Most of us have heard of Good Friday, but do we know the significance of this day? Or know it’s a religious holiday? Well, Good Friday is the day that Jesus was crucified on the cross.
Now, why would that day be called Good Friday? There’s a lot that goes into that, but let’s start from the beginning of the story, starting with Jesus’ betrayal; This took place on Maundy Thursday. Now, for some context, the reason Jesus was killed in the first place was that the religious leaders of Israel were simply jealous of Him and the impact He was making in Israel. He was performing miracles, which made the Pharisees and Sadducees appear weak and made people question their authority and authenticity. Jesus challenged their authority and caused people to stop following them; they hated that more than anything, to the point they wanted Him dead. So, they contrived a plan to kill Him and convinced one of Jesus’ disciples to help execute that plan. In Matthew 26:14-16, the Bible says, “One of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time, he sought opportunity to betray Him.”
Never let the love of money make you betray or forsake God; it is not worth it because if you are knowledgeable about the Bible, we know that Judas reaped what he sowed. He sowed death in Jesus’s betrayal and reaped death later on. So, be careful and put your love of God first!
Moving along, after this, Jesus said at the last supper in Matthew 26:21, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?” then a few verses down, the Bible says, “Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?” He said to him, “You have said it.” (Matthew 26:25)
Jesus knew, but why didn’t He stop Judas? Because Jesus knew of His purpose and the importance of it. Though, in the flesh, it wasn’t something He wanted to do. He knew to save humanity from eternal separation from God, He had to die, and Judas betraying Him was a part of that. Jesus put His purpose above His human desires and allowed Judas to betray Him. So, always put God’s plan and your divine purpose first; it can save people from Hell!
Jesus Arrested
That night of Maundy Thursday, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. This is where we see Jesus at a tough spot, and He prays in Matthew 26:39, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” As I said before, it was not Jesus’ fleshly desire to die, yet He yielded to His spirit and followed the plan of God for you and me so that we can spend eternity with God! Right before this verse, He said, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 NKJV. We must continually put our spirit above our flesh because listening to our flesh will take us out of God’s will.
Jesus’ disciples were there, but they kept falling asleep while praying. Jesus said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” Jesus wants us to stay ready because our enemy is always looking to attack us; this is not the time for believers to sleep but to be spiritually alert. As Jesus was still speaking, Judas came with soldiers and told them, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” Matthew 26:48 NKJV. So, he kissed Jesus, and they seized Him. Jesus admitted to being the one they were looking for. Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, cut off an officer’s ear to prevent Him from arrest, but Jesus told Him to stand down.
Now, Jesus could’ve gotten Himself out of this situation, yet He allowed it all to happen, continually putting God’s will above His flesh.
On the night of Jesus’s arrest, He was taken before the high priest to be questioned. John 18:19-21 says, “The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and doctrine. Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret, I have said nothing. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.” The religious leaders thought the teachings of Jesus were blasphemous because they contradicted their teachings, and He claimed to be the Son of God. That was a high offense; despite the miracles He performed and the lives He changed, they refused to believe Him and charged Him with blasphemy.
Jesus Goes Before Pilate
From there, early on Good Friday, Jesus was brought before Pilate, the governor of the Roman providence of Judea. John 18:29-30 reads, “Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.” Pilate questioned Jesus about His accusations, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” Pilate, therefore, said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause, I was born, and for this cause, I have come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate found no fault in Jesus after these questions, so he was confused as to why Jesus was brought before him in the first place. But the Jews wanted Jesus dead and would not stop until then. So, traditionally, Pilate would release a prisoner to the Jews during Passover, and they chose a robber name Barabbas over Jesus.
Regarding what to do about Jesus, the Jews “cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law, He ought to die because He made Himself the Son of God.” (John 19:6-7)
Jesus Sentenced and Crucified
Pilate tried to understand what Jesus had done wrong, but the Jews overwhelmingly shouted, “Crucify Him.” Matthew 27:24 says, “When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.” they replied, “His blood be on us and on our children.”
The Roman soldiers took Jesus to prepare Him for crucifixion and beat Him brutally, to the point where He didn’t even look human. They then mocked Him by putting a crown of thorns on His head and dressed Him in a purple robe. They yelled, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.” John 19:3 NKJV. Also, quick disclaimer, based on the book you read, whether it be John or Matthew, some say the mocking and beating took place before Jesus was sentenced to death, and other (Matthew) says it took place after. Also, some say a scarlet robe, and other gospels say purple.
At this point, to make sure you’re following, Jesus was arrested, brought to trial, brutally beaten, and now He was on His way to be crucified. On the top of His cross, they wrote, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Some told Pilate to write, I AM THE KING OF THE JEWS, but Pilate refused; this leads me to believe that Pilate believed Jesus was the Son of God.
The Roman soldiers stripped Jesus of His garments and made Him carry His cross. However, Jesus was so weak that He couldn’t do it, so a man named Simon carried it for Him. Jesus was crucified on a hill called Gologatha and He was placed between two robbers. The Bible says from 12pm to 3pm; it was dark. Just imagine, during the regular hours of sunlight, it was dark; some say the sun refused to shine because of the fate of the Son. While Jesus was on the cross, they blasphemed and mocked Him, saying things like, “You’re the son of God; can’t You get yourself down?” Jesus suffered humiliation for our sake, and even though He did have the power to get Himself down the cross, He didn’t, for our sake. Matthew 27:46 says, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” God forsook Jesus so that He would never have to forsake us. Though it hurt God to see His own Son die, He did it so that we could be with Him for eternity and escape Hell! After this, they gave Him wine from a sponge, and after drinking that, Jesus said those famous words in John 19:30, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
The Veil is Torn
There was an earthquake, and Mark 15:38 says, “Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” Matthew 27:51 says, “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,” This veil of the temple, which was the Holy of Holies, was only accessible to the High Priest, but when Jesus died that veil was torn, representing the restoration of God’s relationship with man. Now, anyone and everyone could have a close intimate relationship with God through Jesus. When Jesus was finally dead, “evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.” This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed (Matthew 27:58-60 NKJV). This is the end of Good Friday, but it is not the end of the story, and I’ll be back Sunday to share about His resurrection and its importance!
Why Good Friday is Good!
Good Friday is important because it was the day Jesus suffered and died for our sakes so that we can have healing and freedom! I Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” We can live sin-free and sickness free, all because of what Jesus did on Good Friday, and we can be righteous! We are redeemed from the curse and can live in blessing, as Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),” I encourage you to read all four of the Gospels because each one presents Good Friday a little differently.
Good Friday is good because it shows God’s unconditional, unfailing, overwhelming love for us, and it is the day that Jesus restored God’s relationship with man. It is so that we don’t have to spend eternity in Hell! It sounds like good news to me! To spend forever with the God who loves me the most! I want you to know that God loves you and doesn’t want to be apart from us, so if you feel you haven’t fully accepted Christ, say this prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, I repent of my sins and turn my back to them. I believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for my sins and rose on the third day. I accept Him into my heart now. I believe Jesus is Lord, and By faith, I give Him my whole life, heart, mind, and soul. Amen!” If you prayed that, let me know in the comments that you are saved! You are blessed, and Jesus loves you beyond measure, which is why He did what He did! I hope this helped, and God bless!
RefinedforChrist 
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