What Happened on Good Friday in the Bible: 5 Key Events

Have you ever found yourself drawn into the solemnity of Good Friday, a day that holds a unique and powerful place in the Christian calendar? It’s a day marked by deep reflection, commemorating the agonizing crucifixion and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. But what exactly happened on that fateful day, and what profound insights do the biblical accounts hold for our faith today?

Understanding what happened on Good Friday in the Bible isn’t just about biblical literacy. It’s about grasping a foundational truth that empowers personal faith, enhances our understanding of Christ’s sacrifice, and clarifies the profound depth of God’s love for humanity. For us here at oracioncristiana.org, exploring such timeless truths strengthens our faith and illuminates our path. You are invited to uncover the 5 key events that reveal what happened on Good Friday and their enduring significance.

1. The Last Supper and Gethsemane: A Night of Covenant and Agony

The events of Good Friday actually began on the preceding evening, a night of profound intimacy and deep sorrow. On the night before His crucifixion (Maundy Thursday), Jesus shared a final Passover meal with His disciples, known as the Last Supper, where He instituted the Eucharist and later prayed in agonizing surrender in the Garden of Gethsemane.

This crucial prelude sets the stage for His sacrifice:

• The Last Supper: During this Passover meal, Jesus took bread and wine, declaring them to be His body and blood, and established the New Covenant. He commanded His disciples to «do this in remembrance of me,» instituting the sacrament of Holy Communion (Luke 22:14-20).
• The Agony in the Garden: After the supper, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Here, He experienced immense anguish as He contemplated the suffering to come, ultimately surrendering to God’s will: «My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will» (Matthew 26:39).

This night reveals both the depth of Jesus’s love for His disciples and the profound humanity of His struggle. It’s like a soldier spending a final, poignant evening with his loved ones before knowingly walking into a battle that will cost him everything. This is a vital part of what happened on Good Friday.

2. The Betrayal and Arrest: The Kiss of a Friend

The quiet agony of Gethsemane was shattered by an act of profound treachery. Following His prayer, Jesus was betrayed by one of His own twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot, who identified Him to the temple guards with a kiss, leading to His arrest.

This moment of betrayal is one of the most tragic in the Gospels:

«While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: ‘The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.’ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and kissed him.» (Matthew 26:47-49)

This event highlights:

• The Human Cost of Betrayal: The deep pain of being betrayed by a trusted friend.
• Fulfillment of Prophecy: The act, though a human choice, fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah’s betrayal.
• Jesus’s Willing Submission: Jesus did not resist arrest, demonstrating His willing submission to God’s plan.

Judas’s betrayal was the catalyst that set in motion the formal proceedings against Jesus, moving Him from the garden to the courts. It’s like a key turning in a lock, opening the door to the final, agonizing hours of the Passion.

3. The Unjust Trials: Condemned by Religious and Roman Authorities

After His arrest, Jesus was subjected to a series of rushed and illegal trials throughout the night and into the morning. Jesus endured multiple unjust trials, first before the Jewish religious authorities (the Sanhedrin), who condemned Him for blasphemy, and then before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, who ultimately sentenced Him to crucifixion.

These trials were a mockery of justice:

• Trial before the Sanhedrin: The Jewish high council, led by the high priest Caiaphas, held a nighttime trial where they sought false testimony against Jesus. They ultimately condemned Him for blasphemy when He affirmed His identity as the Son of God (Mark 14:61-64).
• Trial before Pontius Pilate: Because the Sanhedrin lacked the authority to carry out a death sentence under Roman law, they brought Jesus to Pilate. Pilate repeatedly found Jesus innocent («I find no basis for a charge against this man,» Luke 23:4) but, fearing a riot and seeking to please the crowd, he ultimately succumbed to their demands.

The trials reveal the confluence of religious jealousy and political cowardice that led to Jesus’s death sentence. It’s like a rigged game, where the outcome is predetermined, and justice is nowhere to be found. The condemnation of an innocent man is a central part of the injustice of what happened on Good Friday in the Bible. You can explore more on the historical context of these trials from sources like Encyclopedia Britannica.

4. The Crucifixion: The Ultimate Sacrifice on Golgotha

The culmination of these events is the central and most heart-wrenching moment of Good Friday. Jesus was scourged, mocked, forced to carry His cross, and ultimately crucified at a place called Golgotha, where He endured immense suffering and gave His life as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of humanity.

The Gospels provide a stark and powerful account of His final hours on the cross:

• The Scourging and Mockery: He was brutally beaten by Roman soldiers, crowned with thorns, and mocked as the «King of the Jews» (John 19:1-3).
• The Crucifixion: He was nailed to the cross between two criminals, a brutal and humiliating form of Roman execution.
• His Words from the Cross: He spoke seven profound statements from the cross, including words of forgiveness («Father, forgive them,» Luke 23:34) and ultimate trust («Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,» Luke 23:46).
• His Death: Around the ninth hour (3 p.m.), Jesus breathed His last, completing His sacrificial mission.

The crucifixion is not just a historical event; it is the cornerstone of Christian theology, representing the profound depth of God’s love and the ultimate atonement for sin. It’s like a divine, sacred payment, settling an immeasurable debt with the currency of sacrificial love. This is the heart of what happened on Good Friday. You can find more on the practice of crucifixion from History.com.

5. The Miraculous Signs: The Earth Shakes and the Veil is Torn

At the very moment of Jesus’s death, the Bible records that supernatural signs occurred, testifying to the cosmic significance of the event. At the moment Jesus died, the massive curtain in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and an earthquake shook the land, symbolizing that Christ’s sacrifice had broken down the barrier between God and humanity, opening direct access to God’s presence.

These powerful signs are detailed in Matthew 27:51:

«At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split…»

The significance of these events is profound:

• The Torn Veil: The Temple curtain separated the Holy of Holies (God’s dwelling place) from the people. Its tearing from top to bottom (an act of God) symbolized that the separation caused by sin was now removed. All people could now approach God directly through Christ (Hebrews 10:19-22).
• The Earthquake: In the Bible, earthquakes often signify a «theophany»—a moment of divine intervention and judgment. It was as if creation itself was groaning in agony at the death of its Creator.

What Does Good Friday’s Story Mean for Your Heart Today?

The story of what happened on Good Friday in the Bible is a profound and moving journey through covenant, betrayal, injustice, sacrifice, and ultimate love. From the intimacy of the Last Supper to the agony of the cross and the miraculous signs that accompanied His death, every event is steeped in divine purpose and redemptive power.

This is not just a story of how Jesus died; it is the story of how He gave His life so that we might truly live. It is the ultimate demonstration of a love so powerful that it was willing to endure the darkest darkness to bring us into eternal light.

Now, your thoughts are welcome. The comments section is open!

→ Which of these 5 key events from Good Friday resonates most deeply with your spiritual understanding or moves your heart the most?
→ How does reflecting on Jesus’s words of forgiveness from the cross («Father, forgive them») challenge or inspire your own approach to forgiveness?
→ What’s one practical way you feel inspired to commemorate or reflect on the meaning of Good Friday in a deeper way this year?

Sharing insights can encourage one another in our oracioncristiana.org community, as we reflect on this most sacred of days.