What’s So Good About Good Friday?

Good Friday, a most sacred day, commemorated by Christians throughout the world, preceding the joyous celebration of Resurrection Sunday—unfortunately, oft referred to as Easter Sunday. This celebrated day marks the moment when Jesus, the Word made flesh (John 1:14), our Savior and God (John 1:1), offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice upon the cross, that humanity might be redeemed.

Jesus, the Son of God, walked among His creation, drawing multitudes to pick up their cross and follow Him, embrace His healing compassion, and receive His mercy and grace. Yet among these many followers, a select few, the disciples, were His most trusted confidants, save for Judas Iscariot, the betrayer.

Though Jesus’ disciples walked with Him, they did not fully grasp the divine plan until it was fulfilled. On the eve of that fateful Friday, Jesus gathered His disciples for the Last Supper. He instituted the Lord’s Supper, declaring, “Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19). It was then that Jesus foretold the treachery of one among them, the disciple named Judas.

As the sun rose on Good Friday, Judas, driven by greed and darkness, betrayed Jesus with a deceptive kiss, delivering Him into the hands of the chief priests and elders (Matthew 26:47-56). Thus began a series of trials, where Jesus was judged by Annas and Caiaphas, and ultimately condemned by His own people for the crime of blasphemy. The Roman government, at the behest of these religious leaders, would carry out the death sentence.

Jesus, innocent and blameless, was presented before Pontius Pilate, who then sent Him to King Herod. Herod, in a cruel display of mockery, adorned Jesus in splendid garments (Luke 23:11) before returning Him to Pilate.

Herod questioned Jesus, hoping to witness some miraculous sign, but Jesus remained silent. In a display of mockery, Herod and his soldiers dressed Jesus in splendid clothing and then sent Him back to Pilate (Luke 23:6-11). Ultimately, it was Pilate who sentenced Jesus to crucifixion, succumbing to the pressure of the Jewish leaders and the angry mob demanding Jesus’ death.

Pilate, unable to find any guilt in Jesus, sought to appease the enraged crowd. In accordance with Jewish custom, he presented a choice between Jesus and Barabbas, a notorious prisoner, hoping the crowd would opt for Jesus’ release given the criminal reputation of Barabbas. However, the crowd ultimately chose to set Barabbas free, showcasing an early example of Jesus’ divine exchange—serving as a sinless substitute for a hardened criminal.

Thus, the Savior was condemned to bear the weight of His own cross upon the path to Golgotha, where He would be nailed to the cruel instrument of torture. There, He was taunted and abused by those who bore witness, until with His final breath, He declared, “It is finished.”

But what, one might ask, could make this heart-wrenching day so good?

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life (John 3:14-15). The profound doctrines of Imputed Righteousness and Penal Substitution illuminate the true glory of Good Friday.

Imputed Righteousness, a cornerstone of the Christian faith, particularly among Protestants, proclaims that the perfect, sinless righteousness of Jesus is granted to those who believe in Him. For through His divine sacrifice, He accomplished what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do (Romans 8:3-4).

However, to bestow His righteousness upon us, Jesus took upon Himself the weight of our sins. This is the essence of Penal Substitution, whereby Jesus, sinless and pure, bore the full measure of our transgressions upon the cross. God the Father unleashed His righteous judgment, His wrath, upon His beloved Son, Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Thus, on this darkest of days, when a three-hour shadow engulfed the land, the brilliance of God’s love for His people shone forth. It was the day of the great exchange: the death of Jesus for the eternal life of those who believe. It was the day when the guilt of sin was lifted from the shoulders of the faithful, and in a divine exchange, God declared His people righteous before Him. This monumental day heralded the triumph of Jesus over sin and death, ensuring the salvation of countless souls.

As Jesus hung upon the cross, He knew the purpose of His suffering was nearing completion. Embodying the Scriptures, He expressed His thirst, and they gave Him sour wine upon a hyssop branch (John 19:28-29). Having received the bitter draught, Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished,” and surrendered His spirit to the Father (John 19:30).

And so, Good Friday stands as a beacon of hope, a testament to God’s infinite mercy and boundless love for His people. Through the suffering and death of our sinless Savior, the chains of sin were shattered, and the doors to eternal life flung wide open.

In this divine act, the faithful are reminded of the power of redemption and the transformative nature of God’s grace. The darkest day in the history of Christianity was, in truth, the dawning of an era of light and life for those who would come to believe in Jesus Christ, the risen Lord and Savior.

In the sorrowful commemoration of Good Friday, let us not forget the triumphant message it bears: our God, in His infinite wisdom and love, offered His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for our sins, that we might be reconciled to Him and inherit the gift of eternal life. Through the blood of the Lamb, we are cleansed, renewed, and redeemed, and in His resurrection, we find our victory over sin and death.

Therefore, let us rejoice and give thanks, for in the midst of darkness and despair, Good Friday is indeed a day of incomparable goodness, shining forth the radiant love of our God and the promise of eternal life in His glorious presence.

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. —John 19:28-30

Day #10 l The Hope of Easter

Day 10 NAIL-SCARRED HANDS TODAY’S READING: John 20:19–29 Put your finger here, and look at my hands. . . . Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe! John 20:27  LISTEN ONLINE Like me, you may know exactly when you received certain wounds that left scars. A small scar on my wrist is the result of a fellow middle-school band member plowing me over in his haste. Another on my elbow is from the time a driver mistook the gas pedal for the brakes and slammed into our van. And a third comes from a surgery. Perhaps you also have mental and emotional scars from the pain of sickness, loss, or death. The wonderful, healing news is that, as the song “The Only Scars in Heaven” by Casting Crowns affirms, the only scars in heaven will belong to Jesus. In that place, we won’t be broken or wounded. We have the hope of a life without doubts, fears, mental anguish, or physical pain. We’ll be with Jesus, made new (Revelation 21:4). After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He appeared to His disciples and showed them the scars in His hands and side (John 20:20). Thomas wasn’t there, so he doubted the news (v. 25). Jesus returned and told him to touch His scars and not “be faithless any longer” (v. 27). His doubts gone, Thomas responded, “My Lord and my God!” (v. 28). Jesus died to take our sins away. His scars identify Him as the Lamb who was slain for us! (Revelation 5:6). We can believe and rejoice and be filled with hope, for one day He’ll hold us in His nail-scarred hands. Alyson Kieda What emotional or mental wounds do you still bear? How have you experienced healing through Jesus? Dear Jesus, thank You for being scarred for me. Help me to rejoice in You.

Day #9 l The Hope of Easter

Day 9 KNOWN BY GOD TODAY’S READING: John 20:11–18 [Mary] turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”). John 20:16  LISTEN ONLINE “Who is this stranger?” A college student in Georgia (USA) asked that question when a fellow student texted him saying a DNA test showed they could be brothers. Separated by adoption almost twenty years earlier, the young man texted a reply in which he asked what name the other student had been given at birth. He immediately answered, “Tyler.” Replied the other, “Yes!!! You are my brother!” He was recognized by his name. Consider how a name plays a key role in the Easter story. As it unfolds, Mary Magdalene comes to Christ’s tomb, and she weeps when she finds His body missing. “ ‘Dear woman, why are you crying?’ Jesus asked her” (John 20:15). She didn’t recognize Him, however, until He spoke her name, “Mary” (v. 16). Hearing Him say it, she “cried out, ‘Rabboni!’ (which is Hebrew for ‘Teacher’)” (v. 16). Her reaction expresses the hope and joy believers in Jesus feel on Easter morning, recognizing that our risen Christ conquered death for all, knowing each of us as His children. As He told Mary, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (v. 17). In Georgia, two reunited brothers bonded by name, have vowed to take “this relationship to the next level.” On Easter, we praise Jesus for already taking the utmost step to rise in sacrificial love for those He knows as His own. For you and me, indeed, He’s alive! Patricia Raybon How does it feel knowing that Jesus rose again and knows you by name? How can you know Him better? Your knowledge of me is humbling, dear Jesus. Thank You for the sacrificial gift of Your knowing love and the hope of eternal life with You.

Day #8 l The Hope of Easter

Day 8 DETECTIVE WORK TODAY’S READING: 1 Corinthians 15:12–24 Christ has been raised from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:20  LISTEN ONLINE In 1986, Sir David Suchet, the English actor known for playing detective Hercule Poirot, began a quest to understand the resurrection of Jesus. Wondering what would happen after he died, he began reading the book of Romans. After twenty years of careful consideration, he committed fully to believing in Jesus. “Without the resurrection there is no faith,” Suchet concluded, echoing Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Thus, he observed, what he believes “is based not only on the death, the crucifixion, of Jesus, but also on the resurrection.” The miracle of Jesus rising from the dead, Suchet said, is what gives us hope and points to Him being both human and God. When Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, which he’d founded and lived with for eighteen months, he was concerned over reports of division and a waning belief in the resurrection. He stated: “If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). Not only did Jesus die and rise again, but so would His believers as well. If the church at Corinth didn’t hold on to this hope, then they would be pitied “more . . . than anyone in the world” (v. 19). When God helps us to trust that Jesus rose from the dead, we can delight in the assurance that we’ll live with Him forever. And that’s a wonderful conclusion to a worthy quest. Amy Boucher Pye How does knowing that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive give you hope and shape you in the way you live? Why does this matter? Risen Christ, thank You for dying on the cross and rising to new life. I rejoice in the life I have with You. ive? Why does this matter?

Day #7 l The Hope of Easter

Day 7 AS SPRING FOLLOWS WINTER TODAY’S READING: Psalm 2 What joy for all who take refuge in him! Psalm 2:12  LISTEN ONLINE Standing trial for the “crime” of writing about his nation’s unprovoked invasion of another, the journalist made his final statement. Yet he didn’t defend himself. Instead, he spoke boldly. “The day will come when the darkness over our country will dissipate,” he said, “when at the official level it will be recognized that two times two is still four; when a war will be called a war.” With irrepressible confidence, he continued: “This day will come as inevitably as spring follows even the coldest winter. ”World events often seem irrevocably bleak. Lies and violence are the way of the world. It’s nothing new. A thousand years before Jesus’ crucifixion, the psalmist David wrote of the Messiah he awaited: “The kings of the earth prepare for battle; . . . against the Lord and against his anointed one” (Psalm 2:2). God merely laughs (v. 4). The rightful King would one day “break them with an iron rod” (v. 9). David wrote, “Be warned, you rulers of the earth! Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling” (vv. 10-11). The arrest and crucifixion of Jesus was the worst human rights atrocity ever, yet it’s through that travesty of justice that Christ conquered sin and death and offers us hope. As sure as spring follows winter, the darkness is dissipating, fleeing before the Light of the World. “What joy for all who take refuge in him!” (v. 12). Tim Gustafson What events tempt you to despair? Where and how do you experience the Light of the World today? Precious Savior, may Your light flood this dark world and give us hope for a future with You.

Day #6 l The Hope of Easter

Day 6 GOD REMEMBERS TODAY’S READING: Exodus 2:23–25 God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant. Exodus 2:24  LISTEN ONLINE Sok Ching had just recovered from Covid-19 when her aged mother took a fall. Days later, her mother died. Then her estranged husband filed for divorce and threatened to fight for custody of their young son. Sok Ching felt like she was going through a desert, totally drained of life. Where is God? she wondered. Does He know what I’m going through? She found it tough even to pray. Then Exodus 2:23-25 came to mind. The Israelites were suffering a multitude of troubles: an oppressive pharaoh, cruel slave masters, their sons were being killed. They must have asked the same question: “Where is God?” But He was there: “God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant . . . . He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act” (vv. 24-25). Though their deliverance would come forty years later, the Israelites were assured that God knew their pain and would respond. As Sok Ching read from her journal, it reminded her of the time God helped her take care of her mom, strengthened her when her husband left her, and encouraged her as a single mother. And she recalled how Jesus went to the cross for us.“ It gives me hope,” she said, “knowing that God is there for me in the desert.” She could declare in confidence, “God is there. And He remembers.” Leslie Koh How has God helped you through tough times in the past? How can you draw strength from His promises? Father, You know what I’m going through, and You know my pain and worry. I know You care for me. Help me to keep trusting in You.

Day #5 l The Hope of Easter

Day 5 THE SWEEPER’S PRAYER TODAY’S READING: John 14:1–10 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6  LISTEN ONLINE When Raza saw a man sweeping his street, he felt sorry for him and gave him some money. The man thanked him and asked Raza if he could pray for him. Surprised, Raza wondered how to answer, feeling conflicted but wanting to make the man happy. He consented and the sweeper prayed, giving thanks for the money and for Raza, saying “God, please show him the way, the truth and the life. ”Raza was puzzled by the prayer but forgot about it. Yet six years later, “God changed my life,” he said, when he came to know Jesus as his Savior. Suddenly he understood that God had answered the sweeper’s prayer, for in Jesus Raza had found the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus told His friends on the night before He died that they would know “the way to where I am going” (John 14:4). Thomas questioned how they could know the way because they didn’t know where He was going. Jesus responded: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (v. 6). He assured them that if they knew Him, they would also know the Father (v. 7). Jesus breaks down the barriers and brings us into His Father’s presence. He’s the way to a fulfilled life; He’s the truth that sets us free; He gives us life, love, and hope. Amy Boucher Pye How might God inspire you to pray for others, perhaps even a stranger on the street? How have you seen Him answer someone’s prayers for you? Dear Jesus, You’re the way, the truth, and the life. Thank You for taking me to the Father through Your work on the cross.

Day #4 l The Hope of Easter

Day 4 WAY MORE TODAY’S READING: John 13:6–20 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” John 13:7  LISTEN ONLINE George had a passion for telling others about Jesus. He organized a gospel crusade in his high school. In college, he recruited two of his friends to distribute the Bible in Mexico. George Verwer later founded the international ministry Operation Mobilization. Successful though he was, Verwer was aware of mistakes he made. In his book Messiology, he wrote, “I believe history will show that God was doing way more in the midst of our messes than we realized at the time.” Jesus said something to Peter on the evening of the Last Supper that would affirm Verwer’s contention. About to wash Peter’s feet, Christ said, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will” (John 13:7). Intriguingly, Peter’s “mess” hadn’t happened yet: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me” (v. 38). But it was a much bigger mess that Jesus was referring to: the sin of all mankind. The disciples didn’t know that God was doing something far greater than they realized. In living for Jesus, we may find ourselves in our own “messiology.” Even in our best work, we make mistakes, mess things up, and fall into despair. But Jesus tells His disciples, “I am the Messiah” (v. 19). That gives us real hope. We may not know what God is doing, but we should trust in who He is. He’s way more than what we understand. Kenneth Petersen What in your life is hard to understand? How are God’s purposes confusing to you? Dear God, please help me accept that Your ways are not always known to me.

Day #3 l The Hope of Easter

Day 3 FINDING JOY IN LONGING TODAY’S READING: Romans 8:18–27 If we look forward to something we don’t have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently. Romans 8:25  LISTEN ONLINE Author Susan Cain’s research revealed that people played the happy songs on their playlists an average of 175 times but the sad songs 800 times. What is it about sad music that’s so compelling for many? Cain suggests it has to do with our hunger for longing—“joy that’s laced with sorrow. Which is often triggered when we experience something so exquisite that it seems to come to us from some other world. . . . Except it only lasts a moment, and we really want to live there for good. ”Longing, Cain argues, is inseparable from passion and love, for “the place you suffer is the exact same place where you care desperately.” So instead of fearing our pain, Cain suggests that our longing can point us “in the direction of the sacred. ”Cain’s insights remind me of how Paul describes how “the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay” (Romans 8:21). While Jesus has already defeated sin and death, we still wait for His victory to be seen in its fullness in all of creation. That day isn’t here yet. We live in hope, and “if we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it” (v. 24). But as we wait, we experience joy and hope in the longing, as the Spirit carries and strengthens us in God’s love (vv. 26-27, 39). Monica La Rose When have you experienced joy and sorrow simultaneously? How can longing connect us to hope? Precious Father, thank You for filling my heart with longing for You and the beauty of Your kingdom. Help that hope to anchor my heart.

Day #2 l The Hope of Easter

Day 2 WHEN DISAPPOINTMENT COMES TODAY’S READING: Romans 5:1–11 This hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.  Romans 5:5  LISTEN ONLINE To try to rid himself of his disappointments, a man decided to auction off his belongings on eBay. He said, “On the day all my possessions are sold, I intend to walk out of my front door with my wallet and passport and nothing else.” He planned to visit his mother before heading to the airport. “I’ll see where life takes me from there. It’s time to shed the old and in with the new!” All of us can relate to the disappointments of life. The apostle Paul encouraged the believers in Jesus in Rome to remember that Jesus’ death provided them with “peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1). This divine peace empowers all believers to experience “hope [that] will not lead to disappointment” (v. 5). Moreover, it helps us face difficulties without running away from them. “Trials,” he wrote, are designed to develop “endurance . . . strength of character, and . . . hope” within us (vv. 3-4). God’s presence provides a settled confidence that He loves us and will empower us through the Holy Spirit (v. 5). And His love and the Spirit’s presence provide the assurance that our trust in Him isn’t misplaced (v. 8). As believers in Jesus, rather than running from our disappointments, we can rejoice in them, knowing that God is walking with us through them. Marvin Williams What was your initial response to a recent disappointment? What will help you express your confident hope in God even when facing disappointments? Dear God, please help me trust in You when I face the hard and disappointing times of life.