Its my long weekend, I have 4 days of and no agenda, starting today Good Friday is a day off for many Dutch people. But what do you owe that to? Where does Good Friday come from? And what does it actually mean? The date of Good Friday and Easter is determined by a complicated calculation based on the moon phase. Yes that moon again after this week that clear one and my moon cake, here it is again. That shifts every year. The dates of the next three years: in 2020 Good Friday falls on April 9, 2021: Friday, April 2 2022: Friday, April 15 So all different dates. Good Friday is the second most important Christian holiday. Christians then remember that Jesus was crucified.
Yes, crucified! Why is Good Friday called good when that happened?
Well that is because the Christians believed that the crucifixion of Jesus was a terrible thing in itself, but that something beautiful shone through it. I know some of us dont agree but that is the general thought. You can compare that to the murder of Martin Luther King, for example. That was a big tragedy on itself, but if you look back, it turns out that the emancipation of the African American population accelerated afterwards, because only then many white Americans saw how far racism can go. I think that was a change in history how sad it also was. And everybody now still know that story of this great man.
What is so "good" about Good Friday? Jesus' own attitude. Although He is severely tortured - He is whipped with a paw, they hit nails through His hands and feet - He remains loving. He even forgives His executioners out loud. In that dark day He still shines light. That's why Good Friday is good.
Easter: Jesus before the grave
How do we celebrate Good Friday?
Many Protestant and Evangelical Christians attend a special church service on Friday evenings. It is usually modest, sober and serious in nature.
Catholic Christians take a more comprehensive approach. Often at three o'clock in the afternoon (the official time of Jesus 'death), a group of believers walk in a procession past the "stations", the fourteen images in Catholic churches that tell the story of Jesus' crucifixion. This is the so-called "Stations of the Cross".
In the evening there is a service in many Catholic churches with a number of special elements, such as the "cross tribute": a cross is carried and honored by the church. The "god lamp" is extinguished and the altar is completely bare, because Jesus is, as it were, absent. The priest's clothing is red, in reference to Jesus' blood.
Professor Bob Smalhout about the crucifixion
Also read: Doctor describes Jesus' physical suffering: "He did not die of blood loss"
Why did Jesus have to die? What is the meaning of Jesus' crucifixion?
That is perhaps the most important question in all theology. Christian thinkers never think about what Jesus' death means. There are all kinds of answers that complement each other:
Jesus was crucified because He threatened the elite. The political situation at the time was tense: Israel was occupied by the Romans, and the Jews had a bad reputation. Jesus gathered many supporters and the leaders feared things would get out of hand again and they would lose their position.
Jesus was crucified because He was aiming for it. In the Bible stories you see that Jesus sometimes consciously provokes the leaders. He can then withdraw well, but seems to actively escalate the situation. The explanation that He himself gives is that in the ancient prophecies the Messiah sacrifices His life and He has come to realize that He himself is that Messiah. No matter how horrible He thinks: apparently it has to end there.
Jesus was crucified because He could thus overcome evil. That is the deepest meaning of Good Friday: you can think of it as a kind of test, in which Jesus was pushed to the limit to curse God, but remained loving. Everything was tried to make Him fail, but He held on to God. Thus He proved stronger than the evil powers.
Are Good Friday and Easter the same or something different?
These holidays are indeed often confused, but they mean something completely different. Good Friday falls - quite logically - on the Friday before Easter and then Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus. Easter is immediately after Sunday, and Christians celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead.
Silent Saturday
Also read: Silent Saturday - the quietest day ever
Was Jesus' death unique? So many people have died, even noble people, also on a cross?
There are many people who have given their lives. Yet none of them ultimately resulted in a religion, let alone the greatest world religion. That's because there were three signs that Jesus was a special envoy from God:
Jesus was appointed in advance as the Messiah. Years before He started performing, prophecies predicted that He would accomplish a unique mission.
Jesus' own life had divine features. In addition to being charismatic and genius, Jesus also performed miracles and cast out demons (or, if you say it neutral, His surroundings were convinced He did this).
Jesus rose from the dead. That was a thick line under everything He had said. A signal from God that this was the person we should be looking at.
For these three reasons, Jesus' crucifixion is unique. You can compare it a bit with a big football game. If the players of two champion countries do not "count" somewhere on a field, kick that ball. But if a world championship is announced in advance, if the match itself is between the best players, and if there is a clear result afterwards, then you know that the world champion is here.
Likewise, with Jesus' death before, during and afterwards, there are "arrows" that say, look, there is something very special going on here, now everything is on it, this is the ultimate test - and He succeeds.
I dont know, I don’t judge, I want everybody to have a great day and with whatever belief, be naive to eachother and stay safe, with the help of the lord or not.
So to all of you on steemit Good friday in your language.....
Afrikaans: Goeie Vrydag
Catalaans: Divendres Sant
Deens: langfredag
Duits: Karfreitag
Engels: Good Friday
Frans: Vendredi Saint
Fries: Goedfreed
Indonesisch: Jum'at Agung
Italiaans: Venerdì Santo
Noors: langfredag
Nynorsk: langfredag
Papiamento: Biernasanto
Pools: Wielki Piątek
Spaans: Viernes Santo
Zweeds: Långfredag
Thanks for stopping by, its appreciated and remember Focus on Being creative instead of being bee-zy.
Consistent Actions Create Consistent Results.
Not everyone is a blogger but everyone has something great to offer.
Lover of Life and L❤️ve in General -
I am a proud member off the #theTerminal #powerhousecreatives #needleworkmonday and #payitforward and #steemitmamas. Co founder for 
, 
and 
(c) All images and photographs, unless otherwise specified, are created and owned by me. 
THE BIBLES ARE MINE, ARE PRECIOUS AND SOME WERE FROM GRANDMA !!
I would like to thank you for Reading my blog, feel free to leave me any feedback, if not, read you next time.
Your personal Discord terminal invite : https://discord.gg/XZGPGpz
DATE : 10 APRIL 2020