Lesallan
Sheboygan Falls, WI
Course: Personal Theology Essay
Instructor: —
Date: April 3, 2026
Abstract
This personal essay reflects on the meaning of Good Friday through lines of Scripture, connecting prophetic fulfillment and Gospel testimony to a contemporary, lived faith. Key verses are quoted and meditated upon in separate lines (EVS-style), and the piece concludes with a brief application for personal devotion. Good Friday 2026 falls on April 3.
Essay
Introduction
Good Friday marks the solemn center of Holy Week: the day Christians remember Christ’s sacrificial death and the opening of redemption’s way. It is both sorrowful and hopeful—sorrow for the cross, hope because the cross accomplishes salvation.
Scripture and Reflection
Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
Reflection: Isaiah’s prophecy frames the cross as substitutionary healing: the suffering is not meaningless but vicarious, bearing the penalty that brings peace.
John 19:30 (NIV)
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”
With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Reflection: “It is finished” is not defeat but completion—the work of atonement is accomplished. In that final word I find assurance that grace is sufficient and final.
Luke 23:44–46 (NIV)
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
When he had said this, he breathed his last.
Reflection: The torn curtain and darkness signal cosmic and covenantal change: access to God is opened, and the old barriers are removed by the One who gives himself.
Matthew 27:50 (NIV)
“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.”
Reflection: The voluntary yielding of his spirit underscores love’s choice, the cross is an act of will for our sake.
Personal Application
On this Good Friday I sit with these lines and let them reframe my fears and failures: the wounds that shame me are the very wounds that bring healing; the darkness I fear is pierced by the promise that the story continues beyond the grave. Good Friday calls me to silence, repentance, and trust—to live in the light of a finished work.
References:
Bible Gateway. (n.d.). Isaiah 53:5 NIV.
Bible Gateway. (n.d.). John 19:30 NIV.
Bible Gateway. (n.d.). Luke 23:44–46 NIV.
Bible Gateway. (n.d.). Matthew 27:50 NIV.
Yahoo / The Journal News. (2026, April 3). Good Friday 2026: Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open today?
