FAITH COLUMN: What is Good Friday?

The following article is an opinion piece and reflects the views of only the author and not necessarily those of AllOnGeorgia.

What is Good Friday? Good Friday is the day that we recognize as the day Jesus was crucified on the cross at a place called Calvary or “Golgotha” which means “place of the skull.” Jesus was convicted of heresy, because he claimed to be the son of God. Pilate, who was ruler of the Roman province of Judea, had Jesus beaten in hopes of appeasing the people who wanted him crucified for his claims.

Eventually, Jesus was handed over to his executioners. He was forced to carry the cross on which he would die, to the the place where he would die. Already so weak from the beating, lack of food, and sleep, he was unable to carry the cross the entire distance. A man named Simon of Cyrene was ordered to help him. Once they reached Calvary, Jesus was nailed to the cross. Good Friday.

Crucifixion was a particularly agonizing method of execution. Nails were driven into the hands and feet, that were large enough to hold the body to the cross against the force of gravity. In order just to breathe, the subject would have to push himself up, using the nails as leverage, to open his lungs up to inhale. That is to say, the body sagged on the cross, making breathing extremely difficult, to the point where the victim could no longer lift himself up to draw another breath, so he would die of suffocation. This wasn’t usually a rush, as the Romans were the masters of torture, and didn’t mind leaving someone on the cross for days as they died a slow painful death. However, in the event that they wanted to get it over with, they would break the victims legs with a club, leaving them unable to push up for another breath, causing them to suffocate sooner. Jesus didn’t have his legs broken that day. He expired before it came to that point. He endured plenty before that point. Good Friday

The Bible says, in Isaiah 52:14 that Jesus would be beaten beyond recognition. Imagine being asked to identify someone that you know, but being unable to because of how badly they had been beaten. Covered in blood, swollen, bruised, handfuls of his beard torn out, his flesh torn to shreds from the lashing he had received. Muscle and bone exposed to flies. Good Friday.

Jesus was literally beaten beyond recognition. He was nailed to the cross where he hung until he was no longer able to support the weight of his own body causing him to suffocate and die.  He died what is possibly the worst death that anyone has ever died. Good Friday.

Good Friday? What’s so “Good” about that?

Without Good Friday, without the death, without the pain, without the blood, there would be no resurrection, no healing, no forgiveness for us. Jesus became sin on that day, and sin died with him in that place. Our sin, so that we can be forgiven and spend eternity in Heaven with God.