Why Is It Good Friday?

Jesus knew that his death would serve a greater purpose than his enemies could ever imagine.

From the moment Jesus was captured, it might look from an earthly perspective like the Jewish leadership colluded to have the Romans put Jesus to death, and Jesus was just a victim of their machinations. However, Jesus predicted his death and resurrection long before setting foot in Jerusalem (Matthew 16:21); he knew—and even told the disciples—that he was going there to die. But he also knew that his death would serve a greater purpose than his enemies could ever imagine, and that is why Christians term the day Good Friday.

Genesis Foundations

It’s important to understand that Jesus’ death was made necessary by events that happened in the very first chapters of Genesis. When God created Adam, he gave him just one prohibitive command—not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—with the penalty for disobedience being death (Genesis 2:16–17). Very quickly, encouraged by his wife, Adam rebelled and introduced sin, death, suffering, and all types of evil into creation (Genesis 3). When God pronounced judgment, he also promised deliverance. While Adam and Eve would die along with all their descendants, God promised that a male descendant of Eve would crush the serpent’s head but that this descendant would be wounded in the process (Genesis 3:15).

Jesus’ death was made necessary by events that happened in the very first chapters of Genesis.

Jesus fulfilled several important qualifications for the Messiah. He was born in Bethlehem in the time frame predicted by Daniel. He is the biological descendant of David through his mother, Mary (Luke 3), and the heir to the throne through his adopted father, Joseph, who would have been “next in line” had there been an active Davidic kingship (Matthew 1). He was attested by John the Baptist, the forerunner also prophesied to prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5).

The political situation of Israel was precarious during the time of Jesus, and the Jewish leadership loved their own power, even if it came at the expense of submitting to Rome. So they chose to kill their own Messiah than submit to Christ and be saved. But behind it all, God was working through these events for his own purposes to save believers throughout all time.

Why Did Jesus Have to Die?

A holy God gives the death penalty for sin. From Adam and Eve, all people have died, with the notable exceptions of Enoch and Elijah, who were taken alive into heaven. But physical death does not solve the sin problem, and the default position of any sinner is to spend eternity in hell, eternally separated from God. For God to forgive a person’s sin, that penalty has to be paid by someone else. While animal sacrifice could imperfectly cover humanity’s sin for a while, it could not atone for it (Hebrews 9:11–28).

Depiction of the temple during the time of Christ.
Image from Borderland: Israel in the Time of Jesus at the Creation Museum.

Only God incarnate could give a sufficient sacrifice for sin.

Jesus is the only candidate to be the sacrifice for sin for a couple reasons. First, he is a sinless human being, so he can atone for the sin of others. And he did not inherit Adam’s sin—when he was conceived by the virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit overshadowed her, so he was conceived without the sin nature inherited by all of Adam’s other descendants. This means it was possible for Jesus to live a sinless human life, while his divine nature meant it was not possible for him to sin. This meant both positively (it was possible for him not to sin) and negatively (it was impossible for him to sin): Jesus was guaranteed to be qualified to be our Savior.

Second, he is God, meaning his sacrifice is sufficient to atone for as many as will believe in him, past, present, and future. A merely human sacrifice could not atone for the billions of people who trusted in God for salvation both before and after Jesus died on the cross. Only God incarnate could give a sufficient sacrifice for sin.

The Seriousness of Sin

Good Friday should remind us of the seriousness of sin. The default destination of every human being is to be judged for our sins forever in hell. The only way for God to save us from that penalty was for Jesus to die in our place, which is the highest cost conceivable. We can think that it was somehow easier for Jesus because he was God, but reading his Gethsemane prayer begging God to take the cup from him, that clearly wasn’t the case.

This should also cause us to be renewed in our commitment to holiness and repentance (which includes turning away from our sin). Even as Christians, we still need to be vigilant against apathy and against going along with what the world says is acceptable.

The Love of God

Ultimately, Good Friday is one of the greatest pictures of God’s love for us because it shows the sacrifice our sin required. God would have been completely justified in condemning Adam and Eve and killing them—and thus the entire human race—the day they sinned. Instead, God mercifully put off the judgment until it could fall on his sinless Son, Jesus Christ.

Ultimately, Good Friday is one of the greatest pictures of God’s love for us because it shows the sacrifice our sin required.

The death of Christ confronts every person because it demands a response in faith. It also implies the exclusivity of the way of salvation. If there were any other way to be saved, would the Father allow the Son to die? We are only saved through Christ when we believe and trust in him for forgiveness. If you have not yet believed in Christ, why not call on him today? None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, which is why the author of Hebrews says, “As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion’” (Hebrews 3:15).

Of course, the gospel does not end on Good Friday—Jesus was raised on the third day, which is why we celebrate Easter Sunday. He was seen by over 500 eyewitnesses and then ascended into heaven 40 days later. And for the last 2,000 years, Christians have been waiting on his promised second coming, when his victory over sin, death, and the curse will be fully realized. Scripture records a vision John had of the new heavens and new earth:

Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3–4)