Good Friday
First Published April 6, 2012
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;
and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
**** ****
Ever since I was very little and my mother told me about Good Friday I have wondered about the logic in celebrating Jesus’s crucifixion. After all, there are few people who cheer during a funeral. Death is a sobering event, and none of the childhood definitions seem to fit, so I thought it high time to research the name myself.
One possible origin involves ancient Gaul (modern day France and Germany). The Gallician Church referred to the commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus as “Gute Freitag.” This Germanic phrase literally means “holy” Friday. Gute also means “good,” so there may have been a glitch in translating the phrase.
Another possibility may have come from replacing God’s Friday with Good Friday, noting that the word “God” was often viewed as too holy to be spoken aloud.
Both of these scenarios point to the purpose of the day’s recognition. God’s will was imposed and prophecy was fulfilled on this dark day. No one could ignore the furious physical signs of God’s proclamation that in the death of Christ, the chasm between God and man was gone (Hebrews 9:8) So, this day should empower us as we remember Christ being the innocent sacrifice, hence declaring victory over evil.
As we approach Good Friday, let us be reminded of the sorrow and grief the people experienced. But also let us remember God’s salute to His Son for restoring Man to his Maker.
Dear Lord, thank you for the sacrifice your Son made by bearing the sins of the world and dying undeservingly on the cross. Help me to feel the sadness in commemorating His death as well as the jubilation of your plan of salvation fulfilled. You are Lord of All. Amen
Copyright 2012, Karen Vaughn
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;
and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
**** ****
Ever since I was very little and my mother told me about Good Friday I have wondered about the logic in celebrating Jesus’s crucifixion. After all, there are few people who cheer during a funeral. Death is a sobering event, and none of the childhood definitions seem to fit, so I thought it high time to research the name myself.
One possible origin involves ancient Gaul (modern day France and Germany). The Gallician Church referred to the commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus as “Gute Freitag.” This Germanic phrase literally means “holy” Friday. Gute also means “good,” so there may have been a glitch in translating the phrase.
Another possibility may have come from replacing God’s Friday with Good Friday, noting that the word “God” was often viewed as too holy to be spoken aloud.
Both of these scenarios point to the purpose of the day’s recognition. God’s will was imposed and prophecy was fulfilled on this dark day. No one could ignore the furious physical signs of God’s proclamation that in the death of Christ, the chasm between God and man was gone (Hebrews 9:8) So, this day should empower us as we remember Christ being the innocent sacrifice, hence declaring victory over evil.
As we approach Good Friday, let us be reminded of the sorrow and grief the people experienced. But also let us remember God’s salute to His Son for restoring Man to his Maker.
Dear Lord, thank you for the sacrifice your Son made by bearing the sins of the world and dying undeservingly on the cross. Help me to feel the sadness in commemorating His death as well as the jubilation of your plan of salvation fulfilled. You are Lord of All. Amen
Copyright 2012, Karen Vaughn
posted by Karen Vaughn | 12:31 PM
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