Many times people at large are confused when they see that the author and finisher of Christian faith, Lord Jesus Christ, is crucified and killed on the cross, and Christians all around the world call it “ Good Friday.” What is good about it? Across the world, when a political or a religious leader dies, that day is a day of mourning and sadness, but in Christianity it is the other way round; we consider the day as ‘Good’, to know why it is Good than we need to go little bit deeper into the Old Covenant of the Holy Bible. God the Father created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. On the sixth day He created Man in his own image and likeness. He gave dominion to man over everything but just to test his obedience. God the Father set a condition and told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but our first parent disobeyed this command, and they ate the forbidden fruit. The end result is that they were thrown out of the Garden of Eden.

 

The doors of heaven were closed. Three important things happened in the life of Man. Firstly, man were deprived of the original holiness and justice, disobedience severed the relationship of friendship which Adam was enjoying with God, secondly spiritually he died and thirdly, bodily death came in him. The end result of these three deaths brought confusion, worry, tribulation, competition, lust, hatred and all the satanic nature in human life. God did not want that men should be condemned eternally, so in order to restore men in his friendship, He sent prophets and seers and godly men to bring back humans in His fold, but because of the Sin which entered in human DNA, his ‘being’ became corrupt, and in turn they killed the prophets and seers, as the Bible history tells us. Finally God sent forth His Beloved Son in order to bring back the lost humankind. His sinless Son came to this world to save the sinners. He did not come with pomp and flutes and trumpets but was born in a manger, and in India we call it gaushala. His ministry was to save humankind from the greatest slavery, the slavery of sin, and to reunite the fallen men with His creator. He proved it with miracles, wonders and healings.

 

His teaching was Love and Love and Love in action. And when the so called teachers of the Law, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the learnt people came to know about his Love Ministry they were infuriated and warned him, but in vain, this so called leaders of the society were so infatuated with law and order that they took a decision in unison to kill the Author of Life and they crucified him on the Cross. Hanging on the cross He prayed to his father to forgive them. And when He breathed His last the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, meaning no human agency was involved in it and it also signifies that the gates of Heaven is now open for everyone who dies in the grace of God. By our first parents sin, the gates of Heaven were closed, but now with Jesus death, the same gates are now reopened. What a wonderful sacrifice of Jesus on the cross that it opened the gates of Heaven! Now the souls of men can re-enter it. What a day in human history that graves were opened and righteous souls were seen moving in the streets of Jerusalem! This day should definitely be called a Good Day, and therefore it is GOOD FRIDAY. (The author is Director, Logos Bible Study Centre, Mecosabag Christian Colony.)