The church has labeled the day of Jesus’ crucifixion as Good Friday. The day that the Son of God, our creator, and redeemer, was hung on a Roman cross and gave up his life for us. For many years that name puzzled me because this seemed to be a tragic day.
So why should it be called good? When it happened, the only people who would have thought of it as good were Jesus' enemies.
Indeed, it was a dark day in history when the light of the world was extinguished. But it was also a momentous day. This article will examine why this day was good rather than tragic.
The Events of the Day
In the Jewish world of the Old and New Testaments, a new day began at sundown and ended at the following sunset. And from that perspective, Good Friday started while Jesus was observing the Passover meal with his disciples.
This was followed by their trip to the garden and a time of prayer, his arrest, multiple hearings or trials, sentencing, crucifixion, death, and burial. It was an eventful day, and most of it was not what we would consider good.
In fact, it was anything but good as the Jewish religious leaders put Jesus through the sham of a trial and then pressured Pilate into convicting Jesus, whom Pilate knew to be an innocent man, and had him put to death. All because he was a threat to their authority and position.
Good Friday was one of the darkest days in human history. A day when the creator of the universe was put to death on a cruel Roman cross. Rejected by his own people. By those, he had come to save.
Behind the Scenes
But if you could roll back the curtains and see what was happening in the spiritual realm, you would see something entirely different.
You would see Satan, and the spiritual beings allied with him, orchestrating the events of the day, thinking they were ridding themselves of a threat to their rebellion.
We get a hint of Satan’s involvement in Luke 22:1-6. In this passage, we read that shortly before Friday, Satan entered Judas, who, in turn, went to the chief priests to discuss handing Jesus over to them (Luke 22:1-6).
This does not excuse Judas’ actions. But it does point to the involvement of the spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12) in Jesus’ betrayal and execution.
Another peek behind the curtain occurs in Colossians 2:15, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
Paul tells us here that the cross, rather than being a defeat, was Christ’s triumph over the powers and authorities. The phrase “powers and authorities” is an expression that Paul uses to refer to spiritual beings who have some power in the realms of men.
Daniel 10 provides us with an example of these powers and authorities. In this chapter, Daniel saw a vision that greatly troubled him. He mourned for three weeks, seeking understanding. Finally, an angelic messenger from God arrived.
And the messenger explained that the delay was because the prince of Persia had withstood him. Until Michael, one of the chief princes, came to his help.
And, when the messenger left, he said he would rejoin Michael in the fight against the prince of Persia and then the prince of Greece. These princes were among those identified as “powers and authorities.”
Jesus did not just triumph over the powers and authorities at the cross. Paul says that he made a public spectacle of them. In the world of men, Jesus had been made a public spectacle. But in the world of the spirit, just the opposite was true. There, it was Jesus who was victorious.
According to Plan
What took place on Good Friday was more than God taking advantage of the day’s events to defeat his enemy. Instead, it was according to a plan set into place before creation.
1 Peter 1:18-20 tells us that Jesus was chosen as our redeemer before creation. But that he was not revealed until the time was right. Before God created the world, he had already planned for Jesus to be the sacrificial lamb to bring redemption for a fallen human race.
And in Acts 4:27-28, the apostles said that Herod, Pilate, and the people of Israel only did what God had decided beforehand should be done.
That does not in any way excuse their actions. But it does point out that what they did was what God had planned to happen. Good Friday was planned from the beginning.
Why it Was Good
Jesus’ defeat of his enemies was reason enough to identify that day as good. But, from our perspective, there is an even better reason. As a part of the passage that describes Jesus’ victory, Paul also describes its significance for us.
Colossians 2:13-14 tells us that, even when we were dead in our sins, God made us alive with Christ, canceling the charges against us, nailing them to the cross. In a way, our sinful nature was nailed to the cross with Jesus.
The author of Hebrews tells us something similar, although from a different perspective. Hebrews 9:11-10:18 is a lengthy discussion of Jesus as our great high priest who took his blood into the heavenly Holy of Holies and offered it there as an atoning sacrifice for us.
And because of that, “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Colossians 10:10).
Another look at this comes from Revelation 5:1-14. In this passage, we see the Lion of the tribe of Judah, looking like a lamb that was slain. And he was found worthy to open the sealed scroll held by God. And when the Lamb (Jesus) took the scroll, the creatures and elders around the throne sang:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10).
The blood of Jesus purchased people for God. Another word for purchased is redeemed. And Galatians 4:4 tells us that redemption was why Jesus came. “To redeem those under the law so that we might receive adoption to sonship.”
God’s purpose in redemption was not to transfer us from one slavery to another. Instead, it was to free us from slavery in order to adopt us into his family.
On the cross, Jesus canceled our sin indebtedness, made us holy through his sacrifice, and purchased us from the world to be a kingdom and priests to serve God.
What appeared to be the darkest day in human history turned out to be just the opposite. This was the brightest day in salvation history.
Good Friday
On Easter, we remember and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. With Jesus’ resurrection, he defeated death. Not just in his own life. But also for all who place their faith and trust in him.
But Easter would not be possible without Good Friday. On this day, we remember and celebrate Jesus’ death on the cross. We celebrate not that he died but what that death accomplished.
In his death, he defeated the powers and authorities that ruled over us, he redeemed us from slavery to sin, and he made possible a new life as adopted members of the family of God.
Good Friday was a dark day in human history. But it is a day to look back on with rejoicing. A day to join with that heavenly choir in singing the praises of our Lord.
For further reading:
What’s So Good about Good Friday?
Were We Really Crucified with Christ on Good Friday?
10 Good Friday Traditions to Remember the Easter Story
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