Good Friday: The Reason Why it Carries the Concept of GOOD

Good Friday: The Reason Why it Carries the Concept of GOOD

The Puzzling nature of the Concept of “GOOD FRIDAY” is not only confusing for inquisitive children but many adults as well. After all, it isn't obvious that we should call Good Friday good, since it is the day on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. How can Good Friday be good when it commemorates the day on which the sins of mankind brought about the death of our Saviour?

The Baltimore Catechism declares that Good Friday is called good because Christ, by His Death, "showed His great love for man, and purchased for him every blessing." Good, in this sense, means "holy," and indeed Good Friday is known as Holy and Great Friday among Eastern Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox. Good Friday is also known as Holy Friday in the Romance languages.

Thus the answer given by the Baltimore Catechism seems a good explanation, except for the fact that Good Friday is called good only in English.

In its entry on Good Friday, the Catholic Encyclopedia notes that:

v  The origin of the term Good is not clear. Some say it is from "God's Friday" (Gottes Freitag); others maintain that it is from the German Gute Freitag, and not specially English. Sometimes, too, the day was called Long Friday by the Anglo-Saxons; so today in Denmark.

v  If Good Friday were called good because English adopted the German phrase, then we would expect Gute Freitag to be the common German name for Good Friday, but it is not. Instead, Germans refer to Good Friday as Karfreitag—that is, Sorrowful or Suffering Friday—in German.

So, in the end, the historical origins of why Good Friday is called Good Friday remain unclear, but the theological reason is very likely the one expressed by the Baltimore Catechism: Good Friday is good because the death of Christ, as terrible as it was, led to the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, which brought new life to those who believe.

Thus in an all encompassing manner Good Friday is called “good” because of the gift of love and salvation that Christ’s death brought for all mankind. The exquisite brutality suffered by the son of God ultimately led to His resurrection, and His victory over death and sin. So, for Christians, as terrible as the event of that day was, it happened for them to receive the joy of Easter, which serves as God Unique means of redemption for all mankind, this is the interpretation of why the day is tagged “good” BECAUSE IT WAS FOR A GREATER GOOD FOR THE COMMON GOOD