Is Good Friday Really Good?

Mar 26

An outlandish statement or rant sometimes contains grains of truth worth further discussion. On March 3,[1] Movie Director/Producer Michael Moore broadcast statements about Israel, the current war in Gaza, Palestinians, and the real enemies of the Jewish people: in his mind, white European Christians![2]

While much of what Moore said is seen through a false historical narrative regarding the people referred to as Palestinians,[3] he is right that the Jewish people have suffered persecution for several thousand years.

Good Friday Was Not Good for the Jewish People

Moore correctly points out the centuries of persecution against the Jewish people. He specifically names white European Christians[4] as the enemies of the Jewish people for the last 2,000 years. The Inquisition[5] and the Crusades,[6] are prime examples of actions promoted by church leadership in Europe. Catholicism was not the sole source of persecution certainly; the list of people and nations who hated the Jewish people is long. Even the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century, Martin Luther, penned some scathing and virulently antisemitic views about the Jewish people.[7]

Good Friday, as it has come to be known, is a day meant to be somber, yet joyful, remembering not only the death of Jesus but the salvation wrought by His death and resurrection. Tragically, in the Middle Ages in Europe, some Christian clergy used this day to place sole blame for the death of Jesus on the Jewish people. Some of the “faithful” took the accusatory prayers and words as a call to persecute those they called “the killers of Christ,” by physically assaulting Jewish people and destroying their property.

A Jewish Messiah and Yet persecution of the Jewish People in His name

The “Last Supper” Jesus, celebrated on Good Friday, was a Passover meal. Yeshua (Jesus’ Hebrew name) was crucified in fulfillment of the Scriptures in the Hebrew Bible as the true Passover Lamb of God. Though I disagree with many things Michael Moore said in his interview, his statements should make followers of Jesus pause and reflect on organized Christianity’s own blood-soaked history regarding the Jewish people. Good Friday was a fulfillment of the Scriptures with a storyline of redemption from Genesis to Revelation.

God, Abraham, Moses, and Isaiah

After the first sin committed by Adam and Eve,[8] God Himself caused the first death; an animal’s skin was used to cover our first parents.[9] This was a preview of the need for a blood atonement for sin, A further unmistakable foreshadowing of the future atonement that would take place is seen with Abraham and the near sacrifice of his son Isaac.[10] It is no mistake that the Hebrew word for love is found first in this account[11] and that the words would mirror one of the most well-known Bible verses in the world.[12] The image and descriptive language of substitutionary atonement from the Old Testament became a fulfilled reality at that Passover more than 2,000 years ago.

Our next preview for what would occur on Good Friday is found in the historical event of Passover.[13] In this we see the killing of an unblemished lamb and its blood put on the lintels of the dwelling of the Israelites. When the Angel of death saw the blood, the judgment passed over the house. God commanded this event to become an annual memorial to be observed by the Jewish people.

Isaiah then wrote of the Suffering Servant who would die as an offering for sin – for the sins of Israel and the whole world. Isaiah described this One as a lamb being led to slaughter yet who would be a sufficient atoning sacrifice, justifying many.[14]

John’s Proclamation

Isaiah spoke of a forerunner, one who would precede the Messiah the Servant. This role was fulfilled by John the Baptist. While baptizing in the desert in Israel, upon seeing Jesus, John made this announcement: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”[15]

There is no doubt Jesus was put to death at Passover. In reading the accounts of the last week of Jesus’ life, we see the prophetic fulfillment of His atoning death at Passover.

An Unlikely Source to Help Us Remember

When the emphasis of Jesus’ sacrifice at Passover and its prophetic fulfillment for Israel is replaced by a sober religious liturgy used to denigrate the Jewish people, then maybe it takes an outlandish statement by a Michael Moore to steer the ship back on course. Believers in Jesus, instead of calling the Jewish people, “Christ killers,” could share with them the truth that He is the promised Jewish Messiah, the Lamb who was slain[16] at Passover as a sacrifice for their sins.

If you are thinking that maybe the history of Christianity and persecution of the Jewish people is exaggerated, there are two excellent books on this subject I would recommend.[17]

This Year on Good Friday

On this Good Friday, pray for God to bless His people, the Jewish people, by opening their eyes to know their Redeemer, Jesus.[18]

Written by Jeff, Life in Messiah staff

How do you typically remember and celebrate Good Friday?
Will you pray for the Jewish people to see the True Lamb of God this Passover and Easter season?
Have you ever heard someone blame the Jewish people for the death of Jesus? You may want to gently correct them and point them to John 10:18.

Endnotes:

[1] MSNBC Sunday March 3rd on MSNBC interview with Ayman Mohyeldin.

[2] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/michael-moore-accuses-biden-on-msnbc-of-gambling-with-democracy-says-israel-s-true-enemies-are-white-european-centric-christians/ar-BB1jjyBp.

[3] For a good article on this: Palestinian Jews - and Other Historical Facts You’ve Never Heard About — Maoz Israel.

[4] Or Euro-centric, he says.

[5] https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-inquisition.

[6] https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-crusades.

[7] https://www.christiancentury.org/article/critical-essay/on-luther-and-lies.

[8] Genesis 3:1–7.

[9] Genesis 3:21.

[10] Genesis 22:1–18.

[11] https://www.lifeinmessiah.org/blog/first-love-the-passover-puzzle.