45 Bible Verses About Good Friday

Good Friday is a particular day during the Easter period. It is a time when Christians express their Christlike attributes by visiting neighbors, friends, families, orphanages, prisons, and some places of interest to touch lives by offering prayers and gifts. These acts of love add color to the celebratory mood and uplift the spirit of the less privileged, abandoned, unloved people.

Good Friday’s activities are inextricable to the events before Easter Sunday, capturing the time of grief in the garden of Gethsemane, the last supper, betrayal, arrest, torture, crucifixion, and death of Jesus Christ. These events are interwoven into Easter and segmented into Easter Thursday, Easter Friday, Easter Saturday, and Easter Sunday.

However, this article is explicitly directed at Good Friday, the day Christ was crucified. Christian denominations of religious sects practice the commemoration of this death. Good Friday is often a wonderful and memorable day of the year when Christians celebrate the historic and glorious death of Jesus Christ, which led to humanity’s turning point and salvation.

Bible Verses About Good Friday

Luke 23:54 (ESV)

It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV)

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Mark 10:34 (ESV)

And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”

Matthew 12:40 (ESV)

For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Mark 8:31 (ESV)

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Mark 9:31(ESV)

For he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”

Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

John 3:16-17 (ESV)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Romans 5:6-10 (ESV)

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Psalm 121:3-8 (ESV)

He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. …

Matthew 27:46 (ESV)

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

John 19:31 (ESV)

Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.

Mark 15:42 (ESV)

And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,

John 19:30 (ESV)

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Luke 23:43 (ESV)

And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Leviticus 23:5-8 (ESV)

In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.”

Matthew 26:2 (ESV)

“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

Mark 14:1 (ESV)

It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him,

1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV)

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

John 3:7-8 (ESV)

Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Luke 22:7-8 (ESV)

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.”

Isaiah 53:4-5 (ESV)

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Luke 23:34 (ESV)

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.

Mark 14:12 (ESV)

And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”

Matthew 26:17 (ESV)

Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?”

Psalm 22:1 (ESV)

To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

John 19:26-27 (ESV)

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

1 Peter 3:18 (ESV)

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

John 3:16 (ESV)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 11:9 (ESV)

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.

Luke 23:44-46 (ESV)

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

Luke 22:1(ESV)

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover.

Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Isaiah 53:3-9 (ESV)

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. …

John 4:2-6 (ESV)

(although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

Isaiah 53:3 (ESV)

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Leviticus 25:47 (ESV)

“If a stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner with you or to a member of the stranger’s clan,

1 Corinthians 15:3 (ESV)

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

John 11:25-26 (ESV)

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:48–53

If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.

2 Corinthians 4:7–12

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Hebrews 2:9–11

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers…

What Does the Bible Say About Good Friday

Good Friday is a special day in the Christian calendar to remember Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and death.

Most Biblical accounts of Good Friday are recorded in the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, otherwise called The Gospel, but what the Bible says about Good Friday is enunciated in other Books of the Bible.

Apostle Paul stated the importance of Good Friday as a day that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, was buried, and was resurrected on the third day by the promise of God in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

Another record of Good Friday in the Bible, Jesus’ willingness to die to pay the ransom for sins, is in the Book of  1 John 1:10.

The essence of Good Friday in the Bible is the portrayal and remembrance of the love of Jesus Christ for humanity by setting a correct path by willingly giving his life on the Cross of Calvary to redeem the world from the destruction of sin and restore the lost salvation of man by his precious blood.

What Happened on Good Friday in the Bible

On the previous night, Thursday before Jesus died on Friday, Easter Friday, Jesus assembled all his Disciples for the Last Supper, where he broke bread and drank wine. He later went to the garden of Gethsemane. While his Disciples were sleeping, he was greatly distressed by the weight of impending death upon his soul and called on God in;

Mathew 26:39 (NIV)

“Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will,  but as you will.'”

Jesus described his death on the cross as a “cup.” In ancient times, dying on the cross was dishonorable; however, the “Cup” symbolizes taking away the world’s sins irrespective of the evil’s heinousness. Jesus was so depressed that he prayed three times to God to remove the “cup” in;

Luke 22:44 (NLT).

He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.” 

In the early hours of the following morning, Jesus was arrested by soldiers led by Judas Iscariot. He walked up to Jesus and kissed him as a sign of identification for the soldiers to know the particular person claiming to be the King of the Jews.

At daybreak, Jesus was brought before the panel of Sanhedrin for questioning and subsequent condemnation. However, before anyone could be put to death, the Roman empire had to approve the death sentence for execution.

Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of the City of Judea. Pilate could not make a charge when he knew that Jesus was a Galilean and was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Jesus was posted to Herod in Jerusalem.

Although Jesus refused to answer Herod’s questions, there was no guilt found in him. He demanded to replace Jesus with Barabbas, a notorious man involved in rebellious acts and murder. The crowd insisted on the release of the thief and a death sentence for Jesus.

Herod was afraid of the people and fulfilled their wish to be executed by Pontius Pilate. Jesus was tortured, beaten, crowned with thorns, jeered, stripped naked, hit with a rod, spat on, and given his cross to carry. The Soldiers forced Simon the Cyrenian to take Jesus’ cross when weak.

The journey ended at Calvary, where Jesus was crucified in the middle of two thieves with an inscription over his head that reads KING OF THE JEWS. Soldiers cast a lot on his clothing to determine who inherits it. The crowd kept jeering and booing. At a point, out of humiliation, Jesus cried to God, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. He gave up the ghost after six hours on the cross.

Darkness engulfed the land; an earthquake shook the ground, causing the temple curtain to tear in half from top to bottom as Jesus died.

Mathew 27:51-53 NLT

“At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.”

In the evening, Joseph of Arimathea, assisted by Nicodemus, took the body of Jesus from the cross and placed it in his tomb, and rolled a great stone over the entrance.

Conclusion

Despite the extracurricular activities of visitations and exchange of gifts, a true believer of Christ should not be swayed by other activities inculcated into the Easter festivity period to the extent of diverting his attention from reflecting on the significance of the torture, death on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ which is the accomplishment of the work of salvation of humanity.