Good Friday is an important day for Christians, but Good Friday should actually be an important day for all people. Why is it called Good Friday? What happened on Good Friday that is so important for humanity?
What is remembered on Good Friday?
What is remembered on Good Friday? On Good Friday the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross is remembered. But what is the significance of the death of Jesus Christ?
Jesucristo, ang Anak ng Diyos, came to the earth with a mission, namely to restore what was broken in the Garden of Eden.
To understand, why Jesus Christ had to be crucified, we must go back to the moment when man made a wrong choice and disobeyed God, and fell from his position, and the relationship between God and man was broken.
What happened in the Garden of Eden?
God created man perfect and placed man in the Garden of Eden and gave man dominion over the earth. God had a relationship with man and walked with man. There was no lack, God had given everything man needed.
Gayunpaman, God had given one commandment to man. Man could eat from every tree in the garden, except for the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Man walked with God and obeyed God until the serpent approached man and tempted man with his words.
The words of the serpent made man doubt the words of God.
Instead of believing the words of God and keeping the commandment of God, man believed the words of the serpent and acted upon his words, whereby the mission of the serpent succeeded (Basahin mo rin: Matagumpay ba ang misyon ng diyablo?).
Through the disobedience of man, because man ate from the forbidden fruit despite the warning and commandment of God, the earth was cursed and the relationship between God and man was broken and the spirit of man died and came under the authority of death.
The devil had taken dominion over the earth and became the father of fallen man
Through a lie, the devil had taken the place of man and illegally had taken dominion over the earth, which God originally had given to man. From that moment, the devil became the ruler of the world and had dominion over the earth, and became the father of fallen man.
Lahat ng tao, sino ang isisilang sa binhi ng tao, would be born under the authority of the devil and death and live in darkness, and after life on earth would enter hell; the kingdom of death (Hades).
There was (and still is) no one excluded, everyone would be born as a sinner and live in darkness and when he dies, he will return to his father and master, to whom he belonged and whom he served and obeyed during his life on earth.
The promise of God to restore what was broken in the garden
And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:13-15)
But God in His greatness and sovereignty had already a plan to restore (gumaling ka na) what was broken.
Since man was tempted by the woman and the woman was tempted by the serpent, the Seed of the woman would bruise the head of the devil (Basahin mo rin: ‘What does it mean the head of the devil bruised because the heel of Jesus was bruised?)
The coming of Jesus the Christ
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. At habang itinaas ni Moises ang ahas sa ilang, gayon din naman ang Anak ng tao ay kailangang itaas: Upang ang sinumang sumampalataya sa Kanya ay hindi mapahamak, kundi magkaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan. Sapagkat gayon na lamang ang pag ibig ng Diyos sa mundo, na ibinigay Niya ang Kanyang bugtong na Anak, upang ang sinumang sumampalataya sa Kanya ay hindi mapahamak, kundi magkaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan. Sapagkat hindi isinugo ng Diyos ang Kanyang Anak sa sanlibutan upang hatulan ang sanlibutan; kundi upang ang sanlibutan sa pamamagitan Niya ay maligtas. He that believes on Him is not condemned: pero ang hindi naniniwala ay nahatulan na, dahil hindi siya naniwala sa Pangalan ng bugtong na Anak ng Diyos (John 3:13-18)
Although God had given this promise immediately after the fall, it took many years before the promise of God came to pass and the Messiah came to the earth to redeem man from the power of the devil.
Jesus Christ came to the earth and was born of the virgin Maria, who belonged to the generation of fallen man. Maria was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and became pregnant and gave birth to Jesus, who was fully Human. Because Jesus could only take the place of fallen man and become their Substitute if Jesus was fully Human (Mateo 1, Lucas 1 (Basahin mo rin: Paghihintay sa pangako ng Mesiyas at Si Jesus ba ay ganap na Tao?)).
Jesus grew up as a Son of a carpenter and when Jesus was approximately 30 years old He began His mission.
Although Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day, Jesus was baptized in water by John the Baptism and received the Holy Spirit, Who led Jesus to the wilderness, where Jesus was tempted by the devil for 40 mga araw (Basahin mo rin: ‘Ibibigay ko sa iyo ang kayamanan ng mundo’)
Although the devil succeeded in tempting Adam, the son of God, to sin, the devil didn’t succeed in tempting Jesus Christ, ang Anak ng Diyos, to sin
And after Jesus overcame the devil with ang Salita, Jesus went to preach the Kingdom of God to the people, who were born of the seed of Israel, and called them to repentance.
Jesus walked as Son of God after the Spirit on earth and preached the Kingdom of God, called the people to repentance, healed the sick, paalisin ang mga demonyo, prophesied, and spoke words of knowledge and wisdom.
Everywhere Jesus went He caused a commotion that often resulted in persecution, especially of the (espirituwal na) leaders of God’s people.
Until the moment came, for which Jesus had come to earth and that was to fulfill the redemptive work of God for fallen man.
The redemptive work of Jesus Christ would reconcile man back to God and restore the position of man on earth and give back the dominion, which the devil had stolen from man, to the (new) man.
The sufferings of Jesus began in the Garden of Gethsemane
Masdan, Ang Aking Lingkod ay makikitungo nang maingat, Siya ay dadakilain at dadakilain, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; Ang kanyang visage ay napaka marred higit pa sa sinumang tao, at ang Kanyang anyo ay higit pa sa mga anak ng tao: Kaya iwiwisik Niya ang maraming bansa; ang mga hari ay ipikit ang kanilang mga bibig sa Kanya: sapagkat ang hindi pa sinabi sa kanila ay makikita nila; at ang hindi nila narinig ay kanilang isasaalang alang (Isaias 52:13-15)
Sino ang naniwala sa aming ulat? at kanino inihayag ang bisig ng Panginoon? Sapagkat Siya ay lalago sa Kanyang harapan na parang isang malambot na halaman, at bilang ugat sa tuyong lupa: Wala siyang anyo ni kaayaaya; at kailan natin Siya makikita, walang kagandahan na dapat nating hangarin sa Kanya. Siya ay hinahamak at itinakwil ng mga tao; isang taong may kalungkutan, at pamilyar sa pighati: at nagtago kami na parang ang aming mga mukha ay mula sa Kanya; Siya ay hinamak, at hindi namin Siya pinahalagahan (Isaias 53:1-3)
The suffering of Jesus Christ began in the Garden of Gethsemane, since the garden was the place where it all went wrong with Adam, and through his disobedience to God man was separated from God and fell from his position.
After the spiritual battle and the victory through panalangin, Jesus was betrayed and taken captive in the garden and led to the high priest and then to Pilate.
Although Jesus Christ was innocent and didn’t do anything wrong, Jesus went through all the accusations, mockery, pagtanggi, condemnation, and the sentence to death, without defending Himself. Jesus stayed faithful and obedient to His Father until His death.
What happened on Good Friday?
Tunay na Siya ang nagdala ng ating mga pighati, at dinala ang aming mga kalungkutan: yet we did esteem him stricken, sinaktan ng Diyos, at naghihirap. But He was wounded for our transgressions, Siya ay nabugbog dahil sa ating mga kasamaan: ang parusa ng ating kapayapaan ay nasa Kanya; at sa Kanyang mga guhitan tayo ay gumaling. Lahat ng gusto nating tupa ay naligaw; bawat isa'y ibinaling natin sa kanyang sariling landas; at ipinatong sa Kanya ng Panginoon ang kasamaan nating lahat. Siya ay inaapi, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: Siya'y dinala na parang kordero sa katayan, at parang tupa sa harap ng kanyang mga manggugupit ay pipi, so He openeth not His mouth. Siya ay kinuha mula sa bilangguan at mula sa paghatol: and who shall declare His generation? sapagkat Siya ay nahiwalay sa lupain ng mga buhay: for the transgression of my people was He stricken. And He made His grave with the wicked, at kasama ang mayayaman sa Kanyang kamatayan; dahil wala Siyang ginawang karahasan, neither was any deceit in His mouth (Isaias 53:4-9).
Jesus was scourged, whereby the word of the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled, that by His stripes we are healed.
After the scourging, Jesus continued His way to Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified and sacrificed as a spotless Lamb and shed His blood for the whole of humanity.
Jesus took all the sins and iniquities of the generation of fallen man and bore them in His flesh on the cross.
Jesus finished the redemptive work for fallen man
Subalit ikinatuwa ng Panginoon na durugin Siya; Inilagay Niya Siya sa pighati: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, Makikita Niya ang Kanyang binhi, Pahahabain Niya ang Kanyang mga araw, at ang kasiyahan ng Panginoon ay uunlad sa Kanyang kamay. He shall see of the travail of His soul, at masisiyahan na: by His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many; sapagkat dadalhin Niya ang kanilang mga kasamaan. Kaya't hahatiin ko ba Siya ng bahagi kasama ng dakila, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; dahil ibinuhos Niya ang Kanyang kaluluwa hanggang kamatayan: at Siya ay ibinilang sa mga lumalabag; at Siya ang naglantad ng kasalanan ng marami, at ginawang tagapamagitan para sa mga lumalabag (Isaias 53:10-12).
And so Jesus became the Substitute for fallen man and carried the sins and iniquities of fallen man and was made sin and a curse on the cross, which caused a spiritual separation between Jesus Christ, ang Anak ng Diyos, and God the Father.
For a short period of time, Jesus was put below the angels and the devil and the principalities and powers of darkness reigned over Jesus, which became visible in the natural realm by ang dilim that came over the earth for three hours.
Jesus was made sin by God and had accomplished His work at the cross and shed His blood and died and entered Hades.
This all happened on Good Friday and was part of the complete redemptive work for humanity, which consists of the scourging, kamatayan, paglilibing, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
If you would like to know more about the passion of Jesus Christ and the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross and salvation for humanity, you can read the following articles:
- Someone has to pay the price!
- The lot fell on Jesus Christ, ang Anak ng Diyos na buhay
- Ang pagpapako sa krus ng kaluluwa
- Ang pagpapako sa krus ng laman
- The sufferings and mockery of Jesus Christ
- The battle in the Garden
- Bakit ipinako si Jesus sa krus na kahoy?
- What is the true meaning of the cross?
- What is the difference between the sacrifice of animals and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ?
'Maging asin ng lupa’
