Good Friday

Since this coming Friday is Good Friday, I thought I’d share some Scriptures that mean a lot to me concerning that day:

Concerning Jesus, Col. 1:15-18 (ESV) says,  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

Paul says Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and I got to thinking how we get an image from Someone Who is invisible.  Hebrews 1:3 says Jesus is “the exact imprint of [God’s] nature.”  The term is used of a signet wring and the exact impression it leaves.  It means what God is Jesus is.  In that way, Jesus is the image of God the Father: Identical in nature. Jesus told Philip, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”

The next term we might misunderstand is that Jesus is “the firstborn of all creation.”  At first glance, we might think Jesus was the first one born of creation.  We know that can’t be what it means because the passage itself says Jesus created “all things.”  He didn’t create all other things or He would be one of the things created.  The passage doesn’t allow for that.  So, what can “firstborn” mean.

It turns out sometimes “firstborn” means just that.  Jesus is called Mary’s firstborn son in Luke 2:7.  However, “firstborn” means much more.  It means the preeminent one and that’s not always the first one born.  Manasseh is called Joseph’s firstborn and Ephraim his second in Genesis 41:51-52, but Ephraim is called the firstborn in Jeremiah 31:9.  In Psalm 89, David is called God’s firstborn but was the youngest of 8 sons, hardly the first one born.

No.  Firstborn means the preeminent one in the family or in a people, such as in David’s case, or in all of creation as with Jesus since He created it all and is before all things.  Jesus is also called the “firstborn from the dead” though He was certainly not the first to die and rise.  He Himself raised the son of the widow at Naim (Luke 7:11-16), Jairus’s daughter (Luke 8:49-56), and Lazarus (John 11:1-44).  So, Jesus was not the first one raised from the dead but is the firstborn of the dead.  He is the preeminent over those who have died.

Col. 1:18 also says Jesus is the beginning.  What do you suppose that means?  The Greek word for beginning here is arche.  We use it in English to indicate the beginner of a building, the architect.  This simply indicates Jesus is the builder and designer of the universe.

Why is this important?

We’ve looked at how magnificent Jesus is.  He is God, the God of the universe, the God of creation, the God of all.  Now I think we should look at just what He did that we observe on Good Friday:

Phil 2:5-8 (ESV)  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus, the preeminent, awesome, omnipotent, omniscient God the Son, is the absolute authority over all of creation.  Yet this omnipotent God chose to step from the highest throne, empty Himself of His glory, and step into time and space in order to humble Himself by becoming flesh and allowing that flesh to die for you and for me.  How much greater sacrifice could there be for us?

One more point, though, in Philippians:

Phil. 2:1-4 (ESV)  So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

The short four verses before Philippians 2:5 tell us to have the same mind as Christ and to do that by encouraging, loving, doing nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but humbly counting others more significant than ourselves.  That’s the sort of observance Jesus would like to see on Good Friday and every day of our lives.