The Good—and Bad—of Good Friday

Bible Reading: Isaiah 59:1–2; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4

“The calendar is wrong,” Madelyn said as she stomped into the kitchen. “It says the Friday before Easter is called Good Friday. That’s the day Jesus was crucified. What’s good about that?”

Dad set down his coffee. “I’ll explain—but we have to go back thirty-three years earlier.”

Madelyn sat at the table. “Okay, I’m listening.”

“All of humanity was separated from God because of our sin, and God had a plan to change that,” Dad said. “But that meant Jesus, God’s Son, had to leave all the wonderful things in heaven and come to earth.”

“That sounds bad,” Madelyn said.

“No, it was good!” Dad said. “It shows how much He loved us. Jesus came as a baby and was born in a stable.”

“A baby born in a stinky stable?” Madelyn made a face. “That’s bad!”

“No, it was good,” Dad said. “Jesus became one of us. Years later, He began His ministry and chose twelve disciples to work alongside Him. He performed miracles, healed the sick, and taught people about God.”

Madelyn grinned. “Everyone must have loved Him.”

“Not everyone,” Dad said. “Some leaders were terribly jealous. And one of His own disciples, Judas, betrayed Him.”

“Oh, that’s bad!” Madelyn said.

“But it was also good,” said Dad. “It led to Jesus dying on the cross.”

“Oh, that’s really bad!” Madelyn said.

“Yes, death is always bad, but God used Jesus’ suffering and death for the greatest good. Jesus took our place and paid the penalty for our sins on the cross. Then they buried Him.”

“Buried Jesus?” Madelyn shook her head. “That’s bad.”

“No, that was good!” said Dad. “Three days later, Jesus conquered sin and death by coming back to life on Easter Sunday.”

Madelyn stared at the calendar. “That means we wouldn’t have Easter if we didn’t have Good Friday.”

“So,” Dad said, “you’re saying it was good?”

Madelyn drew a smiley face on Good Friday. “Yes, it was really, really good!”

How About You?

Do you wonder why Good Friday is called good? As terrible as it was for Jesus to suffer and die, it had to happen for us to have the joy of Easter. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins with His death on the cross. Because of Good Friday, we can share in His victory over sin and death on Easter by trusting in Him.

Today’s Key Verse: Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (CSB)

Today’s Key Thought:

Without Good Friday, there’s no Easter