Good Friday, Good Steaks and Other Good Traditions

Growing up we had a Good Friday tradition in our family. Every Good Friday we went out for dinner to eat meat in public. No fish for us! It’s a tradition I carry on in my own family now.

 We Baptists, especially independent Baptists, have always had a rebellious spirit and in many ways this has been to our advantage but it’s also meant we’ve lost some significant things as a result. Our rebellion against traditionalism (at least some forms of it) has often led us to neglect or abandon good traditions, traditions like observing Passion Week. I remember as a kid seeing people outside of a church near ours waving palm branches and singing outside their church on Palm Sunday and I thought “that’s weird, must be a Catholic thing”. I remember hearing some Pastors rail against Good Friday as if believing Jesus didn’t die on Wednesday was a damnable heresy. As I began to read Baptist history and Baptist pastors of the past I began to realise somewhere along the line, in our rebellion against empty ritualism, we’d let the pendulum swing so far the other way we lost our real, good traditions. Traditions like Passion Week which fix our minds on the great sacrifice of Christ and prepare our hearts to worship and celebrate Resurrection Sunday with glorious joy.

Are there Christian traditions we should rebel against? Yes, of course. Lent it one of those (but that’s a story for another time). That doesn’t mean there are no Christian traditions we should cling to. It’s become clearer to me over the years that Passion Week is a tradition we need to cling to. By neglecting Passion Week we have robbed ourselves of some of the depth of joy found on Resurrection Sunday. I’m clearly not advocating for Mass, stations of the cross, icon worship, good works or eating fish and the like. I’m simply saying we need to deliberately take in the events of this week more deeply. Growing in our understanding of all that Christ has done for us in His life and His death, be overwhelmed with a sense of our sinfulness and be led to repentance, be strengthened by the promise of His eternal presence and have our hearts and mouths overflow with thankfulness.

You don’t have to use the traditional names or celebrate in some sacred way but understanding what is commemorated in these days is important. Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus as Messiah and King. The King that through death will be exalted above all (Phil. 2:5-11). Thursday is known as Maundy Thursday. Maundy is a Latin word for mandate or commandment. This is drawn from Jesus’ new commandment given to His disciples after their meal together (Jn. 13:34-35). Good Friday is the traditional day to commemorate Christ’s suffering, death and burial. If you prefer, celebrate these two on Tuesday and Wednesday because the day you remember is less significant than actually doing it.

Saturday, while Jesus is still in the tomb is a day of darkness, sadness and grief as His disciples wrestle

with what has happened. It is the darkness before the dawn which leads to the brightness of Sunday morning. Christ, the death killer, is risen in victory!

This week is a deeply important week for believers in Jesus. Every other week, every other Sunday points us to this one. So, embrace the darkness of this week and Sunday will be gloriously bright!

BPM

PS. Feel free to enjoy a juicy steak on Friday. I will be.