Christians celebrate Good Friday today, solemnly remembering the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. There, believers believe that the divine Son of God, through his death on the cross and subsequent bodily resurrection, paid the price for sin in order to reconcile countless people to their Creator. Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.
In America’s increasingly secular culture, fewer people than in previous generations are fully aware of what Christians believe about Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Although these beliefs have not changed in his 2,000 years, tens of millions of Americans understand that for millions of their fellow citizens, these beliefs are actually central to their views about the meaning of life and death. I have not.
The event took place on a hill called Golgotha outside the walls of Jerusalem in Israel. The Bible’s Gospel of John says:
When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took Jesus’ clothing and divided it into four parts, one for each soldier. Also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless and woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Do not tear it apart, but let us cast lots to see whose it will belong to.” ” This was to fulfill the words of the Bible, “They divided my garments among them, and cast lots for my garments.” So the soldiers did these things, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and his beloved disciple standing nearby, he said to her mother, “Woman, behold your son.” Then he said to her disciple, “Look, your mother!” And from that time on, her disciple took her home.
After this, Jesus knew that everything was finished and (to fulfill the Bible) said, “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine was there, so they placed a sponge full of sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus took the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and bowed his head and lost his spirit.
—John 19:23–30 (ESV).
Later in the Bible, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, we see how Christians understand that these events are the fulfillment of the sacrificial system at the Tabernacle, which had been taking place for over a thousand years before that, and then at the Temple in Jerusalem. It explains what is being done. The Epistle to the Hebrews explains:
For the law is not the true picture of these realities, but only a shadow of the good things to come, and the same sacrifices continually offered year after year can never perfect those who approach. Otherwise, wouldn’t they cease to be offered because the worshiper, once purified, would no longer have a sense of sin? But in these sacrifices sins are remembered every year. Because it is impossible to remove sin with the blood of bulls and goats.
And every priest stands at his service every day and offers the same sacrifice over and over again, but it can never remove sin. But when Christ offered the one and only sacrifice for sin, He sat down at the right hand of God and waited from that time until His enemies were made His footstool. For God has always perfected those who are being sanctified by a single offering.
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us. For after he said, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord, I will put my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds.” Because it is added. Their iniquities will be done no more. ” Where there is forgiveness for these, there is no longer an offering for sins.
—letter to the hebrews 10:1–4, 11–18.
Many people today would consider it strange, perhaps even absurd, that one person’s death could somehow save another. Or, on a more basic level, we might consider the idea that there is a God who created the universe, and that God is later born into this world as a human being. To do something like that. But Jesus’ followers have heard the criticism for 20 centuries, and it seems some things will never change.
A Christian hymn says:
Before the throne of God in heaven, I make a strong and perfect plea. The great High Priest whose name is Love is still alive and pleading for me. He has my name engraved on his hand. My name is written on his heart. I know that while he is in heaven no tongue can command me to depart from it. No tongue can command me to go from there.
When Satan tempts me into despair and tells me of my inner guilt, I look up and see him there who has put an end to all my sins. My sinful soul is considered free because my sinless Savior died. For a righteous God is content to look to him and forgive me, and to look to him and forgive me.
—before the throne of God in heaven (1997)
And if people think those things sound crazy, just wait until you hear what Christians believe happened next Sunday.
Ken Klukowski is a contributor to Breitbart News. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kenklukowski.
