Have you ever wondered what Good Friday is all about? The big event at this time of year is Easter, but Easter is preceded by days like “Good Friday” and “Palm Sunday.” What is Good Friday? What happened on Good Friday? What’s so “good” about Good Friday? Why should you even care?
What happened on Good Friday?
Good Friday dawned like any other day in Palestine. But at this time of year, most of the Jewish population were looking forward to one of the biggest religious celebrations of the year–the Passover. Even the plaguing presence of their conquerors, the Romans, didn’t keep them from enjoying the Passover and remembering their deliverance centuries earlier.
But something different was happening on this Friday. During a series of trials posed by corrupt and jealous religious figures, the life or death of a single man had been under consideration. The final verdict–capital punishment–was going to be carried out. According to the sadistic Roman methods of capital punishment, this man would be killed by death on the cross.
This man’s name was Jesus.
He was no mere common criminal, as were the other two men that were being put to death at the same time. This Jesus was actually a Great Teacher. He was other things, too. He was a miracle worker. He was a disciple maker. He was a crowd-gatherer. He was friendly with everyone, from blue-collar laborers, to corrupt aristocracy, to notorious prostitutes. He had turned Palestine upside down with his teaching. Some viewed him as a potential deliverer. Others viewed him as a political revolutionary. Few really understood who Jesus was and what he was doing.
To some, his death was a tragic disappointment–a smashing of their dreams. To others, his death was a vengeful satisfaction of their deepest hatred. To Jesus, his death was the fulfillment of his whole purpose in coming to earth. He was no mere man. He is the God-Man, and his reason for death was the payment for sins.
The crucifixion events unfolded with customary exactitude and hardened cruelty. They nailed rusty pieces of iron through each hand and through his feet, securing him by three points to the cross-shaped death device. He had already suffered excruciating whipping and the torment of a thorn wreath penetrating his scalp. After the nailing, several men hoisted the cross with the bloodied, brutalized, and exposed body of Jesus. The plunged the base of the cross into a hole to secure it in a vertical position. There, the awful degradation of Jesus–an unsightly mass of blood and desecrated flesh–was on public display.
But there was nothing customary about what happened later. Through the course of Jesus’ descent into death, a wide-scale darkening happened, right in the middle of the day. At the point of his actual death, a massive earthquake shook the ground. Amazingly, dead people rose to life. Also, the most sanctified spot of Jewish religion was miraculously exposed as the curtain in the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom.
Jesus had died.
What’s so “good” about Good Friday?
You may be thinking that “Black Friday” is probably a more apt description of this day. That is, after all, another name for the Good Friday. After considering the atrocities of the day, why call it “good?” That’s a “good” question, because it seems a bit counter-intuitive. What we need to remember is that “Good” Friday is the day we celebrate the Good News. The Good News is that Jesus the God-Man came to earth. He was violently murdered. He did so to make payment for the sins that you and I have committed. That is love. That is grace. That is good.
Why should I even care about Good Friday?
Good Friday allows us to remember that pivotal moment in world history–the moment at which Jesus died. It has everything to do with you. Here’s why. The difference between Jesus dying and not dying is the difference between your spending eternity in heaven or hell.
Let’s explain this. Jesus’ death for your sins does not automatically rescue you from paying the penalty. In fact, if you die without accepting Jesus’ sacrificial death in your place, you will pay for your sins. Obviously, you can never “pay for your sins,” and you must be punished. That punishment is described in the Bible as death, not just a cessation of existence, but as an eternity in hell. What you need to do to be saved is to admit your sin, accept Jesus’ death for you, and believe in him. A decision like this is no small matter. It involves submitting to his lordship over your life and giving every part of your life to him. That is the most important decision you can ever make.
See the Good Friday Crucifixion of Jesus collection.