What's So Good About "Good Friday?"

Today is the day that we celebrate the death of Christ our Savior. It is, or at least should be, a somber day of remembrance as we think about the ultimate price of sacrifice that Christ paid on our behalf. The pain and suffering He faced was immense. The betrayal by his closest of friends was devastating. And yet despite the ordeal that He went through, knowing full well what He was too face, he still chose to do it.
With that in mind though, I have to wonder why we refer to this day as “Good Friday?” As I read through the New Testament account of what transpired that day, so many years ago, I have to stop and wonder what was so “Good” about it. It is something I have always questioned. It seems that it would be more fitting to call it “Bad Friday,” or “Black Friday (not to be confused with that horrid day after Thanksgiving),” or “The Day of Death.” Something a tad bit more morbid sounds as if it may be a bit more apropos in spite of what we celebrate.
So what is so good about today? What is it about the death of Christ that can be called good? Allow me to offer up a few suggestions as to why we call it “Good Friday.”

1. We call it “good” because we have been reconciled with God. Prior to the cross, it was our sin that created that deep and wide chasm between us and God. That perfect fellowship that was enjoyed in the garden had been severed and we had been cast from the presence of God. Because of the price that Christ paid for us on the cross we now have a restored relationship with God the Father. For the first time since the fall, God was able to look upon His created beings and not see the sin that separated them from Him. The veil was torn in two and our peace can now be found in God the Father once again.

2. We call it “good” because we have been redeemed through His shed blood on the cross. Our sin has made us as worthless as filthy rags that are of no value to anyone. Christ saw our worth. Christ saw beyond the corruption and the filth that sin has brought into our lives and bought us back from the grip of death. He saw past whatever evil things we had done in the past and even those we had yet to do in the future and saw that we were still worth something. How often we wrestle with our own self-worth and value? How often we downgrade ourselves to worthless people that no one could love? And yet, even though we may see ourselves in that light, Christ the Redeemer saw us as something more. Something good, something worth saving.

3. We call it “good” because we didn’t have to go though it ourselves. I know that sounds selfish. Sort of a “better Him than me” mentality but that just what Christ wanted. He willingly offered Himself up on the Cross: “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” –John 15:13. It was the way it was supposed to be from the beginning. Let’s be honest, had we been faced with the same situation, we would have bailed like the disciples did. If we had even an inkling of what was about to transpire, we would have ran like a bat out of hell. But that’s the beauty of it. Christ knew that and he was willing to do it Himself. He was willing to suffer the torment on our behalf so that we didn’t have to go through it. Not only did He do it so that we didn’t have to, but He did it so as to be an example to us when we face trials and suffering. Because He offered up himself in my place, so that I didn’t have to, I can face the trials in my own life.
So is today a “good” day? No, today is a great day. Today is a day that I can rejoice in what Christ did for me, the lowly wretch that I am. I didn’t deserve it. I didn’t earn it. If anything, I have done everything to persuade Him to do otherwise, and yet Christ still went to the cross for me. And even if I had been the only person in the entire universe to sin, He still would have done it…just for me. And even if you were the only person in the entire universe, He would have done it for you as well. That my friends, is why we call today “Good Friday.”