I think I've wondered ever since I understood what occurred on Good Friday why it held that name. Explanations on the Internet include both "It's a corruption of God's Friday," and "The word 'good' is sometimes used in the Bible in the sense of 'holy.'"
One article pointed out how much the cross figures into the "Good News" of the Gospel. While I don't believe the cross is to be venerated, certainly on the day that some have calculated fell on approximately April 3, AD33, several world-changing events took place, actually beginning the night before. At the end of these events, Jesus of Nazareth was cruelly nailed to a cross and lifted up to hang until He died.
Perhaps one of the most poignant accounts of Christ's time in the Garden of Gethsemane, His betrayal, arrest, trial, condemnation, and subsequent crucifixion, is found in a classic of LDS literature, Jesus The Christ, by an LDS apostle, James E. Talmage.
I still remember how much reading Talmage's account during my church mission to South America solidified my testimony that Jesus Christ was my Savior and Redeemer. Through the intervening years, I've come to understand that the Great Atonement that came about through His suffering, was on my behalf as well as the behalf of all the world's inhabitants through all the ages of time.
In order to share with you the opportunity to read or listen to Talmage's words, I've linked the Project Gutenberg edition of Jesus The Christ above in the title, and here is the free audio version link
If you haven't the patience or time during this busy week to begin at the beginning of the book, start at about chapter 33, The Last Supper and the Betrayal. I hope you find words that change your life for the better. They did that for me.
What a terrific post. I did take the time to listen. And I have read Talmadge's book a few times. As a convert from the Baptist church tho I have a fondness for the cross and my favorite hymn has always been The Old Rugged Cross.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post, Marsha! thank you!
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