Good Friday Meaning

Why "Good"?

Good Friday is the Christian observance of the Friday before Easter, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. The seemingly paradoxical name — "good" for the day of a man's execution — has attracted explanation since at least the Middle Ages.

The name is not universal. In many languages, the day is called a variant of holy:

• German — Karfreitag, "Sorrow Friday" (Kar- from Old High German kara, "grief, lament").
• Spanish — Viernes Santo, "Holy Friday."
• Italian — Venerdì Santo, "Holy Friday."
• French — Vendredi Saint, "Holy Friday."
• Russian — Velikaya Pyatnitsa, "Great Friday."

Two main explanations for the English "Good":

• "Good" = holy. In Middle English, good was occasionally used in the sense of "holy" or "pious." The Oxford English Dictionary cites "goode tide" of religious festivals. "Good Friday" may be a surviving Middle English use of good = sacred.
• "Good" = "God's." A folk etymology suggests Good Friday is a corruption of God's Friday, parallel to how goodbye descends from God be with you.

Either explanation places the "Good" in a theological rather than emotional register. The day is called "good" not because death is good, but because the day is set apart — holy or sacred.

The Events Commemorated

Good Friday observes the Friday of Passover week in which Jesus was:

• Tried — before the Sanhedrin at night, then Pilate and Herod in the morning (Matthew 26:57–27:26, Mark 14:53–15:15, Luke 22:54–23:25, John 18:12–19:16).
• Scourged — Roman flagellatio, a standard pre-crucifixion procedure (Mark 15:15, John 19:1).
• Forced to carry his cross — with Simon of Cyrene compelled to help (Matthew 27:32).
• Crucified at Golgotha — between two thieves, from approximately the third hour (9 AM, Mark 15:25) until his death at the ninth hour (3 PM, Matthew 27:45–50).
• Buried by Joseph of Arimathea — in a new tomb nearby, before the Sabbath began at sundown (Matthew 27:57–60).

The Seven Last Words

Christian tradition identifies seven statements Jesus made from the cross, collected from all four Gospels. They are often the basis of Good Friday liturgy:

• "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
• "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43 — to the thief on the cross).
• "Woman, behold thy son! ... Behold thy mother!" (John 19:26–27).
• "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46, quoting Psalm 22:1).
• "I thirst" (John 19:28).
• "It is finished" (John 19:30).
• "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46).

The Date

Good Friday falls two days before Easter Sunday. Because Easter's date moves with the lunar calendar, Good Friday ranges from March 20 to April 23. The day is preceded by Maundy Thursday (the Last Supper) and followed by Holy Saturday (the tomb) and Easter Sunday (the resurrection).

"Three Days" and the Friday-Sunday Puzzle

One point often raised about Good Friday: if Jesus was crucified Friday and rose Sunday, how is that "three days"? In Hebrew reckoning — unlike modern English — any part of a day counted as a whole day (inclusive counting):

• Day 1 — Friday (from ~3 PM crucifixion to sundown)
• Day 2 — Saturday (sundown Friday to sundown Saturday)
• Day 3 — Sunday (sundown Saturday to dawn resurrection)

In Jewish inclusive reckoning, this is "three days." The calculation matches the prediction Jesus made using the Jonah typology (Matthew 12:40: "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth").

Liturgical Observance

Good Friday has been observed since at least the 4th century. The pilgrim Egeria (c. AD 381) describes an all-day Good Friday liturgy in Jerusalem that moved through the sites of the Passion. Most liturgical churches today hold a three-hour noon-to-3 PM service corresponding to the span of the crucifixion. In some countries (including the UK, Germany, and parts of Canada) Good Friday is a public holiday; in the United States it is not a federal holiday, though it is a state holiday in several states.

For the full collection of Good Friday Bible verses, see Good Friday Bible Verses.