What Happened on Good Friday?
The following article is written by Max Jeganathan, author and speaker at OCCA, The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics.
Holy week culminates in Good Friday, simultaneously the most horrific day in the Christian story, but also a deeply transformative one. And one without which the Christian faith and message would not exist in any meaningful way.
Good Friday is the day that Jesus died – crucified by the Roman Empire at the request of the Jewish religious leaders. Jesus experienced a sham trial, horrendous torture, unspeakable pain, and death. And yet, for Christians, Good Friday is the day when God’s love, mercy and goodness is showcased most powerfully.
What Happened on Good Friday? A Judicial Sham
Following Jesus’ arrest at the Garden of Gethsemane (following the meal Jesus’ shared with His disciples to observe the Passover festival), Jesus is first brought before the Jewish religious leaders and then before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. While Pilate cannot find any fault in Jesus, the religious leaders – who are insecure, paranoid and stubbornly ignorant of Jesus’ identity – continue to throw false accusations at Him, calling on Pilate to hand down the death penalty.
The scene is a sad and frustrating one. Witnesses contradict each other. Officials are driven by self-interest rather than truth. Injustice prevails. Both ironically and significantly, Pilate ends his conversation with Jesus by asking ‘What is truth?!’ and then walking away, without waiting for an answer. Ultimately, under intense pressure from the crowd – who have been whipped up into a mindless-moblike-frenzy – Pilate agrees to authorise Jesus’ crucifixion.
Jesus Crowned the ‘King of the Jews’
Jesus is then beaten, mocked, tortured and made to carry a huge cross to a place called Golgotha, outside Jerusalem’s city walls. A crown of thorns is placed on his head, Roman soldiers nail him to the cross, stand the cross up, and a sign is placed on the cross above his head that reads ‘King of the Jews.’ The sign is supposed to be ironic, even sarcastic. However, to the knowledge of some in attendance – including a Roman soldier who later declares “Truly this was the Son of God” – the sign reflects the truth of Jesus’ divinity and authority.
When Jesus was crucified, two criminals were crucified alongside him – one to His left and another to His right. These two men – unlike Jesus – were correctly convicted of their crimes. A telling and fascinating conversation follows. One criminal aligns with the mob, criticising Jesus for His claims of divinity and mockingly asking Him to save them, and himself. However, the other criminal recognises who Jesus is – The Son of God. He repents on the spot and humbly asks Jesus: “remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus’ replies “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Love and Forgiveness Despite Pain and Suffering
Jesus makes a number of other remarkable comments while on the Cross. You can read more about them in the accounts of the first you will find in the first four books of The Bible’s New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Perhaps the most telling is his plea to God the Father, “Father, forgive them. They know now what they do.” Jesus was literally loving the people who were killing Him, as they were killing Him.
Supernatural Signs and a Sealed Burial
At around noon, the sky became dark for around three hours. Then – at around 3pm – Jesus called out loudly “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” and “It is finished.” Then Jesus died.
There were eye-witness accounts of the ground shaking, people who had died coming back to life, and the giant curtain in the temple (which was a symbolic separator between God and people) being torn from the top to the bottom.
A man named Joseph (a member of the Council, but one who dissented with their decision to urge for Jesus to be crucified), took Jesus’ body, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb that he owned. A giant stone was rolled in front of the tomb, sealing the entrance.
Why is it Called, ‘Good Friday’?
You might wonder why Christians call it ‘Good Friday.’ The unjust and horrific torture and murder of Jesus Christ – the Son of God – might surely be more reasonably commemorated with a name like ‘Dark Friday’ or ‘Black Friday.’ But Christians around the world are clear and intentional when they talk about ‘Good Friday.’ While Jesus’ suffering was horrendous, unjust, unfair and undeserved, it was a day that changed the course of history.
Good Friday was ‘good’ for two reasons. Firstly, because of what it achieved. It made a way for humankind to be reconciled with God, and with each other – through supernatural love and astonishing grace. Secondly, because it was not the end of the story. Death did not have the last word.
Learning More
OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics was established in 2004 to raise up the next generation of evangelist-apologists. By 2021, around 350 emerging evangelists from around the world had studied on the OCCA one-year programme. This course equipped each of them to share and defend the gospel message and to come alongside others to help them with their intellectual objections and heartfelt concerns about the Christian faith. Subscribe to our weekly newsletters to see our latest articles from our team of speakers.
Max Jeganathan