What is 'Good Friday'....?

A History of 'Good Friday'

The Christian faith, like most religious systems, observes many holy days throughout the year. One that is very important, but not always discussed, is Good Friday. In this lesson we'll talk about the beliefs and traditions surrounding this Christian holiday.

Good Friday

                      What is the most important holiday in Christian traditions? A lot of people may say Christmas, on which Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, but actually that's not it. The most important Christian holiday is actually Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Christ, the miracle upon which the Christian faith was founded. However, Easter is not an isolated event. Most Christian churches celebrate various moments leading up to Easter as well.

Now, Christians celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. That means the date of Easter, and its preceding events, change every year, but not in relation to each other. One of the most important of the preceding events is Good Friday, the day on which Christ was crucified, celebrated the Friday before Easter Sunday. Why do Christians call such a dark day 'Good'? To understand that, we're going to have to talk a little theology.

The Crucifixion of Christ

The Christian faith is based around the story of Christ's crucifixion, which occurs in a series of stages. We start on the Wednesday before Easter, called Holy Wednesday. According to the Christian scriptures, Christ's disciple named Judas Iscariot agreed to betray Jesus Christ and turn him over to the Jewish High Priests for a reward. On the next day, called Maundy Thursday, Christ and the disciples gathered together to celebrate the Jewish festival of Passover. After this meal, generally referred to as the Last Supper, Judas betrayed Christ, who was arrested.

That brings us to Good Friday. This day commemorates the day after the Last Supper. According to the Christian Gospels, Jesus was sent before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Pilate found no reason to punish Jesus, and told the Jewish priests to punish him by Jewish laws. The priests insisted that Jesus had broken Roman law, so Pilate went to King Herod of the Hebrew people. Herod too sent Jesus back to Pilate, who (literally) washed his hands of the affair and gave in to the demands of the Jewish priests to execute Jesus.

According to Roman custom, Jesus was beaten and crucified, which was a form of both torture and execution meant to instill fear in any who would oppose Roman rule. To mock Jesus for his reputation as a revolutionary leader of the Jews, Roman soldiers made him a crown of thorns and crucified him under a sign reading 'Jesus of Nazarene, King of the Jews'. At the end of that day, the Christian Gospels say darkness fell over the entire land and Jesus Christ died.

Good Friday commemorates the Crucifixion of Christ

Meaning in Christian Traditions

It's not exactly an uplifting story. Why then, do Christians call this Good Friday? Well, the story doesn't end with the Crucifixion. According to Christian traditions, Christ rose from the grave three days later, triumphing over death and in so doing forgiving all believers of their sins. That's what Christians celebrate on Easter. So, Good Friday is only good because we know how the story ends. It ends with the forgiveness of sin and promise of eternal salvation. Without the Crucifixion, there is no resurrection. Without the sacrifice of Christ, there is no salvation. Without Good Friday, there is no Easter. See why this day is so important to Christians?