“Why is this night different from all other nights?”
During the Jewish Passover meal — what is known as the “seder” — the youngest son would ask that question to his family members. The reason that question got asked? Because that night WAS different from all other nights of the year. The other 364 nights of the year were the same. That one was different.
Why?
Because it was the night the Jews remember how God freed them from being slaves in Egypt. 400 years of captivity were over. Freedom came to the Hebrew people. So year in and year out, Jews gather around a table on a certain night and celebrate the Passover meal. They hit the “pause” button on their lives. To remember. To celebrate.
“Why is this night different from all other nights?”
There is a mindset behind that question, a mindset we ought to adopt not just for a couple hours when we go to church on Good Friday, but the entire DAY.
Why? Because Good Friday is not like any other Friday of the year. Scripture talks about how Jesus hung on the cross from about 9:00am to 3:00pm on that first Good Friday. Six hours of hell on earth. For my sins. For your sins.
I understand there are jobs to work at, meals to prepare, and kids to take care of tomorrow. I understand how busy life can be. But in saying that, don’t treat this 1 day like the other 364.
Because it’s not like any other day.
It’s Good Friday.
I wanted to write and publish this blog today, not just because it corresponds to the night Jesus celebrated the Last Supper (which would have been the Jewish Passover seder back then…) but because it gives you time. Time to think about and pray about how tomorrow is going to be different for you. Here are some ideas:
- turn off the radio. Turn off the TV. Log off the internet.
- read the Passion narrative in your Bible. John 13-19 is one possibility. Or you can follow the reading plan I outlined in the blog I posted earlier this week (click HERE).
- fast from one meal or all day.
- watch The Passion of the Christ on DVD.
- spend extended time reflecting on your thoughts, words, and actions that don’t honor God — things the Bible calls “sin” — that made the Cross a necessity.
- go to church.
***Please join us twice this weekend at The Eastside Vineyard Church. Our Good Friday service is Friday April 18th at 7:00pm and our Easter Sunday service is at 10:30am on April 20th. At both there will be worship, communion, and in-depth Bible teaching, and an opportunity to receive 1-on-1 prayer. More info at tevchurch.org***
Dan Kopp's Blog 
Thank you for this, Dan. I grew up Catholic, and I remember every Good Friday our family would not speak between Noon and 3:00 PM- phones not answered, no speaking with each other- just contemplation of the incredible sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. Our silence was meant to honor God. No meat eaten that day, either. Today, as a born-again Christian with my own family, my husband, 2 sons and I also reflect on Jesus’s final hours and the day is somber. My husband insists that we watch “The Passion” together each Good Friday, which is difficult, but we feel important to endure (I always shrink in embarrassment when I compare my “enduring” VIEWING Christ’s torture to His ACTUAL torture). Our sons are now 16 and 11, but even when our youngest was just 8 (which some might object to), my husband and I agreed he was mature enough to witness and begin to process what Christ endured for him. Thank you for this post. Praise be to our Wonderful Savior!!!
The humblest of ALL days , Good Friday It hits hard to reflect on THIS day! But without Jesus sacrifice – we would Have no Eternity !! Thank you , Dan Sent from my iPhone
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