What is good about Good Friday?

What is good about Good Friday?

Have you ever paused and asked, What is good about Good Friday?

It's a fair question. After all, it's the day that commemorates the brutal suffering and death of Jesus on a Roman cross. Betrayed, beaten, mocked, whipped, and crucified - what could possibly be good about that?

But here's the truth: Good Friday is good because it changed everything.

It began on Maundy Thursday. After sharing the Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus was arrested. He faced false accusations, endured the humiliation of mock trials, and was savagely whipped with a Roman "cat-o'-nine tails" - a whip that tore into His flesh. Then, forced to carry His cross through the streets, He was nailed to it and left to die in agony, surrounded by mockery and shame.

And yet, at the height of His suffering, Jesus cried out, "It is finished!" (John 19:30). In the original Greek, the word is Tetelestai - a cry not of defeat, but of victory. The price for sin had been paid in full.

That's what makes Good Friday good. Jesus took our place. He bore the punishment we deserved so that we could be forgiven, free, and fully reconciled to God.

Before Jesus' sacrifice, access to God was restricted. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and only once a year. But when Jesus died, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. That was not a coincidence - it was a divine declaration: The way to God is now open.

No more need for repeated sacrifices. Jesus is the once-and-for-all, perfect sacrifice. Through Him, you can be forgiven. Through Him, you can have a new life.

As Hebrews 10:17–18 (NLT) reminds us: "I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds." And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.

Good Friday is good because love triumphed over sin. Mercy overcame judgment. The cross wasn't the end - it was the beginning of new life for all who believe.

Friend, Jesus did all of this because He loves you - truly, deeply, completely.

The question is: Will you respond to His love today?