Why Good Friday is so important to Christians

If the crucifixion story tells us an unbelievable story about God, it tells us a very, very believable story about man: that we are violent and cruel

Crucifixion, Ottaviano di Martino Nelli
(Image credit: (Sandro Vannini/CORBIS))

As I explained on Holy Thursday yesterday, for most Christians, this is the most important week of the year. We are commemorating the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus had his last meal with his disciples on the evening of a Thursday (commemorated as Holy Thursday), was arrested during the night, tried Friday morning (Good Friday), condemned, crucified, and died before sundown on Friday. And, according to the Gospel accounts, he was bodily raised from the dead on the third day — Sunday, the day of Easter.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.