Good Friday and Easter set themselves as pivotal dates on the Christian calendar. I say pivotal because all that weas Christianshope and believe hinges upon the events commemorated on these days.
But then, does it seem strange that we dont know exactly when they happened?
I know that many people put great emphasis on getting the details of Jesus arrest, trial, death and resurrection correct. We know that they happened between the years 30 to 33 AD, but it is impossible to pin down, beyond all doubt, the exact year.
Most orthodox Christians accept that Jesus was crucified on a Friday. However, others insist it was a Wednesday, and some calculate Thursday. Then there are arguments over whether he was in the tomb for three days and three nights or just parts of those days.
Some believe we should not celebrate the Orthodox Christian days at all, insisting that the Old Testament Passover observance is the only correct way to remember Jesus sacrifice.
But, is it really so important to know exactly when these things happened? I dont mean to suggest the details are not significant. The Bible makes it clear that God carefully orchestrated the events of Jesus last week so that prophecies of the Messiah could be fulfilled. But there is some ambiguity in the scriptural record.
Writers in the first century did not record events with the same precision that we expect today, so some questions about the timing of events cannot be resolved conclusively. What was most important to them was what happened, not when.
That should also be our focus today. If, about 2000 years ago, Jesus was executed, and then later resurrected, the destiny of every human being has been changed forever. If this had not occurred then, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, our preaching is useless and so is your faith (1 Corinthians 15:14). But Paul reminded his readers that because of Jesus resurrection, death had been swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54).
O death, where is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? he wrote. (1 Corinthians 15:55)
Death is an enemy, and we still feel some of its sting when a loved one dies, or when we see innocent people murdered. The great, over arching promise of Good Friday and Easter Sunday is that Jesus has conquered this enemy.
God orchestrated these events so that they fulfilled the specific prophecies of the Messiah. The writers of the Gospels wanted us to know that this happened.
Lets remind ourselves of this, wherever, whenever and however we commemorate our Saviors death and resurrection.