Christians around the world mark the end of the week prior to Resurrection Sunday (a better title for it than “Easter”), with special services drawing meditative attention to the conclusion of that week in Jesus’ earthly life. One of the highest, or perhaps we should say the deepest points in those observances is Good Friday. In a now classic “BC” cartoon, one character says,
“I hate the term ‘Good Friday’.” Another asks, “Why?” to which the first responds, “My Lord was hanged on a tree on that day.” This response follows: “If you were going to be hanged on that day, and He volunteered to take your place, how would you feel?” And the obvious answer then comes, “Good.” It concludes, “Have a nice day.”
The doctrine of Jesus’ substitutionary atonement is absolutely foundational for biblical Christian faith. Jesus’ death on the cross was not a sentimental gesture of concern for others that we are to imitate. It was God, in the person of the Son, taking on Himself the guilt of His elect (“He who knew no sin became sin,” 2 Corinthians 5:21) and suffering in their place the wrath of God which they deserved. This concept of substitution is unmistakable throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, sinners placed their hands on the sacrificial animal, symbolically transferring their sin to that victim which was then killed as their substitute (Leviticus 16). And in Isaiah’s fourth servant song (Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12), the refences to Jesus dying as a substitute (“the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all,” vs. 6) is found at least ten times.