Good Friday is the Friday immediately proceeding Easter Sunday. It is celebrated traditionally as the day on which Jesus was crucified. . On this day Christians commemorate the passion, or suffering, and death on the cross of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Many Christians spend this day in fasting, prayer, repentance, and meditation on the agony and suffering of Christ on the cross. Many Christian churches celebrate Good Friday with a subdued service, usually in the evening, in which Christ’s death is remembered with solemn hymns, prayers of thanksgiving, a message centered on Christ suffering for our sakes, and observance of the Lord’s Supper.

While The Bible does not explicitly instruct Christians to remember Christ’s death by honoring a certain day, it does allow for discretion on this and other related matters. Romans 14:5 tells us, “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” Rather than remembering Christ’s death on a certain day, once a year, the Bible instructs us to remember Christ’s death by observing the Lord’s Supper. First Corinthians 11:24-26 declares, “…do this in remembrance of me…for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

Why is Good Friday referred to as “good”? Because Christians believe that the results of Christ’s death were very good! According to Romans 5:8, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” First Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.” Thus, Christians believe that Jesus “had to die” so that humans could be forgiven for their sins. Don’t worry, I have always been as confused on this point and I am sure many of you are….. For additional clarification, the biblical account of Jesus’ death on the cross, or crucifixion, his burial and his resurrection, or raising from the dead, can be found in the following passages of Scripture: Matthew 27:27-28:8; Mark 15:16-16:19; Luke 23:26-24:35; and John 19:16-20:30.

What Do You Think? »

       

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.