will always call it Good Friday. Not because I want to deny the suffering that Jesus went through, but because I want to honor it. Calling it Good Friday may confuse people that are not familiar with Christianity, and that's a good thing. Being able to explain why we call the death of someone that we claim is God in the flesh 'good' is an opportunity to share about forgiveness and, because of the Resurrection, new life. But that's just my thoughts. What do you think?