“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, by his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2: 24”
The Friday before Easter is called Good Friday, the day Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. Good Friday is observed each year during the Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Black Friday and Great Friday.
The crucifixion of Jesus is recorded in all four Gospels in the Bible. The crucifixion happens after Jesus was arrested at Gethsemane and the trial before Pontius Pilate. It also includes the scourging at the pillar, crucifixion at the cross and the burial. Jesus is the son of God sent to the world as a human to save mankind from their sins.
To restore the relationship with God due to the original sin, God promises Adam and Eve to send a Saviour, and that Saviour is Jesus. According to the Bible the day of his crucifixion was on a Friday. Christians believe that Jesus suffered very much on the cross as a way of paying for or suffering the punishment for all of mankind’s sins. The crucifixion of Jesus was very sad because his own mother had to see the suffering of her own son.
Christians believe that God has set us free and shown to the world that Jesus is the Son of God. Many Christians fast on Good Friday – having only one full meal. The celebration of the Passion of the Lord takes place in the afternoon, at three o’clock. Many Christians engage in services or carry out charitable work on Good Friday as the sacrifice of Jesus is considered as a selfless act of kindness and love for others. There is a three-hour devotion which is based on the seven last words from the cross that begins at noon and ends at 3 p.m., the time Christians consider as the time Jesus died on the cross.
According to the Bible, Jesus sacrificed himself for all of mankind not only to show his love but also to pay the penalty of our sins, restore our relationship with God and to destroy the power of death.
Karolin Fernando
Grade 11
Lyceum International School
Panadura
