Good Friday

The Friday before Resurrection Sunday (or Easter) marks the commemoration of Christ’s crucifixion, therefore to call it “Good” Friday feels paradoxical. 

Imagine the emotions felt by his followers & family on the day that Jesus was executed. He was, of course, their teacher, friend, brother, and son, but they also had become convinced that he was their Savior and God. 

To call this day “Good” in this sense feels ironic or even sinister. And yet, Christians acknowledge that when Christ died on that cross over two millennia ago, he was paying the debt that mankind accrued for our rebellion against God (sin). 

Jesus knew his life on earth would end in crucifixion, and he went willingly to make a way for us to have a restored relationship with the triune God and to give us access into God’s kingdom. In this sense, “good” feels like an understatement because without Christ’s death, we would be damned to pay for that debt with our eternal death. 

So, on Good Friday, we rightly sit in the tension of mourning and lamenting the sin we ourselves commit which led to Jesus’ death, while also acknowledging that without it, we would have no hope for the restoration of life in God’s Kingdom.

Jed