15/04/2022
WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT THIS FRIDAY?
What is Good Friday and why do we call Good Friday âgoodâ when it is such a dark and bleak event commemorating a day of suffering and death for Jesus?
Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, is the Christian holy day to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus and His death at Calvary. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, and Black Friday.
For Christians, Good Friday is a crucial day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most momentous weekend in the history of the world. Ever since Jesus died and was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross and resurrection of Jesus to be the decisive turning point for all creation. Paul considered it to be âof first importanceâ that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, all in accordance with what God had promised all along in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3).
On Good Friday we remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins (1 John 1:10). It is followed by Easter, the glorious celebration of the day Jesus was raised from the dead, heralding his victory over sin and death and pointing ahead to a future resurrection for all who are united to him by faith (Romans 6:5).
What is the Meaning of Calling it "Good" Friday?
Still, why call the day of Jesusâ death âGood Fridayâ instead of âBad Fridayâ or something similar? Some Christian traditions do take this approach: in German, for example, the day is called Karfreitag, or âSorrowful Friday.â In English, in fact, the origin of the term âGoodâ is debated: some believe it developed from an older name, âGodâs Friday.â Regardless of the origin, the name Good Friday is entirely appropriate because the suffering and death of Jesus, as terrible as it was, marked the dramatic culmination of Godâs plan to save his people from their sins.
In order for the good news of the gospel to have meaning for us, we first have to understand the bad news of our condition as sinful people under condemnation. The good news of deliverance only makes sense once we see how we are enslaved. Another way of saying this is that it is important to understand and distinguish between law and gospel in Scripture. We need the law first to show us how hopeless our condition is; then the gospel of Jesusâ grace comes and brings us relief and salvation.
In the same way, Good Friday is âgoodâ because as terrible as that day was, it had to happen for us to receive the joy of Easter. The wrath of God against sin had to be poured out on Jesus, the perfect sacrificial substitute, in order for forgiveness and salvation to be poured out to the nations. Without that awful day of suffering, sorrow, and shed blood at the cross, God could not be both âjust and the justifierâ of those who trust in Jesus (Romans 3:26). Paradoxically, the day that seemed to be the greatest triumph of evil was actually the death blow in Godâs gloriously good plan to redeem the world from bo***ge.
The cross is where we see the convergence of great suffering and Godâs forgiveness. Psalms 85:10 sings of a day when ârighteousness and peaceâ will âkiss each other.â The cross of Jesus is where that occurred, where Godâs demands, his righteousness, coincided with his mercy. We receive divine forgiveness, mercy, and peace because Jesus willingly took our divine punishment, the result of Godâs righteousness against sin. âFor the joy set before himâ (Hebrews 12:2) Jesus endured the cross on Good Friday, knowing it led to his resurrection, our salvation, and the beginning of Godâs reign of righteousness and peace.
Good Friday marks the day when wrath and mercy met at the cross. Thatâs why Good Friday is so dark and so Good.