Friday

Good Friday. Why do we call it that? After all, this was a day of great humiliation, unspeakable pain, and, ultimately, the death of Jesus, wasn’t it? What is so good about all of that?

This wasn’t the day the disciples expected. Even though Jesus had mentioned multiple times that this day was coming, they had no concept of how bad it would be. The night before, Judas handed Jesus over to Roman soldiers. Shortly after, he stood before Pilate in the most unjust of trials. Finally, he was sentenced to a criminal's death by way of crucifixion, though he committed no such crimes. How bad was this crucifixion, you might ask? We get our English word excruciating from the Roman word “out of the cross.” Crucifixion, though not invented by the Romans, was perfected by them. Its whole meaning and purpose was to bring about a slow death with maximum pain and suffering. However, as painful as this was for Jesus physically, what we see in Matthew’s gospel is that the greatest pain felt by Jesus on this day was spiritual.

Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Matthew 27:46). This is the only time in Matthew’s Gospel where we see Jesus address God without calling him “Father.” For the first time in his entire life, Jesus experienced relational separation from God. His cry was not “Why has Judas betrayed me?” or “Why has Peter denied me?” Though those would have undoubtedly caused Jesus immense pain emotionally. His most anguishing cry on this day was, “God, why have you forsaken me?”

So again, we ask ourselves: what is so good about Good Friday? It is this: the separation Jesus experienced with the Father made way for our reconciliation with God. “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Good Friday was the day when the curse of sin was reversed. It was the day when Jesus accomplished what our religious deeds could not. It was the day when God put his love on display by way of a cross. Good Friday is the day when God put death to death.

As good as this day was for us, Jesus has more. Sunday is coming.

For a full account of the events of this day, see Matthew 27:1–61, Mark 15:1–47, Luke 23:1–56, John 18:28–19:42.

Reflection Questions

1. What does the pain and separation from God that Jesus felt on this day communicate about his love for you?
2. What is your response to God’s love for you?

Prayer

Jesus, I thank you for what you did for me on Good Friday. I cannot imagine the unspeakable pain you felt on this day. I thank you for doing what I could never do for myself. I thank you for what you accomplished for me on the cross. Today, my only response is thankfulness and to tell others of your love. In your name, I pray, Amen.