Why do we call such a dark and bleak event which commemorates the day of suffering and death of Jesus Christ as “Good Friday?” what is so “good” about it?
For all the Christians around the globe, Good Friday is an essential day of the year since it celebrates what we accept to be the most groundbreaking weekend in the history of the world. Ever since Jesus died and was raised, Christians have announced the cross and revival of Jesus to be the conclusive defining moment for all creation.
On Good Friday, as we recollect the day Jesus willingly and eagerly took all the sufferings and died by crucifixion as a definitive penance for our wrongdoings. It is trailed by Easter, the glorious festival of the day Jesus was raised from the dead, proclaiming his triumph over sin and death and indicating ahead a future restoration for all who are joined to him by faith.
Being said all this, why call the day of Jesus’ death “Good Friday” instead of “Bad Friday”? It wasn’t a happy or a good day after all! Some Christian traditions do take this approach: in German, for example, the day is called Karfreitag, or “Sorrowful Friday.” In English, in fact, the origin of the term “Good” is debated: some believe it developed from an older name, “God’s Friday.”
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 God’s plan to save his people from their sins.
All together for the uplifting news of the gospel to have importance for us, we initially need to comprehend the bad news on our condition as sinful people under condemnation. The good news of liberation just bodes well once we perceive how we are subjugated. Another way of saying this is it is essential to understand and distinguish law and gospel in Scripture. We need the law first to demonstrate to us how miserable our condition is; then the gospel of Jesus’ grace comes and brings us relief and salvation.
Similarly, Good Friday is “good” in light of the fact that as awful as that day seemed to be, it needed to occur for us to get the delight of Easter. The fury of God against wrongdoing must be spilled out on Jesus, the ideal conciliatory substitute, all together for absolution and salvation to be spilled out to the countries. Without that dreadful day of misery, distress, and shed blood at the cross, God couldn’t be both “just and the justifier” of the individuals who trust in Jesus. Incomprehensibly, the day that appeared to be the best triumph of evil was really the deathblow in God’s gloriously great intend to reclaim the world from bondage.
The cross is where we see the convergence of great suffering and God’s forgiveness. The cross of Jesus is where that occurred, where God’s demands, his righteousness, coincided with his mercy. We receive divine forgiveness, mercy, and peace because Jesus willingly took our divine punishment, the result of God’s righteousness against sin. “For the joy set before him”, Jesus endured the cross on Good Friday, knowing it led to his resurrection, our salvation, and the beginning of God’s reign of righteousness and peace.
Most Christians refuse to eat meat on Good Friday and traditionally hot cross buns are baked on this day.
One of the most important Good Friday symbol is the crucifix, or cross, which represents the way in which Jesus died. Other symbols of Good Friday include black cloth used to cover the cross, paintings and statues in churches and some homes to signify mourning.
Good Friday marks the day when wrath and mercy met at the cross. That’s why Good Friday is so dark and so Good.
Celebrating Jesus’s death does not seem a logical reason, but the Christians believe that the results of Christ’s death were all in good faith. Roman Catholics believe that “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Most of the Christian churches celebrate Good Friday during the evening hours, with a subdued service, where Christ’s death is remembered and revered by singing solemn hymns, saying prayers of thanksgiving. The Good Friday celebration gives out the message that Christ had to suffer for our sakes, and finally everyone observes the Lord’s last Supper.
