April 10 2009 is celebrated as a holiday because in Canada as in many countries, Christianity is the dominant faith and the death of Jesus Christ is commemorated as a voluntary and vicarious action by which death itself was conquered. Together with Christ’s bodily resurrection on the third day, this comprises the heart of the Christian faith. ‘Vicarious’ is a term applied to Christ’s death by crucifixion because Jesus experienced and endured death and eternal punishment on behalf of humanity. He served as a substitute for humankind.
From the earliest times the Christians kept every Friday as a feast day. Why the Friday was called ‘Good’ is unclear but this anniversary Friday of Christ's death has been called Great or the Holy or the Good Friday. Some say it is from "God's Friday" (Gottes Freitag). Sometimes the day was called Long Friday by the Anglo-Saxons; so today in Denmark.
It is important to separate pageant from purpose of the actual day of Christ’s death. Scripture does that. Whereas his crucifixion was intended to shame Jesus and expose the error and failure of pretending to be God and pretending to be royalty, his death in point of fact became the means by which his opponents were exposed. Colossians 2:15 uses these words, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” The principalities and powers that were disgraced that day were his physical and spiritual enemies. The verse is found within a poignant paragraph in which the apostle Paul wrote first to believers in Colossus urging them to be careful about falling for prevalent futile philosophies or human traditions rather than the person of Jesus Christ. The paragraph announces that the fullness of deity dwells in Jesus’ body, that he is fully God. It affirms that the former physical male circumcision that marked Old Testament Judaism has been replaced by spiritual circumcision by which sin is removed through the act of faith in Jesus Christ who bore human sin and for that reason was cut off from God the Father while he paid the penalty for our sin. He has made people who were once as good as dead in their sins, to be alive with Him through the forgiveness of those sins.
Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. 11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
The painting in today's image is by Spencer Williams, a talented landscape, wildlife and underwater artist that is worthy of a good look. See his online gallery at http://www.jesuspaintings.com/
Other contact information for this artist:
Call his gallery at (865) 908 0335
Gallery Address:
180 Old Mill Ave.
Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
1.) Email him at Idyedaily@aol.com
2.) call (865) 908-0075 or,
3.) mail request to:
Spencer Williams
1610 Licking Spring Way
Sevierville Tennessee 37876
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