Why is Good Friday Good?

Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, is a sombre Christian celebration that commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. It may seem rather jarring to refer to the death of Christ, our savior, as ‘good’, for it was definitely not good. However, in this context, “Good” refers to a holy and meaningful event that marks Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. This article will try to explain that even though Jesus Christ met a gruesome death, it was his selfless sacrifice that we honor by calling “good”.

Good Friday gets its name from an old meaning of the word “good” that simply meant “holy.” So Good Friday was originally Holy Friday. Christians call it good because of what came out of it: forgiveness, a restored relationship with God, and the hope of eternal life. Not because of what Jesus went through, but because of what the world received. And without that Friday, Easter Sunday means nothing.

Why Is Good Friday Called “Good”?

• The “Good” in Good Friday originally referred to holy or honorable, not something happy or pleasing. 
  
• The earliest recorded mention of the term “guode Friday”  dates back to around 1290 in The South English Legendary. Other historians believed that the phrase “Good Friday” evolved from a corruption of the original “God’s Friday”. 
  
• It’s also worth noting that Christians throughout the world do not refer to it as Good Friday, but instead use terms such as “Sorrowful Friday” or the “Holy and Great Friday”.
  
• Christians consider the day as “good” as it demonstrates that Christ “showed His great love for man, and purchased for him every blessing”, as per the Baltimore Catechism.

Whatever the origins of the word may be, Good Friday is good because Christ absolved us of sin through his atonement and sacrifice. 

What Actually Happened on Good Friday and Why Christians Call It Good

A Historical Recount of the Events:

• Jesus was betrayed by his friend Judas, who divulged his location to Roman authorities. 
• He was then falsely accused of crimes such as treason against Rome, blasphemy, and inciting rebellion.
•  He was then publicly humiliated, beaten, and tortured before being crucified on the cross by the orders of Pontius Pilate. 

 The bible recounts how a crown of thorns was placed upon Jesus’s head prior to him being nailed to the cross with a sign stating “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” affixed upon it. Jesus’s suffering and ultimate death were cruel and based upon pretenses; there was nothing good about it. 

However, it is widely believed that humanity was saved that day by being offered forgiveness from sin and the gift of eternal life with God, as Jesus himself took the punishment for our sins upon the cross that day. 

Good Friday serves us a humble reminder that humans cannot meet God’s expectations of a life without sin on our own, and that we need a savior. 

That saviour is our Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus’s death serves as the ultimate sacrifice for us sinners, so we may be absolved of all our sins and be granted the gift of eternal life. 

Jesus’s final words on the cross were  “It is finished”(John 19:30), suggesting that Jesus completed his mission for God by sacrificing himself for our sins

The Passover Connection and Why the Timing Was Not a Coincidence

• It is believed that Jesus was crucified between AD 32 and AD 36, during the reign of Pontius Pilate in Judea. 
• Jesus’s last meal, The Last Supper, was believed to have been a Passover seder. 
• Many Christians believe that Jesus’s crucifixion during Passover was not coincidental and that Jesus himself became the sacrificial “Passover lamb” with his death.
•  In the Old Testament, a lamb was sacrificed by the Israelites, and its blood was used to mark their doors. 
• The blood was to serve as a sign so that God would “pass over” their homes and spare the death of the firstborn son (the tenth plague), symbolizing the concept of salvation through substitution. 

Jesus fulfilled the notion of salvation through substitution by sacrificing himself for humanity’s sins. Jesus lived a life without sin, similar to the perfect white lamb in the original Passover story. His crucifixion during Passover also draws parallels to the original story, and served as more than just an execution to early Christians….it was a story of selflessness, redemption, and sacrifice. 

Why Good Friday Only Makes Sense Because of Easter

• After Jesus was executed, his body was placed in a sealed tomb. 
• However,  three days later on Easter Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead- he was resurrected.
•  When the tomb was opened up for ritualistic anointing of the body, it was found to be empty.
•  Instead, the women who opened the tomb were greeted by angels who declared, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!” (Luke 24:5-6).

For Christians, Good Friday and Easter Sunday can not be separated, as Easter Sunday represents triumph (His resurrection)  over injustice and death. Whereas Good Friday is a solemn day where we remember the torture and execution Jesus endured for us sinners, Easter Sunday is a celebration of light and hope. It serves to remind us that Jesus’s sacrifice gave us the gift of eternal life as he atoned for our sins. 

On Easter Sunday, Christians joyfully declare “He is risen” to celebrate Jesus’s resurrection, and all that it embodies. 

It Was Good For Us, Not For Him

• Good Friday is not considered “good” because it was a joyous occasion; in fact, it was far from it.  Christians believe it to be “Good” because Jesus’s selflessness and his ultimate sacrifice saved us, sinners. 
• The gift of eternal life is only bestowed upon followers who have lived a life without sin, yet we are sinful in our very nature as humans. 
• Jesus’s sacrifice on Good Friday allows us to seek the gift of eternal life, because he took our sins upon himself.

Whilst we may reflect on the injustice, torture, and suffering perpetrated towards Jesus, Good Friday should serve as a day where we honor Jesus’s sacrifice instead of just wallowing or mourning.

 For without his sacrifice on the cross, the joy and triumph we experience on Easter Sunday are futile. Jesus’s sacrifice sustains us every day, and it is through Christ who strengthens us that we can live without fear of retribution.  Christians believe that the gift of eternal life with God is only possible because of Jesus’s sacrifice on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. 

By honoring Good Friday, Christians are able to understand the significance of Jesus’s resurrection and the priceless gift of eternal life made possible through his sacrifice. Without his execution upon the cross, there would be no resurrection, and without understanding his suffering, the hope and joy we experience on Easter Sunday would be without meaning. 

He is risen… He is risen, indeed.

FAQS