The Mystical Order Ministries
What is Good Friday, and how have we gotten here? A pastoral reflection — Patriarch Godfrey Gregg
“And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him.” — John 19:17–18 (KJV)
Good Friday is the solemn day the Church pauses to remember the crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It falls on the Friday before Easter Sunday and stands at the very heart of the Christian faith. Without Good Friday, there is no Resurrection. Without the cross, there is no crown.
But we must ask ourselves honestly — how have we gotten here? How is it that the innocent Son of God was led like a lamb to the slaughter, condemned by those He came to save?
It began in a garden. In Eden, humanity chose its own will over the will of God — and sin entered the world. From that moment, every generation inherited a debt it could not pay and a wound it could not heal. The law was given, the sacrifices were made, the prophets cried out — but the need for a perfect, permanent atonement remained.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” — Romans 3:23 (KJV)
So God, in His infinite mercy, sent His only begotten Son. Jesus walked among us — healing the sick, raising the dead, and proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet the religious leaders of His day, threatened by His authority and consumed by pride, conspired against Him. He was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, denied by those He called friends, and handed over to be crucified.
He was beaten, mocked, crowned with thorns, and nailed to a cross between two thieves. And yet — He did not come down. He stayed. He endured. For you. For me. For every soul that would ever draw breath upon this earth.
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:5 (KJV)
This is why we call it Good Friday. Not because the suffering was good, but because what God accomplished through it was good beyond all measure. The veil of the temple was torn in two — access to God was no longer restricted. The power of sin and death was broken. A way was made where there was no way.
How have we gotten here? We have gotten here on the back of grace. On the back of a love that refused to abandon us. On the back of a Saviour who carried our cross so that we might carry His name.
On this Good Friday, let us not rush past the cross on our way to Sunday. Let us stand at Golgotha. Let us remember the price that was paid. And let us give thanks.
Patriarch Godfrey Gregg, D.Div., Th.D
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