Why Good Friday?

Holy Week is nearing a close and today is Good Friday, 3 days before Easter, the day in which Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

For many years even though I call myself a Christian, I never really understood why.  As I attended my first Good Friday Service, it helped me to put things into perspective and gave me clarity to some unanswered questions.Why do we sacrifice something during Lenten season, and attend Good Friday services at noon? What's with the Hot Cross buns?


Without sounding too "preachy", I would like to give my take on it.  Traditionally speaking, it is the Day when Jesus was crucified, dead and buried. Between the hours of noon and 3:00pm he was nailed to the cross. Most of us now the story of how he rode though the city of Jerusalem on a donkey that until then had never been ridden. Previously everyone shouted "Save Us"!  but on this day they shouted "Crucify Him"! Not knowing that the only way to be saved, was through the Cross! Check out the series of events that occurred prior to him reaching that 12:00 hour.

 Jesus received his death sentence.  (We might see this as the equivalent of someone on death row)

 Jesus carried his cross.

  • Then he falls

Jesus sees his mother Mary.

Jesus gets help carrying the cross from Simon.

Veronica wipes Jesus' face.

  • Then he falls
Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem.

  • Then he falls (3rd fall)
Jesus' clothes are taken away.

Jesus is nailed to the cross.

Jesus' dies.

Jesus' body is taken down from the cross.

Jesus body is laid from the tomb.

The rest is History...

The important things that we all must remember is that Jesus was God. We all call Jesus the son of God, but really he was God in the flesh.  The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit make up God who is only "one" and not "three".  Jesus died for us, he paid for our sins already, and through the blood that he shed, we are saved!  That is what you would call AGAPE love, which is unconditional, and the love that God has for us, and Jesus is proof of that.

What should we do in return? Show unconditional love to others in honor of him.  Difficult? At times yes. It's easy to love those who love us back, but the challenge comes when we try to love those who treat us wrong in following what Jesus did.  However, each day we should all strive to become better at this, which in turn would make the world a better place.

As for the Hot Cross Buns we eat them because they taste good and because the cross on top symbolizes Jesus dying on the cross. Additionally, they are never supposed to go moldy if made correctly.  I'm including a link to a recipe, in case you're curious to try them.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/hot_cross_buns/

Thank you for reading and enjoy the Easter lilies!
Angel-ahh

"Mercy, peace and love. May the grace and Lord surround and be with you on Good Friday."
~Unknown




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