Good Friday is the day Christians celebrate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
EASTER is one of the holiest events in the Christian calendar and is still celebrated world over to this day. What happened on Good Friday? What happened to Jesus?
Easter is a weekend-long tradition that celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus and marks the end of Lent – and brings Brits two bank holidays. But what exactly happened on Good Friday, one of the most important days in the Christian year?
What happened on Good Friday?
Christians celebrate Jesus being put to death because they believe that he was God’s son and that he died for our sins.
He was betrayed by his disciple Judas and was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and charged with blasphemy for telling people he was the son of God.
After a series of trials and investigations by Roman authorities, he was found guilty – but he wasn’t sentenced to death.
Aware of his innocence, Roman governor Pontius Pilate offered a crowd outside the court the choice of releasing Jesus or Barabbas, a murderer; they chose Barabbas.
Pilate asked what they would have him do with Jesus, and they demanded he be crucified.
Pilate ceremonially washed his hands to literally assert his innocence in having the Son of God put to death.
Jesus had to carry his own cross to the Calvary, the place of his execution.
A sign on his cross read: “This is the King of the Jews”.
According to the Bible Society, Jesus succumbed after six hours on the cross.
Prior to his death, Jesus spoke from the cross, quoting the messianic Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
His body was lowered from the cross by Jewish worshippers, who took him to a rock tomb near the site of his death.
They sealed it shut by rolling a large boulder in front of the entrance.
On Sunday, Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ mother Mary went to the tomb, to find the boulder removed and no body.
Christians believe the Son of God was resurrected on this day, which has become known as Easter Sunday.