Good Friday is presumably the day when Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross. Though the exact day of the crucifixion is debatable, Good Friday is the Friday preceding the resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday.
As Good Friday marks the death of Christ, there probably isn’t much good in this day. It would be more understandable for Christ’s resurrection to be celebrated as Good Sunday. After all, a resurrection is good but a death isn’t.
I often wondered the reason we call it Good Friday. Why is Christ’s death recorded as good?
Death
Death is a taboo in so many cultures that people avoid mentioning it. Even if it’s not superstitious for some, there’s nothing good in regards to death to talk about. Oxford Dictionary defines ‘death’ as ‘the end of the life of a person or organism.’
Anyone’s life coming to an end isn’t good. Even deaths of the worst criminals are not celebrated. No matter how bad a person is, their lives are still precious. Needless to say, a good person’s death will not be called good.
Christ’s death was definitely bad news for the Jews who expected him to save them. The women mourned his death and brought perfume for his burial. His disciples hid themselves in an upper room, unsure of their next step, at the loss of their head.
All was gloomy on Good Friday because of Jesus’ death. People presumed things came to an end with Christ’s death—no king to free them, no teacher to instruct them, no leader to guide them.
Not the end
While Good Friday is the day Christ died, his death wasn’t the end of him. Christ lives on as he was resurrected on Easter Sunday.
Although not entirely the same, Christ dying on the cross and being buried in a tomb could be liken to a caterpillar that turns into a pupa in a cocoon. The caterpillar’s life comes to an end but it actually lives on as a butterfly after emerging from the cocoon.
Christ no longer lived in his physical body after the crucifixion on Good Friday but just as the caterpillar which is now a butterfly is still alive, he lives on as the Son of God.
Completion of his purpose
Good Friday is merely the end of Christ’s life on earth. His journey on earth came to an end with his crucifixion.
His crucifixion was the completion of his purpose on earth—to die for our sins. What was viewed as the end of a life was actually the accomplishment of a mission.
According to 1 Peter chapter 1, verses 19–20, Christ was chosen even before the creation of the world to shed his blood in order to redeem us. Christ always knew he was coming to earth to die in our place so that we who have all sinned can now be reconnected to God who is holy.
Good indeed
When we see it from a different perspective, Good Friday is the winning point in God’s match for us with Satan. It is the day we are victorious as God’s ultimate plan for us to come to him again was enacted.
Matthew chapter 27, verse 51, records that ‘at that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split.’
The splitting of the temple curtains happened on Good Friday after Christ died and not after his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Christ’s death allowed us to come before God freely. This meant even before Jesus’ resurrection, there was no longer a barrier between God and us.
Since Christ’s death was all part of God’s plan to redeem us, his death isn’t really bad. Moreover, Christ is still alive and he is not only our king, our teacher, and our leader but now also our redeemer and mediator.
As such, Good Friday, Christ’s death, is in all actuality good indeed.
First published in Christian Today New Zealand
Esther Koh is a stay-at-home mum living in Wellington with her husband and two sons. She loves people and has a passion for helping others find their purpose for living.
Esther Koh’s previous articles may be viewed at