By Weldon Tisdale, Chaplain

Each year as Holy Week approaches, many people ask an important question: Why is Good Friday called “good”? After all, it marks the day Jesus was crucified, a day filled with betrayal, suffering, and death. At first glance, there seems to be nothing good about it. Yet for Christians around the world,
Good Friday stands as one of the most meaningful and hopeful days in our faith. What appeared to be humanity’s darkest moment became the very place where God’s love was most clearly revealed.

Centuries before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah described a mysterious figure known as the Suffering Servant. Isaiah wrote that this servant would bear our griefs, carry our sorrows, and suffer on behalf of others. In one of the most powerful passages in Scripture we read, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Christians understand this passage as pointing forward to Jesus. On Good Friday, Jesus fulfilled that role as he willingly endured the cross, taking upon himself the weight of human sin and brokenness.

What makes Good Friday “good” is not the suffering itself, but what God accomplished through it. In the crucifixion we see the depth of God’s grace and love. Jesus endured the cross so that forgiveness, reconciliation, and new life could be offered to the world. When Jesus declared, “It is finished,” the work of redemption was complete. What seemed like defeat became the victory through which God opened the way for humanity to be restored.

Good Friday also invites a response from each of us. When we reflect on the cross, we are reminded of how deeply we are loved and how freely we have been forgiven. Gratitude becomes the natural response. The grace we receive calls us to extend grace to others—to forgive as we have been forgiven,
to show compassion to those who are hurting, and to live with humility and kindness.|

In many ways, Good Friday reminds us that God often works through what appears to be loss or suffering. The cross seemed like the end of the story, yet it became the turning point that leads to Easter morning. Because of that, we can face life’s challenges with hope, trusting that God can bring life even out of the darkest circumstances.