Why Good Friday is Great

The Mystery of "Good Friday"

Have you ever wondered why "Good Friday" is called good? After all, it commemorates the unjust trial, torture, and murder of an innocent man. How can such tragic events possibly be considered good? But before we dive into that, let’s step back and consider a broader question:

Why Do We Date History by Jesus Christ?

Have you ever wondered why human history is divided by the abbreviations "BC" and "AD"? "BC" stands for "Before Christ," and "AD" means "In the Year of Our Lord." All of human history is measured by the life of one man: Jesus Christ.

So, who was this man? Why is time itself marked by His life?

Jesus of Nazareth: The Man Who Changed History

By any historical standard, Jesus of Nazareth lived an extraordinary life. His birth, teachings, death, and resurrection are recorded in the first four books of the New Testament — known as "The Gospels." The term "Gospel" means "Good News."

In addition to these Biblical accounts, the life and death of Jesus are also documented by first-century historians such as Flavius Josephus (a Jewish historian), Tacitus (a Roman historian), and Pliny the Younger (a Roman governor). These sources help establish that Jesus of Nazareth, also known as Jesus Christ (Christ meaning "Anointed One" in Greek), lived over 2,000 years ago.

This brings us to an important question that everyone must consider for themselves:

Who Was Jesus?

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" After hearing what others said about Him, Peter, one of His most well-known disciples, answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

The Significance of Easter

Christians around the world celebrate Easter every year for this reason: We believe that Jesus was not just a man, but God in the flesh, sent to Earth on a "Divine Rescue Mission." This mission involved:

• Living a sinless life

• Willingly suffering and dying at the hands of the Romans to remove the stain of sin from humanity

Our sin is a stain, an offense to our Holy God. God tells us in Romans 3:23 that we can never remove this stain ourselves. According to God's Word, this stain has the potential to not only separate us from our loving Creator forever but also subject us to eternal consequences (John 3:16-18).

The Hope of the Resurrection

But the story of Easter doesn't end with Jesus' death and burial. If it did, there would be no "Good News" — no hope for those who, like Peter, believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, and the Son of the Living God.

As Jesus Himself predicted multiple times, He would rise from the dead after three days. And the Gospel accounts confirm that the tomb was empty on the third day. Jesus appeared alive to His disciples, who documented these events in their writings.

Even non-Christian sources such as Josephus, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger acknowledge the life and death of Jesus. This points to the undeniable reality that Jesus' resurrection is central to the message of Easter.

Why Is Good Friday "Great"?

So, how can Good Friday, a day marked by such suffering, be truly "Good" — or even "Great"? I encourage you to reflect this Easter season on Jesus' powerful question to each of us: "Who do you say that I am?" Your personal response to this question is what determines whether you truly believe Good Friday is, in fact, Great.

A Challenge from C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis, the famous Christian author and theologian (known for The Chronicles of Narnia), wrote:

"I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him (Jesus): 'I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic, on the level of a poached egg, or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make a choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."

Conclusion: The Choice Is Yours

"Who do you say that I am?" Your answer to this question will ultimately determine how you view Good Friday. For those who believe, it is a day that marks the incredible sacrifice of Jesus, who died to offer us eternal life. For those who don't, it may remain a day of confusion or indifference.

But for Christians, Good Friday is not just good — it is Great! It is the foundation of our hope, because it leads to the greatest news of all: the resurrection of Jesus and the promise of life eternal.

Who do you say that Jesus is?