Good Friday
Good Friday
For Christians, Good Friday is a crucial day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most pivotal day in the history of the world. On Good Friday, Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins (1 John 1:10).
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." It is a good day because he traded places for you and for me. It is a good day because it was the day he conquered sin and death so that we will never be apart from God on this side of heaven or the other.
If you had asked his friends, family, and disciples on the day he died, they wouldn’t have said it was a good day when all hope seemed lost; evil and death seemed to have triumphed, but their responses would’ve been very different three days later because the forces of evil had been defeated, death had been destroyed, and from that point on, we all have a way to be free of sin and death.
At the time, crucifixion was the cruelest form of death reserved for criminals and slaves. Jesus, the son of God was flogged and ordered to carry a cross that would he die upon. After he was nailed to the cross, he was given a crown of thorns and the title as “King of the Jews.” The cross was placed between two other men who were being crucified that day. The soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross and left Him to die. They put a sign on the cross to mock Jesus that said, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Jesus struggled on the cross for six hours, and according to the Bible, when he eventually gave up his spirit darkness fell across the land.
Then at noon, strange things began to happen. The sky grew dark for three hours and Jesus cried out, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit," and then He died. The curtain of the temple was mysteriously torn in two from top to bottom and there was a great earthquake. It was Friday afternoon, and the Sabbath would start at sundown, but it wasn't just any Sabbath! It was during the Passover celebration, making it a very special Passover. After Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross, He was wrapped in strips of cloth and laid in a tomb. Roman guards were sent to guard the tomb to ensure no one stole the body or spread rumors that He wasn’t dead. Finally, three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and conquered death!
If you haven’t read the complete story of the crucifixion recently, today’s a perfect day to revisit it. Here are the four Gospel accounts of the story:
Matthew 26:14-27:66
Mark 14:12-15:47
Luke 22-23
John 18-19
“Join me April 3rd Wednesday 5:30-7:30 after work for my birthday bash at Ashtabula County's new beautiful event venue, Red Hawks' Landing in Pierpont. Tickets are $50, with many sponsorship levels available. As you know, I never like asking for money but it's necessary to enable me to get my message out!”
- Casey Kozlowski
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