Good Friday

A Good Friday Message for Today

Aziz-ul Haque
Good Friday is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday.
Since this day is calculated from the Jewish calendar which follows the lunar dating system, it does not occur on the same date of the Gregorian calendar each year. Originally, both the death and resurrection of Jesus had been celebrated on the Easter day. But during the fourth century, the two events were separated as Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus, and Easter, celebrating his resurrection.
It seems to have become popular first of all in Palestine, the Holy Land, where pilgrims retrace the movements of Jesus during his last week in Jerusalem.
Its importance is emphasized in the worship of the church with solemn services including prayer and fasting.
In the annals of the world, Good Friday is considered to be a very memorable day for the people of all faiths. It is because on a day like this, about 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ gave his own life for the salvation of humankind.
Why did Jesus have to sacrifice his own life?
Here, it would not be out of context to briefly talk about the creation of man, his downfall and about God’s plan for the deliverance of man from that wretched state. God created the first man called Adam and the first woman called Eve.
In the beginning, there was a very close and intimate relationship between man and God his creator. There were no wants, no sickness, no grief, and no death. But due to the deceitful force of evil, man disobeyed God’s commandment and consequently brought on himself his downfall, misery and death.
The holy Bible calls this wretched state of man ‘‘sin’’.
The mankind has inherited that original sin committed by the first parents, Adam and Eve. Therefore, sin has become man’s nature and character. Yet through ages, God sent to the world sages, saints and prophets for the benefit of mankind as well as to show the way of salvation. They taught man to repent and to lead a devout life in obedience to God. But the righteous God could not just bypass man’s sin; an appropriate remedy had to be taken. Thus it became necessary to establish a sacrificial order for the atonement of sin. To complete and to give the ultimate form for the redemption of man, God sent Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world who became our ransom and guarantor.
Many years before the advent of Jesus, it had been prophesied from time to time that he would come to sacrifice himself for the redemption of mankind. Good Friday is the day when all these were manifested.
On the day before Good Friday, Jesus was imprisoned and tried.
He was scourged and spat on his face and a crown made of thorns was mockingly placed on his head. Jesus bore all the shame, insult and agony silently.
The next day he was put to death by crucifixion. Palestine was then under Roman rule.
According to Roman practice, capital punishment was carried out by nailing the convict on a cross-shaped wooden scaffold set up in an open place. It was the most agonizing and ignominious a cruel age could devise. Nails were driven through the hands and feet, and the victim was left there in agony, starvation, insufferable thirst and excruciating convulsions of pain.
The crucifixion of Jesus was carried out on a hill near Jerusalem called Calvary in Latin and Golgotha in Hebrew, which means ‘‘skull’’ because this hill looks like a human skull. After hanging for nearly six hours on the cross, he died. At the time of his death, darkness fell, the veil of the temple of Jerusalem was torn into two pieces, the earth quaked and many dead men were raised from their graves. Later, the body of Jesus was brought down from the cross and buried in a garden according to the prevalent custom.
This entire episode might sound tragic. But it has a very happy ending, because on the third day of his death, which is called Easter or Resurrection Day, he rose from the dead and was taken up to heaven after 40 days, thereby proving that he is the living one.
Therefore, Good Friday reveals the infinite love and grace of God for humankind. Jesus was completely sinless and innocent. He bore our sins and the punishment of our sins, so that we might be saved. By enduring all guilt and slander and by giving his own life as a price for our redemption, he prepared the way for our reconciliation with God and with one another. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. God shows his love for us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Therefore, the death of Jesus was vicarious. That means he did not die merely as an event in history, nor did he die for his own sake. He died for us.
Good Friday conveys the message of hope, reconciliation and love even for the enemies. Our world is increasingly a world of conflict that is in need of reconciliation. Personal violence, domestic violence, religious violence, ethnic violence and national violence have escalated to unprecedented proportions. Today, in a world full of strife, anarchy, separatism and apartheid, the death of Jesus Christ or Good Friday summons us to be tolerant, forgiving, selfless and compassionate, and to spread the message of peace and reconciliation in the society.

(The writer is Pastor, Guwahati Baptist Church)

The above is from "The Sentinel" a reputed newspaper in Assam.
Today is a holiday in our office.
It reminds me of our own days in school.
The Retreat for meditation followed by the Easter Holidays.