A lot of people ask, What is Good Friday?, meaning, Why do we call it Good Friday if that’s the day that Jesus died? What’s good about that?
To be honest, for a long time I didn’t really understand the significance of Good Friday–even after I became a Christian. It was only after I grew in my faith and I began to mature in my study of God’s Word that the profound significance of Good Friday, meaning the day the Jesus Christ was crucified, became clear to me. And I must admit, whenever I begin to really think about it, my understanding is renewed, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude.
Celebrating Good Friday means you understand the crux of Christianity. Good Friday is good because that is the day that we celebrate and honor the fact that Jesus Christ chose to die for us.
Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. (John 19:28-30)
As a Christian, I explain the meaning of Good Friday as the basis of my faith. Honoring Good Friday, along with the celebration of Easter on Sunday, is so special. It’s important to me that my children understand it as well, to the best of their ability. This day says we cannot save ourselves. Without Christ’s selfless act, without His choosing to give His life, we would be living by the law, and not by grace. That’s the reason Christians put so much emphasis on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter as such important holidays. It is the “why” behind the celebration of our salvation.
Good Friday is the mirror held up by Jesus so that we can see ourselves in all our stark reality, and then it turns us to that cross and to His eyes and we hear these words, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” That’s us! And so we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. We see in that cross a love so amazing, so divine, that it loves us even when we turn away from it, or spurn it, or crucify it. There is no faith in Jesus without understanding that on the cross we see into the heart of God and find it filled with mercy for the sinner–whoever he or she may be. ~Robert G. Trache
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior, would you consider doing so right now? Now is the time, and today is the day. Pray the prayer below, and receive His love and forgiveness:
“Dear Father, I realize that I have broken your laws and my sins separate me from you. I am truly sorry. I want to turn away from my sins and turn instead toward you. Please forgive me. I believe that your Son is Jesus Christ. I acknowledge that He died for my sins and that He rose again on the third day. I know He is alive and He hears my prayer. I want Jesus to be the Lord of my life from now on. Fill me with the Holy Spirit, and help me to listen to Him and allow Him to lead me in glorifying You with my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
My Good Friday prayer for you is that this Easter is celebrated with family and friends, thanking the Lord together for His wonderful gift of Jesus.
If you choose to pray this prayer of salvation, please share the news with me. I want to know. If you have already accepted Jesus as your Savior, I would love to hear your testimony.
::Find more of Kelly’s devotional articles HERE.
I have always had a belief in Jesus, just not a really close relationship. Through hard times in my life I reached the “bottom” and it was then and only then that I started looking up. I finally realized that I was not in charge of my life, but that I finally had to stop trying to make things happen and leave it all in God’s hands. It has been a miraculous journey since, and I look forward to each day to find what God has in store for me. What a wonderful God we have!
~Blessings,
Krysti
Krysti – Thank you so much for sharing! I agree that the joy is in the journey itself. 🙂
My heartfelt appreciation goes to the author for their exceptional ability to make complex concepts accessible and engaging
My parents are hindu but i have accepted Christ as my saviour and God.I believe in Jesus Christ and i believe that one day all my parents, villagers and my nearones will also accept Christ.
Thank you so much for your comment. It encourages me to hear how the Lord is working in each person’s life. Knowing how He works in and through us, I believe with you that one day they will come to know Him. Have a blessed Easter!
I have always believe in God but my relationship with him was not close. Basically I use him as if he is a spare tire. A month ago I was very sick and I did not think I was going to make it. One ealy morning while lying in my hospital bed half asleep and somewhat awake, I saw a man kneeling but suspended in the air on My left side of my bed. I woke up he disappeared. I slept again and it happened all over again. Thank God, I recovered from my illness and eversince I have become closer to him and I beg him to help me carry on.
I love how God uses our experiences, and meets us right where we are.
Wonderfully written, I am passing this on to my friends, I will think of my Lord Jesus all day long
Cassie- thank you! That is why I wanted to share, in hopes others would share and more would come to know how great and loving he truly is.
I felt as if I was fighting a war with no one by my side. Now by the grace of God he fights my war with me by his side. I could never be more grateful for our savior Jesus Christ! May he bring peace to all of us, and those we hold dear to us!
Ollie- I know what you mean, but I love how he displayed that love , that “walking by our side” through his great sacrifice.
Thank you for this information. I just never really understood how it could be consider “GOOD” Friday, When Jesus died… But you helped me understand. I have been a Christian for many years… have not always been as good and faithful as I should’ve been… but I am getting right with my Lord & Savior again… and plan on staying on the right track. Happy Good Friday & have a safe and Happy, Blessed Easter!
Karen- that is exactly why I decided to share this post. I think there is so much not understood on why we call it “good”. Thank you so much for reading!
Thank you for such a beautiful written post on Good Friday. I just had to link to it on my blog too. I hope that others get to hear of the wonderful gift we all have in Christ.
This prayer brings truth to the ignorance that goes in and out of each and every human on earth. The best of people are still living in ignorance if not learning and growing in God’s grace. Jesus has planted so many wonderful seeds during His lifetime that people have a long time to understand the love he has shared. Sacrifice is His purpose which allows Him to live on forever in the name of His father. Honor the Lord in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit; Amen.
The jewish days starts at sundown,so why Sunday if Jesus rosed on the third day.
This article really touched home to me. Growing up in the church was a routine for my siblings and I, not fully understanding the depth of FAITH. As an adult I kept the same routine for my children and grandkids.
In 2010 I was diagnosed with Cancer, at that point life was flashing before me. I was upset and confused as to WHY ME. That was wrong cause you never question GOD, things happen for a reason whether good or bad. I knew of JESUS but going through my ordeal, I know him personally.
Going through CHEMO and RADIATION was awful but I talked with my JESUS through each treatment and studied my bible. He healed my body and now I’am CANCER FREE by his GRACE N MERCY. My life is so much better now, I had downfalls cause I was out there living of the world.
The DEVIL will have you to think you can straddle the fence but you have to serve HIM or GOD. I chose THE FATHER<SON AND HOLYGHOST. AMEN
I praise the Lord that you are free! May you continue to serve a surrendered life to Christ forevermore!
It’s a pity the name of the day is just ‘Good Friday’. But Idon’t think there is any better way to express it. What a wonderful gift God has given to humankind!. Friday is now ‘Good’ because He bore all the ‘bad’ for each and every one. How we live today determines whether or not the day remains ‘good’. May we have a wonderful Easter season.
hi, have a blessed Easter season. The time is here for all of us to encourage others to meet our Savior. You do that in this blog. Rich in His Grace. I have been a Christian for over 50 years, blessed to be raised in a believing home.
Hi my name s sonali actally iam hindu bt i belive in all gods and i hve trust on goids bt in our cast should not wear the any lawcat bt i hve and i vl for chirsh all bt in my family they wont accept that bt still i vll go to in chirsh. today i understood wht is mean by good friday…………………………………………..
thanks for information thank you
Thaks,
To day my child asked me what is the meaning of good friday i have refer yr site and explain him the meaning of good Friday
Regards
jatin
My Easter Nightmare…..
Yes, I guess we all have night-mares,
When we wake up late at night,
We shiver with unearthly fear,
And recall some ghastly sight.
I get those self same night-mares
And there`s something I must say,
My night-mares come at Easter
In the middle of the day.
When I think of my Lord Jesus,
As He struggles `neath the cross,
Bearing the sin of sinners
For without Him, we`d be lost.
I hear the hoards of people
Who spit and scorn their King,
Yet Jesus wore a Crown of Thorns
And was Lord of Everything.
I hear the sound the hammer makes
And I feel the awful pain,
As cruel nails bite into His flesh
Again…and again…..and again.
Then the cross is raised, and Jesus hangs
In triumph…. for all to see
Racked with indescribable pain,
He died….for you and me.
Now it takes some understanding,
As to why our Saviour died,
When He had so many followers
On whom he had relied.
Yet still God gave His only Son,
And He watched and saw Him die.
Was this the way to save the world
From sinners like you and I.
Geoffrey Kennell©
god is great
I am a Christian and am I am just a little disturbed by the fact that other Christians are celebrating things that have nothing to do with Jesus’ death or resurrection. Where in the Bible is Lent, Good Friday, and Easter mentioned as something Christians are commanded to celebrate? These holidays are not Christian and the meanings behind them are not about God or Jesus.
Hi Takiyah,
You are right that Christians are not commanded to celebrate any of these things, however, Lent, Good Friday, and Easter are holy days that are rich in meaning for a person who has given their life to Christ and follows Him as their Lord and Savior. (You can read more about what Lent is all about here: https://faithfulprovisions.com/2012/02/29/what-is-lent/.)
Good Friday is explained in this post. It is the day that Jesus gave up His life–the ultimate sacrifice–by dying on the cross and serving as the sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.
Easter is a day that Christians celebrate because we recognize this Sunday as the anniversary of the day that Jesus rose from the grave, defeating sin and death–something no one else could ever do. I understand what you mean, and there are pagan customs that have gotten intertwined with many of the ways that we celebrate these holidays, but for me, I celebrate these things because I want to and because it helps me keep my mind focused on what Christ has done for me. Hope this helps explain!
I surrender all to HIM from now on I really need ur prayers
Very well put !! 🙂
I am a Christian but I don’t know how 2 draw closer 2 God and I have been through some rough times in my life and I’m only 27 and I find it hard 2 keep looking up or looking forward I just need 2 know how 2 bond with Christ in all that I do each and everyday? God Bless
Hi Maggie,
I want to recommend a couple of things to you. First, tell God exactly what you told me here. Just pray and tell Him that you want to know how to grow closer to Christ and that you need help to keep looking up and to stay positive. Those are the kinds of prayers that God loves to answer!
Also, I want to encourage you to begin reading the Bible every day. Start with the book of John. (You can find it free, online here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1&version=VOICE) Just read a chapter a day, or whatever you have time for. John is a great book to read that will really help you get to know Jesus better and draw closer to Him. Once you begin to pray and read God’s Word on a daily basis, you’ll find that you are thinking about Him more, and your focus will be on Him each and every day.
Also, I encourage you to get involved in a church where you can have the support and love of other believers. A loving church family or small group that meets regularly can help your faith grow by leaps and bounds!
Keep me posted on how you are doing, Maggie. I believe that God will take those rough times that you have had in your life and use them for His glory. 🙂
Jesus had to have been crucified on Wednesday; prior to passover celebrations. Pagan rituals adopted to try to grow Christianity have no place in the Body of Christ–the true and only church
After accepting Yeshua’s sacrifice of Himself for our failures, then begins the road to sanctification that only Father, Son and Holy Spirit working together can bring each individual to his sin free place in the Body and prepared for the millennial reign. HALLELU–JAH!!!! ALL PRAISE, HONOR, GLORY , POWER TRUTH, etc belong to YHWH.
I have always known about who God is and how he sent his son to die for us. Knowing this, I went to church and participated in bible studies, but I was only going through the motions. I realized in high school that I had been feeling empty so I tried to find my contentment and comfort in my church and “good” friends. During my sophomore year of high school, God had taken away my friends and my church and I felt completely lost. I turned from Him because I thought that He had turned from me. I soon realized that God had taken those things away from me because I needed to find my comfort in Him so once I did that, He brought me amazing God-loving friends and an even better church, and that year, I accepted Him into my life for real this time and my life has never been the same since!
Father….
I m Hindu by birth… brought and taught in DON BOSCO.. missionary school… Father i beg the Saviour Christ to forgive my sins and purify my heart…
Thank you for this explanation – I wondered why we didn’t celebrate the 3rd day after Christ died…and now I get it – Easter is an anniversary celebration of Christ – yes He has risen!! Thank you Jesus!!
It seemed like I was in a battle and nobody was helping me. Today, with God’s help, he fights my battle beside me. No amount of thanksgiving to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will ever be enough for me. We pray that he brings ourselves and those we love peace.
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