Easter Friday, also known as Good Friday in the Christian tradition, is one of the most solemn days in the liturgical calendar. It marks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the pivotal event in Christian history. This day holds immense theological significance as Christians reflect on the sacrificial death of Jesus, the fulfillment of prophecy, and the ultimate victory over sin and death.
The events of Good Friday, as described in the New Testament, are crucial to understanding the broader message of the Gospel. It was on this day that Jesus, the Son of God, was arrested, tried, sentenced to death, and crucified on a Roman cross. His death is viewed as an act of atonement for the sins of humanity, offering salvation to all who believe. The significance of Good Friday is deeply intertwined with the themes of sacrifice, redemption, and divine love. In this article, we will explore what happened to Jesus on Good Friday, the biblical account of His crucifixion, and its meaning for Christians today.
The Arrest and Trial of Jesus
The events leading to Good Friday began with the betrayal of Jesus by one of His own disciples, Judas Iscariot. According to the Gospels, Judas agreed to betray Jesus to the religious authorities in exchange for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16). After the Last Supper, Jesus and His disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane, located at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, where Jesus prayed and wrestled with the immense weight of His coming sacrifice.
During this time, Jesus experienced a profound emotional and spiritual struggle, as He faced the impending suffering and separation from the Father that would come with His crucifixion. In Matthew 26:39, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Jesus’ willingness to submit to God’s plan, despite His inner turmoil, is a key moment in the narrative of His crucifixion. He fully embraced His role as the suffering Servant prophesied in the Old Testament, knowing that His death would be the means of salvation for the world.
Judas arrived with a band of soldiers and religious leaders, and He betrayed Jesus with a kiss. Jesus was arrested and taken to the high priest’s house, where He faced a series of trials. These trials were a mixture of religious and civil proceedings, meant to find a charge that would warrant His execution. The first trial was before the high priest Caiaphas, where Jesus was questioned about His identity as the Messiah. When Jesus affirmed that He was indeed the Son of God, the high priest accused Him of blasphemy, a crime punishable by death under Jewish law.
Next, Jesus was taken before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, as the Jewish authorities did not have the authority to execute someone. Pilate, after questioning Jesus, found no fault in Him but, under pressure from the crowd and the religious leaders, eventually consented to His crucifixion. Pilate symbolically washed his hands, declaring himself innocent of Jesus’ blood (Matthew 27:24). Despite his personal reservations, Pilate authorized the brutal punishment of crucifixion, a Roman form of execution reserved for the most heinous criminals.
The Mocking and Scourging of Jesus
After the trial, Jesus was subjected to cruel treatment by Roman soldiers. First, He was stripped of His clothes and mocked by the soldiers. They placed a purple robe on Him, twisted a crown of thorns, and placed it on His head, ridiculing Him as the “King of the Jews.” They spat on Him, struck Him, and mocked Him further, all the while fulfilling the prophecies from the Old Testament about the suffering Messiah (Isaiah 50:6; Psalm 22:7-8).
In addition to the mocking, Jesus was also scourged, a form of severe flogging that was often used as a precursor to crucifixion. The Roman scourge, or flagellum, was a whip with multiple leather thongs, often embedded with sharp objects or bone, designed to inflict maximum pain. Jesus endured this brutal punishment, which left His back torn and bloodied. The physical suffering Jesus experienced in this moment was immense, and it served as a foretaste of the agony He would soon endure on the cross.
The scourging and mocking were not only forms of physical punishment but also an attempt to humiliate Jesus. By dressing Him in royal attire and placing a crown on His head, the soldiers mocked His claim to kingship. This act fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 53:3, which describes the Messiah as “despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.”
The Journey to Golgotha
After the scourging, Jesus was forced to carry His own cross through the streets of Jerusalem to a place called Golgotha, which means “the place of the skull.” This journey, known as the Via Crucis, was a part of the Roman execution process, where the condemned person was made to carry the h
orizontal beam of the cross to the site of crucifixion. Jesus, weakened by the flogging and the physical toll of His treatment, struggled to carry the cross.
Along the way, Jesus was assisted by Simon of Cyrene, a man who was compelled by the Roman soldiers to help carry the cross (Matthew 27:32). This moment is significant because it symbolizes the burden that Jesus carried for humanity—both physically and spiritually. The Apostle Paul later writes in Galatians 6:2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Simon’s help in carrying the cross becomes a symbol of how Jesus bore the sins of the world.
As Jesus made His way to Golgotha, He was surrounded by a crowd of mourners and onlookers. Jesus spoke to the women of Jerusalem, urging them not to weep for Him but for themselves and their children, as He foresaw the coming destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 23:28-31). This moment reflects Jesus’ compassion, even in the midst of His suffering. His words pointed to the greater judgment that would come upon the city, yet His focus remained on the salvation He was offering to the world through His death.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
Upon reaching Golgotha, Jesus was nailed to the cross. The crucifixion process involved driving nails through the wrists and feet of the victim and lifting the cross upright, where the person would hang in excruciating pain. The victim’s weight would cause difficulty in breathing, leading to slow suffocation. This form of execution was designed not only to cause physical agony but also to serve as a public spectacle meant to deter others from committing crimes.
At the moment of Jesus’ crucifixion, several significant events took place. First, Jesus was offered wine mixed with gall, a pain-numbing substance, but He refused to drink it (Matthew 27:34). This refusal symbolized Jesus’ complete willingness to endure the full weight of human suffering for the sake of humanity’s salvation. His crucifixion was not merely a physical event but a spiritual one, where He would bear the sins of the world.
As Jesus hung on the cross, He spoke several words, known as the “Seven Last Words of Jesus,” which provide profound insights into His heart and purpose. These words include:
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
“Woman, here is your son” (John 19:26).
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34).
“I am thirsty” (John 19:28).
“It is finished” (John 19:30).
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
Each of these statements reveals Jesus’ compassion, His fulfillment of Scripture, and His ultimate surrender to God’s will. “It is finished,” Jesus declared, signifying that His mission on earth—providing atonement for sin—was complete. This moment marked the culmination of God’s plan for salvation, where Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, took upon Himself the sins of the world and paid the price for them.
The Death of Jesus
At approximately 3:00 PM, after six hours of agony on the cross, Jesus died. The moment of His death was marked by several supernatural events:
The veil of the temple, which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple, was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). This signified that through Jesus’ death, the barrier between God and humanity was removed, granting believers direct access to God.
An earthquake occurred, and tombs were opened, with some of the saints who had died being resurrected (Matthew 27:52-53).
A Roman centurion, witnessing Jesus’ death, declared, “Surely He was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54).
The significance of Jesus’ death cannot be overstated. For Christians, His death on the cross is the ultimate act of sacrificial love, where Jesus took the penalty for sin upon Himself. As the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Conclusion
Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, is a day of solemn reflection and gratitude for Christians worldwide. The events of this day, as described in the Gospels, represent the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan. Jesus’ suffering and death were not random or meaningless, but the means by which humanity could be reconciled to God. The cross, once a symbol of shame and suffering, has become the emblem of hope, salvation, and eternal life.
As Christians observe Good Friday and reflect on what happened to Jesus on this day, they remember His ultimate sacrifice and the profound love He demonstrated by giving His life for the sins of the world. The significance of Good Friday lies not just in the historical event of Jesus’ death, but in the eternal implications of that death, which made possible the resurrection on Easter Sunday and the hope of eternal life for all who believe.
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