Museum of the Bible Magazine will post the liturgical Bible readings for Holy Week that explore the Passion of Jesus. Check back each day this week (except Saturday) for these readings.
Good Friday, March 18
Nailing to the Cross, Antonio Tempesta and Leonardo Parasole
Good Friday commemorates the passion of Jesus. Starting with Judas’s kiss of betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane, the events of today includes Jesus’s route to the cross, from the crown of thorns, the scourging, and the carrying of the cross, to his last words. It also recounts the removal of Jesus’s body from the cross and burial in the tomb (Matthew 26:47–27:66 // Mark 14:43–15:47 // Luke 22:47–23:56). The reason behind the name “Good Friday” is unclear. Most people conclude that it is “good” because it marks the day Jesus gave himself as a sacrifice for humanity’s salvation, but it may also come from the day being called “Great Friday” or “Holy Friday,” among other possible options.
On Good Friday, the service is called the Mass of the Presanctified because communion was consecrated on Holy Thursday and so this is not a mass proper. Many Catholics also pray the Stations of the Cross and venerate the cross. The priestly vestments worn today are red to mark Christ’s sacrifice.
These are the readings for this Good Friday:
Isaiah 52:13–53:12
Hebrews 4:14–16; 5:7–9
John 18:1–19:42
Find the other readings and other articles related to Easter here.
