Many people might have asked what is good in Good Friday? when it was actually meant for the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was beaten, maimed and nailed to the Cross until He breathed His last.
To those who believe Jesus died in the Cross of Calvary for the atonement of their sins, Good Friday, a Friday before Easter, is a Christian holiday that reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum.
It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, also Holy and Great Friday and Black Friday.
For Faith Believers, Good Friday is an important day of the year because it celebrates what they believe to be the most consequential weekend in the history of the world.
Good Friday is annually observed between March 20 and April 23. This year, it falls on March 29 (Friday).
Ever since Jesus died and resurrected, Christians have proclaimed the cross and resurrection of Jesus to be the decisive turning point for all creation. Paul considered it “of first importance” that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, following what God had promised in the Scriptures according to the Book of 1 Corinthians 15:3.
On Good Friday, Christians remember the day Jesus gladly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world as 1 John 1:10 puts it. Easter follows it, 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.
Sorrowful Friday in Germany
But why call the day of Jesus’ death ‘Good Friday’ instead of ‘Bad Friday’? Some Christian traditions take this approach: in Germany, for example, the day is called Karfreitag, or ‘Sorrowful Friday’ which really depicts literally what happened that day.
In English, the origin of the term ‘Good’ is debated; some believe it developed from an older name, ‘God’s Friday’. However, let us not dwell too much on 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 God’s plan to save His people from their sins.
For the good news to have meaning for us, we first must understand the bad news of our condition as sinful people under condemnation. The good news of deliverance is only relevant once we see how we were enslaved.
Also, another way of saying this is that it is essential to understand and differentiate between law and gospel in scripture. We need the law first to show us how hopeless our condition is; then, the gospel of Jesus’ grace brings us relief and salvation.
Further more, Good Friday is ‘good’ because as terrible as that day was, it had to happen for us to receive the joy of Easter, simply without the Good Friday there would not be Easter. The wrath of God against sin had to be poured out on Jesus, the perfect sacrificial substitute, for forgiveness and salvation to be poured out to the nations.
According Christians, without that awful day of suffering, sorrow, and blood at the cross, God could not be both ‘just and the justifier’ of those who trust in Jesus (Romans 3:26).
In irony, the day that seemed to be the greatest triumph of evil was actually the death blow in God’s gloriously good plan to redeem the world from bondage.
The cross is where we see the combination of incredible anguish and God’s forgiveness.
We receive divine forgiveness, mercy, and peace because Jesus voluntarily took our divine punishment, resulting from God’s righteousness against sin. “For the joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus endured the cross on Good Friday,
Psalms 85:10 says sings of a day when “righteousness and peace” will “kiss each other.” The cross of Jesus is believed to be where that occurred, where God’s demands, His righteousness, coincided with His mercy.
