「好星期五」好在哪裏？What’s So Good about GoodFriday?
作者：Justin Holcomb 譯者：駱鴻銘
「好星期五」（Good Friday）是紀念耶穌受難和死亡的日子。既然這是個非常幽暗而淒慘的事件，我們為什麼還會稱它為「好」呢？
Why
do we call Good Friday “good,” when it is such a dark and bleak event
commemorating a day of suffering and death for Jesus?
對基督徒來說，「好星期五」是一年中特別重要的一個日子，因為它是在慶祝世界歷史上最重要的一個週末。自從耶穌受死並且復活之後，基督徒就一直在宣揚，耶穌的十字架和復活是宇宙萬有最具關鍵的轉捩點。保羅認為那是「第一要緊的事」，就是耶穌為我們的罪死了，而且埋葬了，而且在第三天復活了，而這一切是按照上帝在聖經裡一再應許的（林前十五3-4）。
For
Christians, Good Friday is a crucial day of the year because it celebrates what
we believe to be the most momentous weekend in the history of the world. Ever
since Jesus died and was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross and
resurrection of Jesus to be the decisive turning point for all creation. Paul
considered it to be “of first importance” that Jesus died for our sins, was
buried, and was raised to life on the third day, all in accordance with what
God had promised all along in the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3).
1Co
15:3-4 我當日所領受又傳給你們的：第一，就是基督照聖經所說，為我們的罪死了， 4 而且埋葬了；又照聖經所說，第三天復活了，
在「好星期五」這個日子裏，我們紀念耶穌甘願受十字架的苦，並死在十字架上，為我們的罪作了終極的獻祭（約壹四10）。接下來是復活節，榮耀地慶祝耶穌從死裏復活的日子，宣告祂勝過罪和死亡，並為所有因信而與祂聯合的人預先指出未來的復活（羅六5）。
On
Good Friday we remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by
crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins (1 John 1:10). It is
followed by Easter, the glorious celebration of the day Jesus was raised from
the dead, heralding his victory over sin and death and pointing ahead to a
future resurrection for all who are united to him by faith (Romans 6:5).
1Jn
4:10 不是我們愛神，乃是神愛我們，差祂的兒子為我們的罪作了挽回祭，這就是愛了。
Rom
6:5 我們若在祂死的形狀上與祂聯合，也要在祂復活的形狀上與祂聯合；
不過我們還是要問，為什麼要稱耶穌受死的那日為「好星期五」，而不是「壞星期五」或其他名稱呢？有些基督徒傳統接受了這種說法：例如，在德國，這天被人稱為「Karfreitag」，或譯為「悲慘的星期五」。事實上，在英文裏，「好」這個詞的來源有很多爭論：有些人認為它是從「上帝的星期五」（God’s Friday）這個古老名稱演變過來的。無論其來源為何，「好星期五」這個名稱是完全恰當的，因為雖然耶穌的受苦和受死非常可怕，但是它卻標誌著上帝拯救祂的子民脫離罪惡的計劃來到一個戲劇性的高峰。Still, why call the
day of Jesus’ death “Good Friday” instead of “Bad Friday” or something similar?
Some Christian traditions do take this approach: in German, for example, the
day is called Karfreitag, or “Sorrowful Friday.” In English, in fact, the
origin of the term “Good” is debated: some believe it developed from an older
name, “God’s Friday.” Regardless of the origin, the name Good Friday is
entirely appropriate because the suffering and death of Jesus, as terrible as
it was, marked the dramatic culmination of God’s plan to save his people from
their sins.
為了讓福音的好消息對我們產生意義，我們首先必須明白這個壞消息，即我們的處境是被上帝定罪的罪人。拯救的好消息只有在當我們明白我們是如何受奴役時，才會說得通。換一種說法就是，了解聖經裏律法和福音之間的區分是很重要的。我們首先需要律法，顯明我們的處境是多麼無望；然後耶穌恩典的福音臨到，釋放我們，把救恩帶給我們。In order for the
good news of the gospel to have meaning for us, we first have to understand the
bad news of our condition as sinful people under condemnation. The good news of
deliverance only makes sense once we see how we are enslaved. Another way of
saying this is that it is important to understand and distinguish between law
and gospel in Scripture. We need the law first to show us how hopeless our
condition is; then the gospel of Jesus’ grace comes and brings us relief and
salvation.
同樣，好星期五是「好的」，是因為雖然那天很恐怖，如果我們想要領受復活節的喜樂，卻又是必須要為我們發生的。上帝對罪惡的怒氣必須被傾倒在耶穌身上，祂是完美祭物的代替品，好叫赦免和救恩可以被澆灌在萬民身上。如果沒有這個受苦的、憂傷的、在十字架上流血的可怕日子，上帝就無法成為「祂自己為義，也稱信耶穌的人為義」（羅三26）的那位。矛盾的是，這看似是邪惡橫行得勝的日子，實際上卻是在上帝拯救世人脫離捆綁的榮耀良善計劃裏，對邪惡的致命一擊。In the same way,
Good Friday is “good” because as terrible as that day was, it had to
happen for us to receive the joy of Easter. The wrath of God against sin had to
be poured out on Jesus, the perfect sacrificial substitute, in order for
forgiveness and salvation to be poured out to the nations. Without that awful
day of suffering, sorrow, and shed blood at the cross, God could not be both
“just and the justifier” of those who trust in Jesus (Romans 3:26).
Paradoxically, the day that seemed to be the greatest triumph of evil was
actually the deathblow in God’s gloriously good plan to redeem the world from
bondage.
十字架是我們看見偉大的受苦和上帝的赦免匯聚一處之所。詩篇八十五篇第10節歌頌一個日子，在那日，「公義和平安彼此相親」。這事就發生在耶穌的十字架上，在這裏，上帝的要求，祂的公義，與祂的憐憫重疊在一起。我們領受了上帝的赦免、憐憫、和平，是因為耶穌甘願承擔上帝對我們的懲罰，這是上帝的公義對抗罪惡必然的後果。「因那擺在前面的喜樂」（來十二2），耶穌在好星期五忍受了十架，因祂知道這會通往祂的復活、我們的救恩，和上帝公義和平統治的開端。The cross is where
we see the convergence of great suffering and God’s forgiveness. Psalms 85:10
sings of a day when “righteousness and peace” will “kiss each other.” The cross
of Jesus is where that occurred, where God’s demands, his righteousness,
coincided with his mercy. We receive divine forgiveness, mercy, and peace
because Jesus willingly took our divine punishment, the result of God’s
righteousness against sin. “For the joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2) Jesus
endured the cross on Good Friday, knowing it led to his resurrection, our
salvation, and the beginning of God’s reign of righteousness and peace.
好星期五標誌出上帝的震怒與憐憫在十字架上相遇的日子。這就是為什麼好星期五是如此黑暗，卻又如此美好的原因。Good Friday marks
the day when wrath and mercy met at the cross. That’s why Good Friday is so dark and so Good.
Justin
Holcomb is Theologian in Residence at Mars Hill Church, where he also serves as
Executive Director of Resurgence and the Leadership Development department. He
is also Adjunct Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological
Seminary.