Why It's Called Good Friday

What is Good Friday and why is it called Good Friday, when Jesus, the only Son of God died a bloody, gruesome death on Calvary's cruel cross.  What's good about that?

Good Friday is a religious holiday, observed mostly by Christians to remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His death at Calvary.  The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover.  Good Friday is a widely-instituted legal holiday in many national governments around the world, including in most Western countries as well as in 12 U.S. states.

Crucifixion is a form of slow and painful execution in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead.  This type of execution has been since antiquity and is still practiced in some countries today.

Jesus was conceived in Mary's womb when the Holy Ghost overshadowed her.  She had never known a man, thus His birth was a Virgin birth.  He came to this earth to take back what the devil had stolen from the first man, Adam.  When Adam and Eve disobeyed God's command, the devil became the ruler, prince of this world.  Sin ushered in pain, death, and dying for all mankind, thus, when you and I were born, we were born sinners into a sinful, dying world.  Christ came to save us.  "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."  Phillipians 2:8  He was the perfect, sinless, Son of God.  A lamb without spot or wrinkle.  The perfect sacrifice.  The only One who could take away our sins, which were crimson, and make us white as snow!

Although, He had never sinned, (the Bible says, no guile was found in his mouth), He became sin for us.  He took our sins upon Himself at Calvary and the full wrath of God was poured out on Him!  That's why He cried, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me!"  He knew what it was like to be totally separated at that moment from His loving, Heavenly Father.

We know what that feels like.  We are all sinners and in need of Savior.  We have one in Jesus Christ.  He became sin, so we could be righteous.  He died, so we could live.  He was separated from His Father, so we could be reconciled back to Him.  He won the battle for us.  He died in our place, though us dying could never purchase our salvation.

The cross, represents punishment, cruelty, suffering, shame, guilt, blood, and death, but that's the irony of the cross.  To the Christian it represents freedom, love, life, and not only life, but abundant life.  That's why the Apostle Paul says, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."  I Corinthians 1:18

Stricken, smitten, afflicted, pierced, wounded, bruised, He died so that we might live.  Thank you Lord.