It is was a Good Friday on the 18th of April, 2025, and I was hoping to write to you, as I’m concerned about how many people know what Good Friday is about.
Many years ago, on a Friday, we used plantain stems and sticks to prepare an artificial Judas Iscariot and parade it around, making some chants and beating it to a mess. That was our way of paying Judas for betraying our Lord Jesus Christ.
I do not know how many people still do that, but it speaks to our ignorance and zealousness for the Lord. We did not know what Good Friday meant but were used to the practice of unforgiveness towards the one who betrayed Jesus.
In this study, we will look at the meaning of Good Friday in the Bible, when it is, and why it is called Good Friday. I hope you have a good read. Also check out the message: Above All Else, Guard Your Heart.
The Meaning Of Good Friday In The Bible
We can agree that there is no term known as Good Friday in the Bible, but there is an event that it described. That is the crucifixion of Christ.
What is Good Friday? It is a day set aside by Christians to commemorate the sufferings of Christ to Calvary and His death on the Cross. It is the Great Friday or Holy Friday of the Holy Week: the week from Palm Sunday to Easter.
If I may take a step further, in Germany, the word for Good Friday is Karfreitag, a sorrowful day accompanied by fasting and devotion. While some people go to church, others stay at home, but the knowledge that comes with the day becomes fresh in the mind.
What happened on Good Friday in the Bible? The events that occurred that day are in The Four Gospels according to Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19. And in this study, I will use John’s account to show what happened that day.
Before the account in John 19, chapter 18 revealed that Jesus was present before Pilate, who interrogated Him but found no basis to charge Him.
However, Jesus made a striking statement: Everyone of the Truth listens to My voice. And Pilate asked, What is Truth?
Did I miss something? Of course. Let me give you an outline of a number of them.
- Jesus went with His disciples to a garden in Brook Kidron, and Judas Iscariot (the one who betrayed Him) came with soldiers from the chief priests and the Pharisees to arrest Him.
- Jesus presented Himself to them and told them to let His disciples go. At first, they were reluctant to arrest Him, but after Peter cut off the right ear of Malcus (a servant of the high priest), the detachment seized Him and took Him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the one who advised the Jews that it was expedient for one to die for the people.
- Peter followed after Jesus and denied Him three times, and the cock crowed according to the prophecy of Jesus Christ. But in the midst of that, Jesus was asked about His disciples and teachings. He gave quite an interesting response, and I would sum it up: I said nothing in secret. (see John 18:20–23).
- After Jesus told the high priest to ask those who heard Him speak, one of the officers who stood by slapped Him and asked, Do you answer the high priest like that? “Jesus answered him, ‘If I have spoken wrongly, testify of the wrong; but if rightly, why do you strike Me?’” John 18:23 NASB.
Afterward, they took Jesus into the Praetorium, the governor’s palace, where He met Pilate. It was early, and His accusers did not enter the governor’s palace to avoid making themselves ceremonially unclean to eat the Passover.
Pontius Pilate, the governor of the Roman province of Judaea, came and asked them about the accusations they brought against Him, and they claimed He was an evildoer. So he told them to take Him and judge Him according to the Jewish law, but they refused, saying that it was not lawful for them to put anyone to death (and that was significant to the kind of death Jesus would die).
Have you noticed we moved from what is arguably Spy Wednesday and Holy Thursday, leading to Good Friday? I had to do that to ensure we have a balanced knowledge as we look at what happened on Good Friday. So let me fast forward a bit into John 19 as I point out two things:
- Though they called Him the King of the Jews, Jesus claimed to be the King of a kingdom that was not of this world.
- The people chose the release of Barabbas to Jesus, and Barabbas was a robber.
“So Pilate then took Jesus, and flogged him.
The soldiers twisted thorns into a crown, and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple garment.
They kept saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and they kept slapping him.
Then Pilate went out again, and said to them, ‘Behold, I bring him out to you, that you may know that I find no basis for a charge against him.’
Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. Pilate said to them, ‘Behold, the man!’
When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying, ‘Crucify! Crucify!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Take him yourselves, and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him.’
The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.’
When therefore Pilate heard this saying, he was more afraid.
He entered into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, ‘Where are you from?’ But Jesus gave him no answer.
Pilate therefore said to him, ‘Aren’t you speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have power to release you, and have power to crucify you?’
Jesus answered, ‘You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin.’
At this, Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, ‘If you release this man, you aren’t Caesar’s friend! Everyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar!’
When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called ‘The Pavement’, but in Hebrew, ‘Gabbatha.’
Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, at about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, ‘Behold, your King!’
They cried out, ‘Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’
So then he delivered him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away.
He went out, bearing his cross, to the place called ‘The Place of a Skull’, which is called in Hebrew, ‘Golgotha’,
where they crucified him, and with him two others, on either side one, and Jesus in the middle.
Pilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross. There was written, ‘JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.’
Therefore many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.
The chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘he said, I am King of the Jews.’
The general belief is that on Good Friday, Jesus Christ was hanged on the Cross at Calvary with two thieves, and He gave up the ghost. But before He gave up the ghost, some things happened. The scriptures said:
“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also the coat. Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
Then they said to one another, ‘Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to decide whose it will be,’ that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which says, ‘They parted my garments among them. For my cloak they cast lots.’ Therefore the soldiers did these things.
But there were standing by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
Therefore when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’
Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ From that hour, the disciple took her to his own home.
After this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I am thirsty.’
Now a vessel full of vinegar was set there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop, and held it at his mouth.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, ‘It is finished.’ He bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.” John 19:23–30 WEB.
“Therefore the Jews, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies wouldn’t remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special one), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Therefore the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with him;
but when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was already dead, they didn’t break his legs.
However one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
He who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, that you may believe.
For these things happened, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, ‘A bone of him will not be broken.’
Again another Scripture says, ‘They will look on him whom they pierced.’
After these things, Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked of Pilate that he might take away Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission. He came therefore and took away his body.
Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred Roman pounds.
So they took Jesus’ body, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.
Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb in which no man had ever yet been laid.
Then because of the Jews’ Preparation Day (for the tomb was near at hand), they laid Jesus there.” John 19:31–42 WEB.
A careful observation of the account of John and the synoptic Gospels would reveal some differences in time and events leading to actions taken on that day. For instance, in the speech of Jesus on the Cross, while John reported Him saying, I am thirsty, other accounts supposed that He cried out: Eli, Eli, Limasabachthani? (that is My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) (See Matthew 27:46–50 and Mark 15:34–37.)
In addition, let me list some other significant events before His crucifixion and during, which John did not account for but were in the other Gospels.
- On the way to Golgotha, they found a man called Simone of Cyrene and compelled him to carry the cross after Christ. (See Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21, and Luke 23:26.)
- Luke reported that many people followed them, and in their midst were women who mourned and lamented. But Jesus told them not to mourn Him but themselves and their children. While He spoke, He said other things (see Luke 23:29–31).
- When they got to Golgotha, they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but He refused, having tasted it. (See Matthew 27:33–34 and Mark 15:2–23.)
- There were two robbers crucified with Him, one on the right and the other on the left, fulfilling the prophecy in the scriptures. Luke added that He said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. (See Matthew 27:38, Mark 15:27–28, and Luke 23:33–34.)
- Passersby, rulers, and soldiers mocked Him. (See Matthew 27:39–43, Mark 15:29–32, and Luke 23:35–37.)
- According to Matthew 27:44, the robbers crucified with Him did likewise. But Luke said one of them did, saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!” But the other responded to him, saying, “Don’t you fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?” He pointed out that they were rewarded justly for their deeds but that Christ did nothing wrong to deserve that punishment. Then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus replied, assuring that he would be with Him in Paradise. (See Luke 23:39–43.)
- About the sixth hour, darkness came upon the whole land until the ninth hour. Luke reported that darkness covered the sun, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus cried out and said, Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit! And He gave up the ghost. (See Luke 23:44–46.)
- However, Matthew had more to say. He acknowledged the death of Christ before the veil of the temple tore in two from top to bottom. Then, the earth quaked, and the rocks rent. The graves broke open, and many bodies of the saints (God’s people) who died rose to life. They came from the tombs after Christ rose from the dead, went into Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. (See Matthew 27:51–53.)
When Is Good Friday?
The crucifixion has an original linkage to two days in Jewish calenders: the 14th and 15th Nisan (the first month on the Jewish calendar, which is between March and April).
However, there is a bit of uncertainty among minds around which day it was. An argument could come from John’s account concerning the Preparation Day of the Passover (at about the sixth hour). But the synoptic Gospels give a correlating report on the time, and John equally agrees to the day of the event (see John 19:31).
According to Mark 15:25, Jesus was on the cross about the third hour (around 9 AM, Jewish time). The synoptic Gospels agree that darkness was upon the face of the earth about the sixth hour (around noon) and that Christ yielded His Spirit at about the ninth hour (around 3 PM). That is to say that Jesus was on the Cross for about six hours before He died (the first three hours with light and the other three with darkness).
Regarding what day it was, it is arguably on a Friday, as the scriptures said that it was the day before the Sabbath and that Christ rose the day after the Sabbath (though there are about two other views, including Wednesday and Thursday following the prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 12:40). 15th Nisan stands out as the generally acceptable day for the crucifixion of Christ and the Good Friday.
However, the observation of Good Friday is not necessarily in line with that date but in conjunction with an order of events from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. Therefore, the date changes annually as it takes place two days before the date for the observation of Easter (the Resurrection Sunday).
Why Is It Called Good Friday?
From all we have seen, it was a sorrowful day because a just man was tortured, hanged on a tree, and died unjustly. In other words, He was accused and executed for sins without being convicted by Pilate. But why is it called Good Friday?
The common reasons among Christians and observants would be that He died for the sins of the world in the sted and for the justification of those who would believe in Him. Therefore, the day was a good one.
As much as I agree, there is arguably another aspect to the culmination of the day as Good synonymously with Holy, and God’s Friday, relatively with the Sabbath.
However, faith in Christ, what he did in fulfillment of the scriptures can qualify the day as God’s, Holy, and Good Friday for God’s Country Club and believers worldwide.
