Good Friday, also known as "Holy Friday," is the Friday immediately
preceding Easter Sunday. It is celebrated traditionally as the day on
which Jesus was crucified.
Jesus said in Matthew 12:40, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
A boy leaps out of bed, filled with excitement. Today will be a special day for him and his family. He bounds down the stairs and discovers a reed basket filled with beautifully painted eggs and chocolate rabbits. He cannot wait to dive into the goodies!
His anticipation grows as he thinks of the fun he will have. Lent, a 40-day period during which worshippers try to emulate Christ’s suffering by fasting and abstaining from certain pleasures, is finally over—and Easter Sunday is here!
As he tears the wrapper off an egg-shaped chocolate treat, his mother explains to him the significance of the day: “Son, on Friday we commemorated the crucifixion and death of our Savior, so today—Easter Sunday—we celebrate His Resurrection.”
For millions around the globe, this narrative is typical of their own Easter celebrations.
Jerusalem, where the most well-known Easter celebrations take place, is jam-packed with worshippers from all over the world. Along the famous cobbled Via Dolorosa—“Way of Suffering”—thousands of parishioners walk the path Christ is believed to have taken on His way to Golgotha. To them, and millions of like-minded professing Christians, Easter is the principal feast of the liturgical year.
Elsewhere, United States troops in Iraq gather for an Easter sunrise service. In Peshawar, Pakistan, a group of devout women gathers around a picture of “Jesus” to reflect on the significance of the day and give prayers of thanksgiving. Farther east, thousands of South Korean Catholics attend services.
Later that evening, several German Christians in Europe light a customary bonfire to protect them against the cold. Meanwhile, during a traditional ceremony in Bulgaria, priests bless painted red eggs, which symbolize spring. And several time zones away, an Armenian priest in New York City releases doves to illustrate how the original 12 apostles were commissioned to “spread the gospel.”
Certainly, long-held traditions such as Ash Wednesday, Lent, Good Friday, sunrise services, hot-cross buns, Easter eggs and rabbits—which form the building blocks upon which Easter is established—must have deep ancient roots. If Easter traditions are all about the Christ of the Bible, then they should be found within the pages of God’s Word.
Mark 15:42, which notes that Jesus was crucified “the day before the Sabbath.” If that was the weekly Sabbath, i.e. Saturday, then that fact leads to a Friday crucifixion. Matthew 16:21 and Luke 9:22 teach that Jesus would rise on the third day; , Mark 8:31 says that Jesus will be raised “after” three days.
stanproperty.com
Jesus said in Matthew 12:40, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
A boy leaps out of bed, filled with excitement. Today will be a special day for him and his family. He bounds down the stairs and discovers a reed basket filled with beautifully painted eggs and chocolate rabbits. He cannot wait to dive into the goodies!
His anticipation grows as he thinks of the fun he will have. Lent, a 40-day period during which worshippers try to emulate Christ’s suffering by fasting and abstaining from certain pleasures, is finally over—and Easter Sunday is here!
As he tears the wrapper off an egg-shaped chocolate treat, his mother explains to him the significance of the day: “Son, on Friday we commemorated the crucifixion and death of our Savior, so today—Easter Sunday—we celebrate His Resurrection.”
For millions around the globe, this narrative is typical of their own Easter celebrations.
Jerusalem, where the most well-known Easter celebrations take place, is jam-packed with worshippers from all over the world. Along the famous cobbled Via Dolorosa—“Way of Suffering”—thousands of parishioners walk the path Christ is believed to have taken on His way to Golgotha. To them, and millions of like-minded professing Christians, Easter is the principal feast of the liturgical year.
Elsewhere, United States troops in Iraq gather for an Easter sunrise service. In Peshawar, Pakistan, a group of devout women gathers around a picture of “Jesus” to reflect on the significance of the day and give prayers of thanksgiving. Farther east, thousands of South Korean Catholics attend services.
Later that evening, several German Christians in Europe light a customary bonfire to protect them against the cold. Meanwhile, during a traditional ceremony in Bulgaria, priests bless painted red eggs, which symbolize spring. And several time zones away, an Armenian priest in New York City releases doves to illustrate how the original 12 apostles were commissioned to “spread the gospel.”
Certainly, long-held traditions such as Ash Wednesday, Lent, Good Friday, sunrise services, hot-cross buns, Easter eggs and rabbits—which form the building blocks upon which Easter is established—must have deep ancient roots. If Easter traditions are all about the Christ of the Bible, then they should be found within the pages of God’s Word.
Mark 15:42, which notes that Jesus was crucified “the day before the Sabbath.” If that was the weekly Sabbath, i.e. Saturday, then that fact leads to a Friday crucifixion. Matthew 16:21 and Luke 9:22 teach that Jesus would rise on the third day; , Mark 8:31 says that Jesus will be raised “after” three days.
stanproperty.com
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