Yesterday I had the opportunity to answer the questions of 7th graders at a public school here in the Los Angeles area. They had been studying the Protestant Reformation. Their questions were sincere and genuine. I was impressed by my friend (their teacher) who created the context for such a lively discussion among such a diverse group of teenagers.
I was struck by the unique timing of the entire situation. I had a lunch planned with my friend (the teacher), and he asked if I would have interest in answering their questions about the Reformers. I just so happened to have finished my dissertation which included Martin Luther, a detail he didn’t know.
The Q&A went really well. The students had great questions about Luther, Calvin, indulgences, and other Protestant issues, but they had a great deal of questions about religion and spirituality in general as well.
After I left, I was struck by another coincidence. My friend and I had a great discussion over lunch about overcoming the challenges in life that we face. To have this discussion with him the day before Good Friday was perfect timing.
Have you ever considered the strangeness of the name of this incredibly important holiday (“holy day”)? For those involved, this day was anything but a good Friday. Imagine for a moment you are one of the disciples following Jesus. Suddenly one of your own friends betrays Jesus which leads to His arrest, a corrupt trial, and then the torture and death of your hero, leader, and friend on a cross.
To me, what makes God so remarkable is the way He can turn challenges, obstacles, and even horrible moments and bring good from them.
There may be times when we feel just as discouraged, despondent, or even overwhelmed as the disciples did on this day almost 2,000 years ago. For them, the tragedy of Friday only made sense after the miraculous resurrection of Jesus from the dead on Sunday. Because of that miracle, we can see the miraculous in our life too. What starts out as a bad or even horrible day can eventually be seen through the eyes of faith as a very, very Good Friday.
