Next week is Good Friday. When I was younger, I wondered why the day Jesus died was called ‘Good Friday’ because dying on the cross was a bad thing. Someone explained that by dying on the cross, Jesus accomplished God’s plan to forgive our sins so that we could be with Him in heaven forever. So Good Friday is a good thing for everybody.
I also wondered about the 3 days between Good Friday and Easter. In my way of counting, there is only 1 full day between Good Friday and the day Jesus was resurrected. But Jesus said that for three days and three nights, He would be buried in the earth. If Jesus was crucified on Friday, then he spent only 2 nights buried because he rose early Sunday morning.
I believe Jesus always tells the truth so He could not have died on a Friday. In order for His statement to be true, He was crucified on a Wednesday. That would give 3 full days and 3 full nights of being in the tomb because He was resurrected Saturday night.
The leader of a faith forum I attended (Thanks Gil!) found a chronology of the crucifixion and last days of Jesus that showed the astronomical considerations for the Jewish dates alignment of a Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday view. I couldn’t understand the chart but the leader agreed with a Wednesday crucifixion, too.
I know my explanation is very simple but if I added all I learned during my research, this would be a very long post. If you would like to know about the two Sabbaths that week, the Passover festival, or whatever about the Holy Week, then please let me know. I might do a post about it.
If we can celebrate Jesus’ birthday on December 25 which is most likely not when He was actually born, then we can commemorate Jesus’ death on Good Friday. The main thing is that we remember Jesus and what He did for us.
Prayer
Dear God in heaven,
You are an awesome God, worthy of praise. Thank you for loving us so much to make a way for us to get to know you and to be with you forever. We are so unworthy of your blessings. Help us to remember the good that You have done for us in the past and the good that You are doing every day.
In Your Son’s name, Amen
Verses
Romans 3:25
Matthew 12:40
John 12:1; 18:28; 19:31; 20:1
Luke 22:1; 23:54-56
Mark 14:12; 16:1
Song
“Resurrecting” by Elevation Worship
Call to action
If you have already prayed, read the verses, and listened to the suggested song, then it’s a good time to read the events leading up to Jesus’ resurrection. Choose from Matthew 21-28, Mark 11-16, Luke 19:28-24:53, or John 12:12-20:23. Then let me know which version you chose.