Why do we call Good Friday “good” when such a bad thing happened, namely the death of Jesus? How could it be a good thing that God in human form would die such a tragic death?
We could apply the same question to tragedy in our own lives. . . Why did this thing happen? Can anything good ever come out of it?
We call this day Good Friday because the greatest good imaginable resulted from Jesus’ death; His death in our place satisfied the righteous demands of God Almighty. It is also suggested that Good Friday is called Good Friday because “good” originally meant “holy.”
Was Jesus’ Death God’s Plan?
Humanity’s worst mistake was, at the same time, God’s master plan.
The Bible says that “it pleased the Lord to bruise Him” (Isaiah 53:10). This means the crucifixion of Jesus was not a mistake. Nor was it an afterthought.
It was part of God’s plan from the very beginning. Before there was a solar system, much less a planet called earth, or a garden called Eden, or a couple known as Adam and Eve, a decision was made that God Himself would come to earth as a man and would go to a cross and die in the place of all sinners.
The wise men had it right when they brought Jesus the insightful gift of myrrh, an ancient embalming element (see Matthew 2:11). The cross was Jesus’ goal and destination from the very beginning.
He spoke of it often, He spoke of it in graphic detail, and He warned His disciples it was coming—yet, somehow, they didn’t grasp the concept until it actually unfolded before their very eyes.
Jesus, however, knew exactly what was coming. As He prayed facedown in the Garden of Gethsemane (see Matthew 26:39), He knew that Judas Iscariot was on his way there with the temple guard. He knew that He would appear before Annas, then Caiaphas, then Pilate, then Herod, and then back to Pilate again.
And He knew they would punch Him and rip His beard from His face. He knew they would take the cat-o’-nine-tails and tear His back open.
Lastly, He knew they would nail Him to a cross. He knew He would have to bear the sin of the entire world.
What Was the Cup of Suffering?
In Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “. . .‘My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine’” (Matthew 26:39).
The cup He spoke of was the cup of God’s wrath, the cup of God’s judgment that should have been poured out on us.
Have you ever eaten something that was so disgusting it turned your stomach? Imagine looking into this cup and what it represented. Imagine contemplating the horrors of bearing all that sin.
When Jesus pierced the darkness with His cry from the cross, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” (see Matthew 27:46)—meaning, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”—I believe that at that moment, He was bearing the sins of the world: past, present, and future.
He was dying as a substitute for others. The guilt of our sins was imputed to Him, and He was suffering the punishment for those sins on our behalf.
In some mysterious way that we can never fully comprehend, God was pouring out the full measure of His wrath against sin, and the recipient of that wrath was God’s own Son.
Why Did Jesus Have to Die?
Jesus went to the cross so that humanity could be put into contact with God. Jesus came to earth to purchase back what was lost in the Garden of Eden. He came to buy back the title deed to earth. He came to die on a cross for our sins; Scripture clearly teaches there was a moment when the sin of the world was placed on Jesus: “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross. . .” (1 Peter 2:24).
The Bible also says, “. . .because he suffered death for us, he is now ‘crowned with glory and honor’ Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9). In His own words, Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for many (see Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45).
In other words, Jesus was born to die so that we might live. The purpose of the Incarnation was for our atonement. The birth of Jesus was for the death of Jesus.
God punished Jesus as though He had personally committed every wicked deed by every wicked sinner. And in so doing, He could forgive and treat those redeemed ones as if they had lived Christ’s perfect life of righteousness.
This is called justification. It is not just merely the removal of sin. It is the imputing of the righteousness of Christ to those who put their faith in Him. That is what happened when Jesus hung on the cross.
What Do We Remember on Good Friday?
So, as very tragic as the death of Jesus was, on this day, we remember that it really is, in effect, very good!
And whatever tragedy has come your way in life, please know this: You are not alone.
Jesus was forsaken by God for a time that you might enjoy His presence forever. Jesus entered the darkness that you might walk in the light.
You see, He will never forsake you, and He will walk with you through life, and then one day receive you into His presence in Heaven.
All because of what happened on Good Friday.
