There are a myriad of reasons why Good Friday is Good. It’s arguably the best day in the history of the world, even though it seems like the worst. The entire calendar revolves around this day. There are reasons galore why Good Friday is good. Here are just five of them. (*Warning: There are big words in this post, but I think you’ll see that they’re necessary.)

1. *Objective Justification. I know, I know. Big words. But these words changed your life and mine. Good Friday is good because of Objective Justification. Those two words mean that on Good Friday Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of man, sacrificed Himself for the sin of every person, of every time, and of every place. Jesus died for every human being who ever lived and who ever will live. Yes, even those terrorists of whom you’re thinking. Think about it: if Jesus didn’t die for all, then He didn’t die for me. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty good.
2. *Subjective Justification. I know, I know. More big words. But these words also changed your life and mine. Good Friday is good because of Subjective Justification. Those two words mean that on Good Friday Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of man, sacrificed Himself for you. In other words, let’s say that you were the only person that ever lived, or you were the only person in the history of the world that ever sinned. In that case, Jesus would have died for you. His sacrifice on the cross is yours. He did it for you. That’s subjective. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty good.
3. Dramatic Worship. Good Friday worship is pretty dramatic. In the Tenebrae service, with each of Jesus’ seven words from the cross the lights get lower and lower until it’s almost completely dark in the sanctuary. After the last of seven candles has been doused the “Christ Candle” is taken from the sanctuary and a loud sound called the strepitus is heard to remind us of the sealing of the tomb. The service isn’t dramatic just for the sake of being dramatic. It’s dramatic because it tells the story of the climax of history’s most important account. To borrow a phrase from Harry Wendt, The Divine Drama comes to fruition in the crucifixion of Christ on the cross. And, in God’s plan, we were there with Him. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty good.
4. Most people know what it is. If you utter the two words “Good Friday” to anyone, they will more than likely know what you’re talking about. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen anymore, but in my lifetime there was even a time when businesses shut down from noon to 3 p.m. on Good Friday. I once worked in a bank and that’s what we did. Though our culture is decidedly moving away from Christianity and Christian morals, Good Friday is still part of our vernacular which means that there’s still hope that people might listen to you if you invite them to church on Good Friday. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty good.
5. Good Friday points to Easter. Good Friday is good because of what happens on Sunday. On Easter morning the dead Jesus comes back to life and leaves the grave on His own two feet. You can’t have Easter without Good Friday, and you can’t have Good Friday without Easter. They go together. Without one or the other our sins wouldn’t be forgiven, we wouldn’t receive the gift of salvation, and we would have no hope for our own bodily resurrection. But they both happened. So we get all of that. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty good.

Yes, Good Friday is more than good. It’s great. It’s incredible. It’s grace-full. It’s wonder-full. It’s life-changing and life-giving. And it’s all for you.

Why do you think Good Friday is good?