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Good Friday

The Crucifixion of Jesus 

After being brought before Pilate and Herod, Jesus was beaten, scourged, mocked, then finally crucified at the hill called Calvary on Friday, outside the gates of Jerusalem. 

The current term, Good Friday, is believed to be a linguistic corruption of "God's Friday".  Since the time of the early church, Good Friday has been dedicated to penance, fasting, and prayer.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only son..."
   -- John 3:16

The Crucifixion process  

Lenten altar - crown of thornsAccording to Roman custom, scourging always came before crucifixion.  Scourging was done with a multi-stranded whip with metal at the tips of each strand of leather.  It caused extensive cuts and bleeding. 

After the preliminary punishment of scourging, the condemned person had to carry the cross, or at least the transverse beam of it, to the place of execution.  The criminal would be exposed to the insults of people along the route.

On arrival at the place of execution the cross was raised up. Soon the sufferer, entirely naked, was bound to it with cords. He was then fastened with four nails to the wood of the cross. Roman executioners drove their spikes through the wrist, right through the carpal tunnel that houses finger-controlling tendons and the median nerve. It is impossible to force a spike there without maiming the hand into a claw shape.

Finally, a placard called the titulus, bearing the name of the condemned man and his sentence, was nailed at the top of the cross.

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Breaking of the legs 

Often, a criminal took several days to die on the cross. So to shorten his punishment, and lessen his agonizing sufferings, his legs were were sometimes broken. This custom was common with the Jews, though rare among Romans. Speeding death in this way let the body take down the corpse on the same evening as the crucifixion, which was important to Jews concerned with observing appropriate burial ceremonies.

Christ died in our place just like a Passover (Paschal) lamb. ... for our sins... so that we might be acceptable to God.

"... Christ, our Passover lamb,  has been sacrificed." 
– 1 Corinthians 5:7

Crucifixion's end

Crucifixion remained in use throughout the Roman Empire until the first half of the fourth century. Early during his reign Constantine continued to crucify slaves guilty of denouncing their masters.

Later on he abolished this horrible punishment, in memory and in honor of the suffering of Jesus the Messiah. After this, crucifixion was rarely imposed.

Jesus' Cross 

The immissa crossThe cross on which Jesus Christ was nailed was of the kind known as immissa. That means that the vertical trunk extended a certain height above the transverse beam; it was thus higher than the Tau ("T") crosses of the two thieves. 

It is likely that Pilate's mocking message, "The King of the Jews", was nailed to the vertical extension of the beam.

C.S. Lewis once remarked that the crucifixion did not become common in art until all who had seen a real one died off.

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As Jesus hung on the cross, the world seemed dark and without hope to the disciples and his followers. But God, in his infinite love, had sent his one and only Son to die for our sins... to be our sacrifice... to save us.  Because of Christ's death and resurrection, we have hope.

Jesus died for you. For us. In love.

Tenebrae service 

Holding lit candlesSome churches observe another medieval custom, which has had a popular revival in the late 20th century -- that of the service of Tenebrae.  This service may be held held on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, in the evening. It features a series of songs and readings dealing with Holy Week. It was originally sung before dawn and marked by the gradual extinguishing of candles before the breaking of the light of day.  Many churches continue practice of gradually extinguishing candles, though at an evening service, followed by silent departure from the sanctuary.

Hot Cross Buns - a Good Friday tradition

Hot Cross BunsEating Hot Cross Buns is a Good Friday custom that was adopted in America. Some believe that the origin of Hot Cross Buns dates back to the 12th century, when an Anglican monk allegedly placed the sign of the cross on the buns, to honor Good Friday, a Christian holiday also known as the Day of the Cross. Hot Cross Buns were supposedly  the only thing faithful, fasting Christians could eat on this holy day.

In medieval times, Anglo-Saxons ate small cakes as part of the Eastre celebration that attended the welcoming of spring.  Early missionaries apparently couldn't  break them of that habit, so they appear to have compromised by drawing a cross on the cakes and blessing them.  Among the Greeks cross-marked cakes were associated with devotion to Diana. two whole loaves were excavated from the ruins of the Roman city Herculaneum, near Pompeii.  The loaves were five inches in diameter and marked with the familiar cross.

For the early Christians the buns were flat and made unleavened in imitation of the Passover bread eaten by Jesus. Later they were made from the same dough used in making the Host.  The buns were extremely popular in England. Eighteenth century reports document that in London some fifty thousand people converged on the Old Chelsea Bun-House on one Good Friday morning and bought over one hundred and fifty thousand of the fruity delicacies.

The "traditional" Hot Cross Buns are a spicy currant or raisin-studded yeast bun, topped with a sweet "Cross" of lemon flavored icing.

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