Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore

Good Friday: Unpacking the Meaning Behind the Name

Good Friday is traditionally a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion and death of Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary and the following Sunday would be Easter Sunday which celebrates the resurrection of the Christ.   The crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus are foundational events in Christianity, pivotal moments in history that occurred approximately two millennia ago and profoundly influenced the world’s calendar, dividing it into BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, “in the year of the Lord”). Even today, when we say the year is 2025, we are, in many ways, counting the years since Christ’s arrival into the world.

This begs the question: what makes the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ so significant that we observe an international holiday called Good Friday? The irony is palpable. If it was a day of immense suffering and death, shouldn’t it be called “Bad Friday”? Furthermore, countless individuals throughout history have been crucified and died. What distinguishes the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ? Let me highlight three key reasons for its unique significance:

1. He Was Not a Helpless Victim: Unlike others who faced crucifixion, Christ was not a powerless victim caught in circumstances from which he couldn’t escape. On the contrary, He was the most powerful man to have walked the earth. Throughout his life, He demonstrated dominion over disease, healing all manner of illnesses; over nature, even calming a raging sea; over demonic forces, driving out demons; and even over death itself, raising people back to life. When the soldiers came to arrest Him in the Garden of Gethsemane and asked for “Jesus of Nazareth,” He stepped forward and declared, “I am He.” In response, the entire battalion of soldiers recoiled and fell to the ground. They couldn’t withstand the power of His words, let alone His actions. This same Jesus allowed these soldiers, who had fallen at His command, to crucify Him. No one could have forced Him onto the cross. The Bible states that He willingly gave Himself for us. He volunteered to die; in fact, He came into the world for this very purpose.

2. He Was God in Human Flesh: Jesus Christ substantiated His claim as the Son of God through His teachings and miracles. No one had ever spoken with such authority, and no one had ever performed the works that He did. Anyone who genuinely examines His words and deeds inevitably arrives at this conclusion.  He was the Creator of heaven and earth who entered the world through incarnation to die.  This raises a profound question: why would God Himself come to earth and die for humanity? This leads to my third point.

3. He Died to Atone for Our Sins: The Bible proclaims that we are all descendants of Adam, who disobeyed God and sinned. Consequently, we are all born into a state of sinfulness. Our sin problem is not superficial; it is deeply ingrained. We are not sinners merely because we commit sinful acts, but we commit sinful acts because we are inherently born as sinners. Sin has corrupted every aspect of our being. All the suffering and problems we face today are ultimately rooted in sin. If you seek answers to the pervasive sorrow in the world, the accurate diagnosis is sin. Sin is the fundamental cause, and all the difficulties we encounter are its symptoms. Sin is the transgression of God’s Ten Commandments, something we have all done. The Bible declares that the wages of sin is death. As a consequence of our sin, we are not only separated from God, but God, in His justice, will judge each of us and punish us eternally for our transgressions. Sin has made the days of our lives truly “bad.” However, one Friday transformed everything. That is why we call it Good Friday. This Friday is good because it provided the solution to humanity’s greatest problem.

This is why it is Good Friday. It brings the most profound good news: Jesus Christ died as a sacrifice on the cross, and in shedding His blood, He bore the penalty due for our sins. He experienced the full weight of God’s wrath on our behalf. He paid the ultimate price as an atoning sacrifice for our transgressions. This is the greatest demonstration of God’s love. Humanity, in its fallen state, often doesn’t even recognize the depth of its need or the gravity of its problem. God, in His infinite love, made this ultimate sacrifice to save humanity from the consequences of sin. The Bible beautifully states that God demonstrates His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

When we contemplate the cross, we witness the ultimate tragedy and sorrow. No human being has ever endured such torture and exquisite pain as the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. On one hand, we see His physical suffering: sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, His unjust arrest and trial in the dead of night, His brutal scourging by Roman soldiers with whips embedded with nails, bone fragments, and metal that tore His back to shreds, leaving His flesh hanging. This was a merciless Roman scourging, leaving victims often near death. Then, the soldiers mocked Him, placing a crown of thorns on His head, blindfolding Him, striking Him, spitting on His face, and insulting Him. They forced Him to carry the heavy cross to Calvary and then pierced His hands and feet with nails, hanging Him for all to see.

Yet, His immense physical suffering only accounts for a fraction of His agony. He endured a far deeper, more terrible suffering in His soul. He Himself said, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.” There on the cross, suspended between heaven and earth, He was seemingly rejected by both. After humanity had inflicted its worst upon Him, the full force of God’s wrath, the divine anger and penalty for sin, had to be poured out upon Him by God. This is the wrath that every sinner deserved to experience eternally in hell to satisfy God’s perfect justice. It was as if God was saying, “Humanity has done the worst to my Son, as humans. Now, because He is bearing the sins of the world, let Me do the worst of what God can do,” and He poured out the eternal wrath, the very hell of hells, upon Christ. No mortal eyes could bear to witness this unimaginable torment. The light of sun itself seemed to withdraw; the Bible records that during broad daylight, darkness covered the land for three hours. In that darkness, Christ had to drink the full cup of God’s wrath due for the sins of humanity.

For three agonizing hours, the eternal Son of God suffered the depths of hell. It is a suffering beyond human comprehension or description. As the climax of this torment approached, He cried out with a heart-wrenching question, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

After some time, He died with a triumphant shout, “It is finished!” This declaration signified that He had fully endured all the condemnation, penalty, and suffering due for the sins of His people. He had paid the complete price for their salvation from sin; He had satisfied God’s justice. It is the finished work of Christ. All those who believe in Him will have their sins forgiven.

To authenticate His work on the cross, God raised Him from the dead three days later. His resurrection is the undeniable proof that God accepted His sacrifice on behalf of sinners and that divine justice was fully satisfied.

Now, the good news is proclaimed to everyone: Christ has died for your sins. Anyone who believes in Christ will be saved.  This is the good news for the world, procured by the cross. Whoever looks to that cross and believes that Christ died for their sins and turns away from sin will be saved from its dominion, power, and penalty, and ultimately from its very presence. Christ gives them a new, eternal life and completely transforms them into new creations, granting them eternal life which delivers us from fear of death.

This is the profound message of Good Friday. This Friday can become a truly “good” Friday for you if you look to Christ and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. You will experience forgiveness for your sins, the life of God within you, the peace of God, and the joy of God. There is nothing else like it in all the world.

May God bless you. Have a truly Good Friday.

Pastor Murali