Every Good Friday I have these thoughts.
On this day, a scant 2,000+ years ago, men killed the un-killable and cursed the un-cursable. They tortured and put to death the very essence of innocence. Many of those who did it knew full well who He was, and thus were repeating the true original sin, the sin of Archangel Lucifer who had the crazy idea that HE should be God.
On Good Friday I wonder how the very universe did not rip apart on that day.
In a way, it did. The old laws, established at the dawn of man, were shattered (or, if you will, fulfilled). The old relationship (covenant) between God and his creation was shattered utterly. Jesus, son of God, died under conditions which in the "old" universe would have condemned him to Hell, The utter paradox of this required that the universal laws be rewritten. I suspect that the powers of evil either didn't know or didn't believe this to be possible - the all too common mistake of assuming what God cannot do that we still make daily.
But what they meant for evil, God used for good. As always.
You can probably tell from this writing that I am a "student" of C.S. Lewis, he wrote about such things much more eloquently than I. I hope he approves.
So, remember today that, as an old hymn said, "He could have sent 10,000 angels to destroy the world, and set Him free". God had already tipped over the chessboard once, it is still in His playbook. Instead, His love and mercy was such that to save us I believe that He chose to instead rewrite the basic operating system of His universe so that the resurrected Jesus could be our redeemer and advocate. It was an act of forgiveness so profound and unimaginable as to change everything, everywhere, for all time. Our sins which keep us from God are washed away at the low, low price of simply asking for it.
What they meant for evil, God used for good. As always.
Jeff