Good Friday

Today is Good Friday.  Many Christians around the world celebrate this day as a reminder of what Jesus did for them on the cross. 

Jesus himself was able to predict what would happen: 
Then Jesus and his followers left that place and went through Galilee.  He didn't want anyone to know where he was, becasue he was teaching his followers.  He said to them, "The Son of Man will be handed over to people, and they will kill him.  After three days, he will rise from the dead."  But the followers did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were afraid to ask.  (Mark 9:30-32)

An account of what happend on that day:
At noon the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted for three hours.  About three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabchthani?"  This means, "My God, my God, why have you rejected me?"  Some of the people standing there who heard this said, "He is calling Elijah."  Quickly one of them ran and got a sponge and filled it with vinegar and tied it to a stick and gave it to Jesus to drink.  But the others said, "Don't bother him.  We want to see if Elijah will come to save him."  But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and died.  Then the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom.  Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart.  The graves opened, and many of God's people who had died were raised from the dead.  They came out of the graves after Jesus was raised from the dead and went into the holy city, where they appeared to many people.  Then the army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everthing else happened, they were frightened and said, "He really was the Son of God!" (Matt. 27:45-54)

Don't worry!  This is not the end of the story.  Jesus had to do this to take away our sins but he rose from the dead three days later.  This is why we celebrate Easter.