Toongabbie Anglican Church Blog

Weekly Blurb

Is Good Friday Good?

Friday 21 March, 2008 · Posted by Raj Gupta

At first glance, the name Good Friday seems a little odd. Good Friday is the day set aside in many countries around the world to remember the death of Jesus. But when you consider what Jesus went through in the lead up to his death – his mocking, his humiliation, his unjust trial, and above all his innocence – the day is anything but good.

I remember when the movie ‘The Passion of the Christ’ was released, a number of my friends warned me not to see it. Knowing me well, they knew that the movie was far too graphic for my weak stomach to cope with (rumour has it that I once fainted at a physio). Yet, everything in the movie is true. Crucifixion was a form of death reserved for criminals and Jesus went through a particularly horrific crucifixion. At one level, Good Friday is anything other than good.

When we contemplate Jesus’ reasons, however, we begin to understand why Good Friday is so good. Perhaps no where is it more graphic than in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus knows he, and he alone, must drink the Cup of the sin of the whole world. He knew he had to die in our place, and as our substitute. Previously, man was destined to die once and after that to face judgement (Hebrews 9:27). But now, Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God (1 Peter 3:18). This is why Good Friday is so good – because the real events that we are supposed to remember on that day mean that each one of us can be forgiven.

May I encourage you this Good Friday, and Easter, not to focus on the traditions that have developed to the detriment of the reason the Creator of our world has given us Easter. For Jesus went through these horrific events for your sake.

Raj

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