What’s So Good about Good Friday

 What is Good Friday, and why do we refer to it as "good" given it is such a somber and depressing day honoring Jesus' day of suffering and death?

The Christian holiday of Good Friday, which falls on the Friday before Easter, honors Jesus' death at Calvary and his crucifixion. Other names for this day in the Christian calendar include Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, and Black Friday.

Good Friday is a significant day for Christians because it commemorates what we consider to be the most significant weekend in human history. Christians have declared that Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection marked a crucial turning point in the history of the universe ever since. Paul thought about

We commemorate Jesus' willing suffering and death by crucifixion as the final atonement for our sins on Good Friday (1 John 1:10). It is followed by Easter, a joyful celebration of the day that Jesus rose from the dead, declaring his victory over sin and death and indicating a coming resurrection for everyone who is connected to him through faith (Romans 6:5).

What Does "Good" Friday Mean?

But why "Good Friday" rather than "Bad Friday" or another comparable term for the day of Jesus' death? The name Good Friday is entirely appropriate because, despite how terrible it was, Jesus' suffering and death marked the dramatic conclusion of God's plan to save his people from their sins. For example, the day is known in German as Karfreitag, or "Sorrowful Friday." In English, the term's origin is debatable; some theorize that it evolved from the name "God's Friday."

We must first comprehend the awful news of our status as sinful individuals under condemnation in order for the good news of the gospel to have any meaning for us. Only once we understand our state of slavery does the wonderful news of deliverance make sense. Another way to put it is that it is crucial to comprehend and recognize the difference between law and gospel in Scripture. In order for the gospel of Jesus' grace to bring us relief and redemption, we first need the law to demonstrate how hopeless our situation is.

According to this, Good Friday is "good" because, despite how horrible that day was, it was necessary for us to experience Easter's pleasure. For forgiveness and redemption to be offered to the world, God's anger against sin had to be poured out on Jesus, the ideal animal sacrifice. God could not be "just and the justifier" of people who put their trust in Jesus without that terrible day of anguish, sorrow, and bloodshed at the cross (Romans 3:26).

We can observe how intense anguish and God's mercy come together on the cross. The cross of Jesus was the place where God's demands, his righteousness, and his mercy met. Psalms 85:10 sings of a day when "righteousness and peace will "kiss each other." Because Jesus voluntarily accepted our divine punishment, which was the result of God's righteousness against sin, we are granted divine forgiveness, mercy, and peace. "For the happiness awaiting him" (Hebrews 12:2). On Good Friday, Jesus went to the crucifixion knowing that it would result in his resurrection, our salvation, and the start of God's reign of righteousness and peace.