Part 2 of the Four Days of Easter. Part 1: 4/02/10
Most people who know about Christianity are familiar with the historical activities/significance of Good Friday—which is also called Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion; Great Friday; and the one that makes more sense to me: Black Friday.
The reason I say this is because I heard a sermon about “Good” Friday where the pastor told in excruciating detail what happens to the body and how you die when you’re crucified. Made me ill.
I also hate the whole scene: the flogging, Jesus carrying the cross, wearing the crown of thorns; the angry mob mocking him; a Roman soldier stabbing him; Jesus hanging on a cross, sweating blood—REALLY disturbs me.
Bible scholars say Jesus likely died at 3:00 pm. I wonder if the “3” has anything to do with the holy trinity?
Then the sky turned black and there was an earthquake. Nothing good about this day. Black Friday is much more appropriate. (Even more so if you’re a practicing Catholic, as they are supposed to fast on this day. Of course, they’re supposed to do a lot of things, like protect—not sexually abuse—children. HAD to throw that in.)
In the Easter story, Holy Saturday is the tricky day. What did Jesus do on this day? The answer: No one knows for sure.
There are some theories:
- He lay dead in the tomb until Sunday.
- He became alive in the tomb, but stayed put, meditated and prayed about his death and resurrection, and waited for Sunday.
- He took a trip to Hell to talk to some folks, like Adam and Eve.
I like Theory #3 the best. First, it reinforces my interpretation of Jesus as a Man/God of Action; a Man/God of Passion; and a Man/God of Compassion. In this version, Jesus travels to Hell to find people who denied him and give them a second chance.
He also went to find people who died before he was around and give them an opportunity to believe in him. It was like a last call to jump on the Eternity Train. That’s sounds more like Jesus to me.
And much better use of Jesus’s time, too, than lying around in a gloomy tomb—and maybe having second thoughts about saving mankind.
Jesus, being all-knowing, didn’t need directions for his trip to Hell on Holy Saturday. But he did leave behind a map of how NOT to get there. I have always wondered where that “there” is. Is it in the center of Earth? Or on some Black Star at the edges of Universe?
Speaking of Hell, there’s an excellent short story by Mark Twain (an atheist) called The Mysterious Stranger, about a nephew of Satan who comes to a small town in Austria and befriends a group of boys. The gist of this story is that Hell is life on Earth. The story always gives me the creeps.
Mr. Twain’s views on organized religion are a hoot, such as:
“Go to Heaven for the climate; go to Hell for the company.”
“If Christ were here now there is one thing he would not be—a Christian.”
“Man is the religious animal. He is the only religious animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion—several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn’t straight. He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brother’s path to happiness and heaven.”
Can I get an “Amen!”?
But the BEST quote of all: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”
Jesus said that. Certain Catholic priests and their bosses need to practice what Jesus preached.
