Why do we call this Friday "good?" This is a perfectly understandable question asked recently by members of our 5th Grade class. Since the Friday of Holy Week is the day we associate with Jesus' death on the cross, "good" doesn't seem like....a good word to describe it. On this day, perhaps the year 33 CE, Jesus was put on trial, abandoned by his friends, mocked, scourged, and painfully put to death. Jesus is in Christian theology the very embodiment of God, in no way deserving of the punishment he received on this infamous day.....so, why call it Good Friday? First, we need to realize that words can have more than one meaning. In this case, "good" is used in an old and uncommon sense of "pious" or "holy." Much in the same way that we might refer to the Bible as the "Good Book." So Good Friday is a day that is spiritually edifying. Observing this day puts us in touch with the mystery of God's saving action....which brings me to a second point. Even in the sense where "good" means helpful or beneficial, we can think of it describing this day. Good Friday marks the day in history when Jesus demonstrated God's love for us by laying down his life. He paid the price for our sins and transgressions. Thanks to Jesus' sacrifice, love is the final word and all of the failings of humanity are, by comparison, like "a live coal dropped into the sea." When you think of it this way, it really is Good Friday.
