Good Friday the 13th
By Liaf
This year "Good Friday" falls on the 13th of the month. Oftentimes we joke about "Friday the 13th" whenever Friday falls on the 13th of any month. Although people do not seriously believe bad luck occurs on that day, whenever bad luck does occur there is still that subconscious question as to whether or not the day had something to do with it. In addition, some people abate their fears by convincing themselves that 13 is really their lucky number. They hope that designating Friday the 13th as a lucky day will counteract any bad luck that would normally befall the ill-fated person. The news media is quick to point out that Friday the 13th was unlucky to those who experienced tragedy thus reinforcing the superstition.
What started this? How can we be delivered from such ominous feelings that tragedy will more likely befall us? First off, this superstition supposedly started with the "facts" that Jesus Christ was the 13th person at the Last Supper and that he was crucified on a Friday. This gives the Devil a specific stronghold over Christians because the superstition involved the Savior instead of somebody that nobody cares about.
As usual, Satan appeared as an angel of light and distorted the "facts" of history. You see, Jesus was not crucified on a Friday! There is nothing in scripture that states he died on a Friday. In Matthew 12:40 Jesus said, For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. How would you like to leave on a luxurious three-day cruise Friday afternoon or evening just to have the captain return you home by pre-dawn Sunday morning? Probably you would claim that you were gypped because the cruise was shorter than promised. Yet we come to church and do not question the fact that Friday evening to Sunday morning is not three complete days. This time span is not even three half days and nights (36 hours). No wonder intelligent people lose interest in the church if they believe Christians cannot even count to three! This "no-brainer" doctrine had its origins in a pagan holiday that became "Christianized". It’s the "if you can’t beat them join them" philosophy since pagan converts were reluctant to give up their past habits.
This may come as a shock to those who revere Good Friday. I’m sorry to shake people up with the truth, but is not truth infinitely more precious than inaccurate tradition? That’s what being a Christian entails---- truth. The inaccuracy seemingly is supported by scriptural references that the day after the crucifixion was a Sabbath (interpreted as a Saturday). That is the impression the first three gospels give. However, the gospel of John sheds more light on this interpretation. In John 19:31 it says, The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. This same Sabbath was called a "High Day" in John’s gospel. Feast days were called High Days and those days were also Sabbaths no matter what day of the week they fell. Nisan 14th (of the Jewish calendar) was Passover preparation and that same evening the Unleavened Bread feast commenced at sundown starting Nisan 15th. The Sabbath High Day was none other than the feast of Unleavened Bread Sabbath day that would have occurred on a Thursday in the year our Lord was crucified. On the Jewish calendar, the day commences at sundown (when the Lord was buried) so that means he would have been crucified Wednesday. Therefore, he died on a Wednesday, was buried Wednesday night (as Thursday commenced) and arose on Saturday night (as Sunday commenced) to fulfill the 72 hour requirement of being in the tomb. The stone was already rolled away when the women reached the tomb before dawn while it was yet dark Saturday night or extremely early Sunday morning (John 20:1). The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Although this is another message, the Jewish Feast days outlined in Leviticus 23 were prophetic "types" involving the work of Christ. Passover represented Christ’s death, Unleavened Bread represented his being interred as the sinless substitute for us, and the Feast of Firstfruits (occurring Sunday in the Passover week) represented his resurrection.
As I have already stated, the Friday crucifixion started with pagan feasts. Besides that, the misunderstanding that the crucifixion occurred on a Friday is due to what I call the "Gentilization" of the sacred calendar. We use a completely different calendar that the Jews used in Biblical times. This further complicates our understanding of Sabbaths and feast days that were shadows of things to come. This message is meant to be a brief overview regarding the day of the crucifixion. It also serves to deliver the reader from any fear of Friday the 13th when we see that the elements that make up this superstition are not supported by fact. Besides, if you are a Christian, you believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. The crucifixion was not the end of him. Relax! However, beware of those who want to contort the facts (by saying he was crucified on a Friday) that result in the justification this superstition in an attempt to keep you in the bondage of fear. These are Satan’s cohorts. Believe the truth that both I (Liaf) and Morfessa say here. If not, you inadvertently assist in the support of the superstition and put yourself and others in the bondage of fear.