“Good Friday?”
Blessings Follk!
Today is traditionally referred to as “Good Friday.” It is believed by most of the professing church to be the day that the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified.
An examination of the Word reveals this to be incorrect.
Yep.
Jesus was not crucified on Friday.
Now, let me hasten to say that it matters not. This is not something in which we separate fellowship, but, we should know the truth.
The coming of the Lord...the first time and the second time...was/is prophesied throughout the Word. The Lord revealed to His people through various ways the things to come.
The Feasts of Israel - really the Feasts of the Lord given to Israel - provide tremendous insight.
Here is the brief version.
The Lord gave Israel 7 feasts...4 in the spring, 3 in the fall.
The spring feasts were fulfilled when the Lord came the first time -
- Passover
- Feast of Unleavened Bread
- Feast of First Fruits
- Feast of Pentecost
The Lord gave precise detail as to how these feasts were to be celebrated, days to celebrate, etc. (See Leviticus 23).
The church has been mistaken for centuries in thinking that Jesus was crucified on Friday. I believe this occurred due to the the following Scripture…
John 19:31
31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
KJV
The error has occurred because folk thought the sabbath day in verse 31 was a reference to the weekly sabbath.
This is not true.
It is a reference to the sabbath which is the high day of the first day of the Feast of First Fruits.
Lev 23:6-8
6 'Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord ; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
7 'On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.
8 'But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord . On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.'"
NASU
Again, this is not a divisive issue. I participate in “good Friday” events...leading a service this afternoon at a local portion of the Body of Christ. But, we do well to know what the truth.
I believe it is important because the truth will allow us to stand against the lies of the evil one.
I remember wondering about the Fri-Sun. I knew Jesus said…
Matt 12:39-40
39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;
40 for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
NASU
Jesus said 3 days and 3 nights...not portions thereof.
This confused me. Oh, I had heard all the explanations, yet they were forced and contrived.
The answer was to be found in the correct understanding of the Word, especially the Feasts.
So, here is the sequencing of events in the last week of Jesus life…remember, the Hebrew day begins at sunset...
On the 10th day of Nisan the lamb to be sacrificed at Passover was to be set aside to be examined…was it perfect?
Ex 12:3
3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
KJV
The same happened to Jesus...He was the Passover Lamb...then…
| Day | Our day/hour | Event |
| Nisan 14 - Passover Lev. 23:4-5 | 6 p.m. - 5:59 p.m Tues sunset - Wed sunset Hebrew Wednesday | 3 |
| Nisan 15 - Unleavened Bread Lev. 23:6-8 | 6 p.m. - 5:59 p.m. Wed Sunset - Thur Sunset Hebrew Thursday | A Sabbath Day A Holy convocation First night/day in tomb |
| Nisan 16 | 6 p.m. - 5:59 p.m. Thur Sunset - Fri Sunset Hebrew Friday | Second night/day in tomb |
| Nisan 17 | 6 p.m. - 5:59 p.m. Fri Sunset - Sat Sunset Hebrew Saturday | Weekly Sabbath Third night/day in tomb |
| Nisan 18 Feast of Firstfruits Lev. 23:9-14 | 6 p.m. - 5:59 p.m Sat sunset - Sun sunset Hebrew Sunday | First Day of Week Resurrection |
Fifty days from Firstfruits (Pentecost) - Lev. 23:15-22 - with outpouring of the Holy Spirit the Spring Feasts are fulfilled.
We as believers celebrate the resurrection with every breath we take...not just on particular day of the year. Still, we do well to reflect upon the varied things the Lord did for us during this week.
Let us do so and rejoice!!!
Today’s reading from the “So That’s Why” Bible consist of pp. 561-567.
Blessings!!