Why Good Friday?
Meditating on the implications of Christ's finished atoning death
There our Savior hang—beaten, bruised, scraped. He was “oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter” (Is. 53:7). This was the bloodiest of days in human history. Nothing compares; no catastrophe competes. The agony, suffering, and eventual death of the Son of God is the most evil event of all time.
Why on earth would we celebrate that?
The answer, of course, lies in what his death accomplished.
As he hung there—gasping for air and desperately thirsty—our Savior yelled, “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30).
What was finished? He had completed his substitutionary work. He had lived a perfect life obedient to the Father; and now he had died the death of sinners, not only dying a physical death but, even more so, absorbing the full brunt of the Father’s wrath—wrath meant for me and you. Though this was a horrifying day, it was an absolutely marvelous day at the same time, because the price of sin had been paid by Jesus. Salvation was purchased. But it gets better. Ultimately, we call Good Friday good because of what Jesus did three days later: rose from the grave. Karrie Hahn wrote at Ligonier Ministries,
Why, then, do Christians call Good Friday “good”? The answer is that Resurrection Sunday interprets and transforms Good Friday.
It’s good that Jesus lived a perfect life, because we sure can’t. His righteous life now becomes ours in Christ.
It’s good that Jesus died, because now our sins are forgiven and the wrath of God is not over our heads.
It’s good that Jesus rose from the grave, as he vindicated himself and declared victory over sin, death, and Satan.
It’s good that he endured all of these things, so that now we have been saved by God and are in union with Christ for eternity.
No, in one sense those events weren’t good. In fact, they were awful. But what it accomplished and led to is the greatest miracle of all time: the salvation of sinners! Praise be to God.
Thanks for this reflection, Blake. It's always a bit startling to pause and truly consider the brutality and horror of the cross, yet it somehow magnifies the beauty of God's grace. The paradox that the darkest day in history is also our greatest source of hope continues to humble and amaze me. Appreciate the reminder of how deeply Good Friday matters because of everything Christ accomplished.