Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday, is a day when Christians remember Jesus' death on the cross.
This article will examine the meaning and purpose of Good Friday and explore why Good Friday is essential to the Christian faith.
Meaning of Holy Week
All Christians live in the hope of new life after death, just as Jesus was raised from the dead on the first Easter. Holy Week, the week before Easter, is sacred for Christians as a time to seek connection with Jesus' death and resurrection (life after death).
During Holy Week, Christians remember the days before Jesus died with prayer, scripture (Bible readings), ritual, and reflection. Holy Week is a time for Christians to prepare for Easter Sunday, when they believe that God resurrected Jesus to new life.
Why Good Friday is Important to Holy Week
Good Friday is the day that Christians remember Jesus' death on the cross. In scripture, Jesus was condemned by the local authorities and crucified, executed by being nailed to a pole or tree trunk, a common form of corporal punishment at that time.
As Jesus faced death literally, he needed God's help to save him from the world. Jesus' words from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" echo the human experience of seeking a reality beyond death (Matthew 27:46).
For Christians, Good Friday is a time to be with Jesus in his time of suffering and wait with him in hope of God's promise, eternal life to all who believe. The "good" in Good Friday reflects the Christian hope of resurrection and new life in Jesus, foreshadowing Easter Sunday, when Christians believe that God resurrected Jesus from the dead.
The Cross and Good Friday
Good Friday is the day that Christians focus especially on the cross and Jesus' sacrifice for the sins of the world. The cross is a central symbol of the Christian faith. Christians believe that Jesus, son of God, died to save all believers from sin, all that separates human beings from God. The cross reminds Christians of Jesus' death and their salvation, how Jesus saved them from death by dying in their place.
Jesus' crucifixion, death on the cross, is the source of eternal life for all who believe according to Christian teaching. Jesus put himself in the place of every believer's sins as he suffered for the whole world by sacrificing his own life.
Atonement, Jesus giving himself for the sins of Christians, saves all Christians from hell and suffering. Good Friday is a time for Christians to remember Jesus' sacrifice and reflect on how the cross has saved them from their sins.
Ritual of Good Friday
On Good Friday, Christians attend a church service where believers will focus on the cross and Jesus' suffering there with prayers, reflection, and ritual.
In some denominations, believers will focus on the last words that the Bible, or Holy Scripture, records Jesus to have said.
In others, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, believers will revere the cross, a ritual called the Adoration of the Cross, where believers literally kiss and bow before a cross, in honor of Jesus.
Though there is some diversity of ritual on Good Friday throughout Christianity, the core meaning of Good Friday is to focus on Jesus' suffering and death on the cross and literally hang there with Jesus, suffering, wondering, and hoping that God cares.
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