What Is Good Friday or Holy Friday?

What is Good Friday or Holy Friday and why is it called good?  Is this a Christian holy day?

What’s Good About Friday?

Most Christians understand that Jesus’ died on the cross, tradition says, on that Friday before Easter or Resurrection Sunday so why would it be called Good Friday?  Even non-believers may have heard about Good Friday but they may not understand why there was anything good about it.  So what can you tell your friends, family, neighbors, or co-workers who are not saved about Good Friday and why it’s called “good?”

His Bad for Our Good

Jesus died for sinners, tradition says, on the Friday before the resurrection.  The fact that He died for us was good for us but horribly bad for the Savior “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2).  Good Friday, sometimes called Holy Friday, precedes Easter or Resurrection Sunday and it takes place in what is called Holy Week.  Good Friday commemorates Jesus’ crucifixion or His passion and death on the cross for our sins. The term “good” comes from “pious, holy of the word” for “good.”  There are some that believe it was a corruption from the original “God Friday” but this cannot be known for certain.

In Remembrance of Him

Some people make this day a holy day but others esteem every day as holy before God.  Romans 14:5 is where Paul wrote “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord.”  Paul’s point is that we should not so much look to observe or make any day holier than another but observe each day “in honor of the Lord.”  Having said that, there’s certainly nothing wrong though with churches or Christians commemorating this day or recognizing Good Friday, just as long as the person is “fully convinced in his own mind” so regardless of what we might feel, “Who are you (or me) to pass judgment on the servant of another” because it will be “before his (or her) own master that he (or she) stands or falls.”  The Bible doesn’t teach or have any command to observe Friday before the resurrection but neither does it restrict this observance.  As long as it’s done to honor the Lord, why not?

Commemorations of Good Friday

The Catholic Church treats Good Friday as a day of fasting and prayer even though some have a small or a regular meal on that day.  Some churches have services on Good Friday night but this is not universal.  The Catholic Church is not alone in holding services but many churches spend services contemplating the crucifixion with Scriptural readings of the events leading up to the cross. He is sometimes remembered in subdued singing of hymns, preaching on the Passion Week, and observing the Lord’s Supper or Communion.  Again, the Bible doesn’t forbid or command any of these observances but the churches should be allowed freedom in this regard to do whatsoever is done “in honor of the Lord.” The Lord’s Supper or Communion however is a commanded ordinance given directly by the Lord Himself.

Conclusion

The first Good Friday was a very bad day for Christ but the end result was very, very good for us because a holy, righteous God, in Jesus Christ, became Man, lived a sinless life, took upon Himself our sins, and paid with His own life to make our own eternal life possible.  He was then raised from the dead on the third day, which is called Resurrection or Easter Sunday, so that we too might be raised to new life someday and inherit life everlasting.  If you have repented and trusted in Christ, then He is responsible for taking the hell on earth for you so that you can spend eternity in the kingdom of heaven with God.  He died while we were still His enemies and wicked sinners (Rom 5:8, 10) so that we might become the children of God and enter into the kingdom and be in the presence of the Lord for all time in joy unspeakable. That’s why that Friday was so good.  For Jesus Christ, it was a horrible Friday or whatever day it actually took place on, but for us, it is more than good.  A good God died for wicked sinners.  How good is that!?

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon