What is Good Friday?
Thank God for ‘Good Friday’ – but why call such a sad day ‘good’?
It seems pretty odd that well over two billion Christians around the world each year remember Jesus’ betrayal, brutal beating, torture and cruel death – and call it Good Friday.
Jesus was a Jew from a small town in Judea (in what today is known as Israel or Palestine). He was born and died under the occupation of the Roman Empire – (under Emperors Augustus and Tiberius) and he and his parents were also refugees in Egypt for a time.
Jesus was known for doing good, bringing healing, care and forgiveness to society’s marginalised and outcast. Jesus touched and healed lepers, gave sight to the blind, preached care for prisoners and valued women in a time when they were often viewed as inferior.
But, despite this, many of the Jewish religious leaders of the time did not like him and his message. On the day we now commemorate as Good Friday, Jesus was falsely accused, betrayed, beaten, whipped, mocked and executed. (Death on a cross – called crucifixion – was a slow and particularly cruel and painful form of Roman execution.)
Read more of the story in the Bible – John 19:1-30.
So how can that possibly be ‘good’?
The answer lies in understanding why God sent Jesus into the world and who Jesus was.
And, in the fact that Jesus’ death was not the end of the story, but a beautiful beginning!
Why did we need Good Friday?
God’s plan for humankind
The Bible teaches that when God created the world, there was perfect harmony between God and people (and between people and people). But Adam and Eve brought darkness to the world through their sin and disobedience.
God was heartbroken.
A plan was set in motion to show people God still loves them and wants to be in relationship with them. That’s where Jesus – God’s Son – comes in.
God the Father sent Jesus, his Son, into the world as a small baby. He came quietly, humbly and without fanfare. He was sent into the world to show love and to reconcile humans with their Creator.
Throughout Jesus’ time on Earth, he experienced life as a human. He walked alongside people on Earth and understood through first-hand experience just how hard life could be. He cared for, and understood, people from all walks of life and showed great love, compassion, grace and mercy.
But his life, death and resurrection were about more than simply being good and caring.
In order for people to be reconciled with God, the just penalty of all their/our wrongdoings and sin had to be paid for, atoned for, basically, put to death.
And so Jesus took the weight of these upon himself. He sacrificed himself for us. The name ‘Jesus’ – chosen by God before his birth – even means ‘Saviour’. “He will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Why is Good Friday significant?
Jesus paid the price for our wrongdoing
When Jesus died on a cross (crucifixion) all the world’s sin and darkness was placed on his shoulders so that we, and all people, could have the opportunity of a new life in relationship with God, without the barrier of sin.
On our behalf, Jesus experienced the most excruciating and humiliating death of his time. He was mocked, whipped, stripped bare and nailed to a cross. It was a painful, undignified and public way to die. The path Jesus walked to the cross was the toughest journey anyone has faced. Good Friday is significant because Jesus endured every terrible aspect, to give hope to the whole world.
Jesus’ final words on the cross were, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Although it seems at first glance that humans were in control of Jesus’ punishment, Jesus could have stopped the process at any time. Angels could have rescued him. But he persevered because his love for people was greater than the pain he felt.
How do Salvo churches celebrate Good Friday?
The best day, full of hope
Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can have a true and meaningful relationship with God. We can experience unconditional love and everlasting hope. Jesus held on to this hope for us so that we can hold on to his hope in our own lives.
Good Friday customs vary throughout the Christian Church and The Salvation Army. Many Salvo churches hold services on Good Friday and Christians celebrate in a range of ways including remembering Jesus’ journey to the cross, fasting (not eating for a period of time), praying and attending church services. Some church services may conclude with a morning tea of hot cross buns to remember Jesus’ death on a cross, and some Christians may choose not to eat any red meat on Good Friday in remembrance of the blood Jesus shed on the cross.
Regardless of how Good Friday is commemorated, there is often a great deal of anticipation, because three days later, on Easter Sunday, Jesus’ rising from the dead is celebrated.
So while Good Friday is in many ways a very sad and somber holy day, it is also truly a good day.
A very good day indeed!
Read the next part of the Easter story – Jesus’ resurrection and what Easter means for our lives.
Curious about the days leading up to Good Friday?
What is Holy Week?
Want to learn more about the person of Jesus and the meaning of Good Friday?
Easter Bible readings and prayers