Origins of Good Friday
Good Friday marks the remembrance of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and death on Calvary hill, which is an important part of Christian faith. The belief is centered around the account of Jesus’ death in the Bible, with the first Good Friday celebrated in 325 AD. According to theologian Michael Verdicchio, Good Friday marks “the moment of Jesus’s greatest vulnerability, his vulnerability on the cross.” Throughout centuries Good Friday has been a day of fasting, penance and prayer. Since the day marks the suffering of Jesus, most churches observe Good Friday by holding three-hour long services during which they meditate on the events leading up to divine intervention.
Holy Week
The week leading up to Good Friday is known as Holy Week. It is the day which marks the one which Jesus is found guilty. Holy Monday begins with Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, commencing the week of events leading to Jesus’ death. On Holy Tuesday Jesus’ moves to the Mount of Olives, where he exerts the first prediction of his death. This is known as the Olivet Discourse. On Holy Wednesday, Jesus spends most of the day in the Garden of Gethsemane, and by Holy Thursday Jesus is arrested and scourged. Good Friday then follows on this day as Jesus is crucified and buried.
Meaning in Christianity
According to Pastor Robert Tully, Good Friday’s particular significance lies in the story of Jesus’ death. To Tully, it was “the day God himself stepped into the mess of death and destruction that we made with our sin and took it upon himself, setting us free.” This day remains a declaration of a broad idea that is continually presented in the Bible: God’s overwhelming love.
This sentiment also suggests that by accepting all the pain and suffering that Jesus experienced that, in doing so, humans are absolved of the burden of their own sins. The passion of Christ and the re-enactment of it set a profound example, one of humility and sacrifice, leading to the idea that “good” behavior is rooted in the concept of self-sacrifice. This is the core of Christianity’s main message of loving and forgiving one another.
Commemorative Services
The commemoration services on Good Friday typically either focus on the death of Jesus and his suffering on the cross or on his presence among the people and his return to life through the resurrection. Some services are silent in remembering Jesus’ death, with short stories about Jesus’ human qualities and his crucifixion to provide context. Other services focus on the Easter resurrection and its implications on how we live our lives.
Good Friday services often involve activities such as carrying a cross — typically prepared by the church — or a procession of penitents wearing hoods humming penitential hymns such as “What Wondrous Love Is This” while carrying lit candles. Most Good Friday services also include a homily delivered by a church official, which is focused on the human qualities of Jesus and how his life gave us an example of how to better live our own.
Lenten Customs
Good Friday is known as one of the three holiest days in the Christian faith—during this day, worshippers solemnly reflect on the death of Jesus, but prior to the day there is a period of reflection and preparation known as Lent. Lent is a period of forty days prior to Easter, which are marked by introspection and acts of charity.
During this period, many Christians fast or give up something meaningful to them such as sweets, alcohol or TV, as a way of allowing themselves to better reflect on the journey Jesus made according to his faith. This is done to honor the 40 days Jesus fasted in the wilderness prior to commencing his ministry.
Devotional Practices
Worshippers often observe Good Friday because of the solemnity of Jesus’ death. This emotional resonance is felt as families and communities come together to pray, sing and offer up to their Lord in their devotional practices.
The most traditional way of observing Good Friday would be to commemorate it through prayer, contemplating the crucifixion and Jesus’ suffering through meditation and reflecting on the sacrifice he made for humanity.
Good Friday is also a day of reflection for families and communities to contemplate how Jesus’s life has shaped their own everyday behaviors. Pastors emphasize how Jesus’s suffering can be seen as an example of sacrificing one’s self in order to do good to one’s fellow human beings.
Moral Reflection
Good Friday is a reminder of a sacrificial gift given, not the day Jesus died, but the day he conquered death. This, theologians argue, is God’s way of giving humans an opportunity to learn the value of sacrifice and prioritize looking out for one another daily, moment by moment.
This is a clear moral lesson that Good Friday delivers: that in order to acknowledge Jesus’ sacrifice, humans should aspire to do their own deeds of selflessness, such as helping the poor, showing forgiveness, and putting others before themselves. In short, people can acknowledge Jesus’ gift of suffering through the cultivation of their own acts of service and compassion.
Beneficial Effects On Society
Good Friday reinforces this idea of Christianity, emphasizing the importance of learning to become better people through self-sacrifice and understanding of our own individual roles in making the world a better place. Not only that, but through shared admiration, love and compassion, we learn to care for one another as Christ has done for us.
This moral message is rooted in the idea that through his suffering Jesus has shown us what it means to be good, which then resonates to us in our own communities and ultimately changes how we view those around us. On the one hand, understanding Jesus’s death has a unifying effect on individuals, it brings together communities, no matter what their backgrounds, or beliefs, in their common desire to spread love and compassion.
Positive Impact On Everyday Life
Through self-reflection, prayer, and contemplation of Jesus’ death, many Christians, clergy, and lay people emphasize the importance of understanding Jesus’ sacrifice and what it means to us in our own lives. The spiritual purpose for observing this holy day is for followers of Christ to live more intentionally, with more love and sense of purpose recognizing their own freedoms and offering them to others.
These finite moments of grace and kindness then have an impact beyond just the immediate, but on society and the way people interact and reflect on the world. This idea of sacrificial love and selflessness are helping people see the value in giving up something of themselves to better the lives of those around them.
Community Connections
Connecting with one’s community is a key element of Good Friday, particularly around the idea of breaking bread and sharing breads with others. This idea of justice and social connectedness is what helps to bring people together through small acts of hospitality.
As theologians imply, these small acts of self-giving and hospitality strengthen relationships within the community and is an example of how Jesus’ death can unify those of different backgrounds together in compassion and understanding. Good Friday is also a time for people to join hands with those of different backgrounds in the process of being Christian and differentiating themselves from purely worldly attitudes and behavior.
Advancing Goodness In Life
Good Friday also marks a spiritual victory in the sense that it is a reminder that Jesus has overcome death and evil, and is now alive in the presence of God. This, believers suggest, is the victory that we all are able to celebrate and honor through self-giving. The day reminds us to turn away from a worldly way of living and instead make conscious decisions about our lives and how we choose to interact with those around us.
By understanding the example Jesus set with his own suffering, we can learn to live a life of love and be motivated to emulate this behavior in our own day-to-day lives. It is this necessary understanding of Jesus’ death which ultimately motivates people to transform their lives, providing a deeper understanding of what it means to make sacrifice beyond ourselves and ultimately advance goodness in our lives and in others.
