What do Christians remember on Good Friday?

Good Friday is the Friday of Holy Week, the Friday before Easter Day. It is thought that the name Good Friday is an altered form of God's Friday. But many people say that ‘Good’ Friday is an appropriate name because, on this special day, God showed his goodness to humankind. It is the day God made it possible for people to be forgiven and know him in a new and special way.

Good Friday was the day when Jesus stood trial before the priests and later a Roman Governor called Pilate. Although Pilate could not find any wrong in Jesus, he was still sentenced to death by crucifixion as the priests put pressure on him to do so.

Later that day after having been beaten and mocked Jesus was crucified. He died in the afternoon. His body was taken from the cross and put into a guarded tomb. Good Friday is a day when Christians remember what Jesus did for them. It is the day that Christians remember God allowing Jesus, his perfect son, to take the world's sin – all the things people have done wrong - onto Himself.

Christians believe that when Jesus died He took the punishment for all of their individual sins. This means that they have been forgiven, and because of this God can be friends with them, both here on earth and when they die, in Heaven.

You can read the story of Good Friday in Matthew 26 - 27, Mark 14 - 15, Luke 22 - 23 and John 18 - 19.

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Did you know?

The Bible says that when Jesus died the curtain in the temple was ripped from top to bottom. This curtain separated the most sacred part of the temple, the Holy of Holies, from the rest of the temple.

The Holy of Holies contained the Ark of the Covenant and only the High Priest was allowed in there once a year.

Christians believe that the ripping of the curtain was a symbol: that through Jesus’ death on the cross anyone is now able to come into God’s presence.