我們將復活節之前的星期五稱為耶穌受難日或聖週五，德國人把這天叫做「哀傷星期五」（Karfreitag），英語國家則稱之為「美好的星期五」（Good Friday）。但為什麼稱這一天為美好呢？為什麼不將這天叫做糟糕或悲傷星期五？畢竟，這本是哀傷省思而非歡慶的日子。有些人認為「美好」與「上帝」的英文拼寫接近，所以「美好的星期五」可能是從古老的名稱「上帝的星期五」（God’s Friday）演變而來。

不論這個名稱的起源為何，將耶穌受難的那個星期五稱為「美好」仍舊貼切。基督出於犧牲的愛，為我們的罪而死。這就是受難日如此美好的原因。還有一個更美好的消息，那就是三天後祂勝過死亡，從墳墓裡復活了。

新約學者卡森（D.A.Carson）寫道：「將耶穌釘在那悲慘的十字架上的不是釘子，而是祂毫不動搖的決心。祂愛天父而決意完成天父的旨意，同時祂也愛像我這樣的罪人。」我們在約翰一書4章讀到：「不是我們愛上帝，乃是上帝愛我們，差祂的兒子為我們的罪作了挽回祭，這就是愛了。」（10節）

受難日的好消息是上帝愛我們，要與我們建立關係！正因為這份愛，我們也蒙召要彼此相愛（7、11節）。當我們這麼做時，就顯露了我們對祂的愛。

What’s so good about Good Friday? Why isn’t the day called Bad or Sad Friday? After all, it’s meant to be a day of sorrowful reflection, not a day of celebration. Sometimes, this day takes other names, such as Holy Friday. In Germany, it’s called Karfreitag, or Sorrowful Friday. So where did we get the tradition of calling it “Good”? Some believe it may have originated from the older tradition of calling it “God’s Friday.”

No matter the origin of the name, it’s still appropriate to call the Friday on which Jesus died “good.” Out of Christ’s sacrificial love, He died for our sins. That’s why Good Friday is good. And the great news is that three days later He rose from the grave in victory.

New Testament scholar D.A. Carson wrote, “It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father’s will—and it was his love for sinners like me.” We read in 1 John 4: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (v. 10).

The good news of Good Friday is that God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us! Because of that love, we’re called to love others (vv. 7, 11). When we do, we show our love for Him.