Isn't it quite paradoxical that we take the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified and title it as the Friday known as GOOD. What could be worse than death by crucifixion? How must it feel like to be abandoned by your friends - and even by God? What is it like to whipped and humiliated - only to have nails driven through your hands a few hours later? My guess is that any of this is anything but GOOD.
What IS good about this day is that the work of Jesus Christ, begun when he became flesh through human birth, was finally finished, and because of that those who believe in Jesus Christ have eternal salvation. It IS good because that which was BAD, namely Satan and his power, has been conquered through the death of Jesus Christ. What IS good is that I can now live under the freedom of the cross, knowing that I have an unshakable hope for eternal life.
So what does this have to do with leadership? Probably very little, except for the fact that leaders face very dark days. They are the ones who carry home the weight of the organization at night. They are the ones who struggle over who to let go and what to stop doing. They are the ones who are on the receiving end of hate and hurt from others. And yet, it is a job that must be done. It can't be delegated - it can't be left until another time and place - and it can't be taken in a trivial manner.
And so, on this GOOD Friday, we as leaders first ask for strength, that we may endure the tough times ahead. And then, we give thanks to God for sending his Son Jesus Christ to become man, take on the sins of the world, sacrifice himself even unto death, and then rise again that we might have the hope of eternal life - THANKS BE TO GOD!
