Good Friday? Easter? Passover? How Should We Remember the Crucifixion of Jesus?

On Passover, Christ told His disciples, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” So why do so many celebrate Easter but not Passover?

Every year, millions of Christians gather for Good Friday services, but far more celebrate Easter Sunday. For many, Easter is the only time they attend church during the year. Popular Easter customs include sunrise services, Easter egg hunts, hot cross buns, Easter bunnies and Easter ham.

Then there are unique traditions in various parts of the world, such as pot throwing, sprinkling and spanking customs (“Easter Traditions From Around the World”).

However, none of these is taught in the Bible. There is no biblical command to celebrate Good Friday as Christ’s death or Easter Sunday as His resurrection, and in fact the biblical chronology does not agree with that timing.

Jesus said the only sign He would give was that He would be “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). If you take this literally, as we do, there’s no way to get three days and three nights between Friday afternoon and sunrise Sunday morning.

(For more about this, see “Did Jesus Die Good Friday, Rise on Easter?” and “Origin of Easter.”)

If Good Friday and Easter Sunday are not taught in the Bible, what does the Bible say we should do to commemorate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ?

The Bible shows that Jesus and the New Testament Church celebrated the Passover.

An annual memorial

The Passover was an annual reminder of God’s deliverance. The first Passover involved God’s people putting the blood of a lamb on their doorposts as a sign to show which houses would be spared from the terrible last plague on Egypt: the death of the firstborn (Exodus 12:5-14).

This lamb foreshadowed the coming of Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The apostle Paul also emphasized this connection, explaining that “Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Jesus Christ Himself celebrated the Passover every year (Luke 2:41-42), but just before His crucifixion He told His disciples that He especially looked forward to it that year. He said, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15).

Our loving Savior, instead of thinking of Himself at this pivotal time, focused on serving His disciples on that Passover evening (John 13:1). He poured water into a basin and washed His disciples’ feet. Then He added, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14).

In doing this, Jesus set a tone of service and an example for future generations of Christians to follow.

The bread and the wine

Each of the Gospels describes elements of the final Passover Jesus observed with His disciples. Matthew, Mark and Luke describe the institution of the special symbols of the New Testament Passover, the unleavened bread and the wine.

The apostle Paul also explained these symbols as the main part of the New Testament Passover service:

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’

“In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me’” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25).

The broken pieces of unleavened bread represent Jesus Christ’s broken body that He gave as a sacrifice for us. Eating the bread is also a reminder to members of the Church of God of the unity we are to have (1 Corinthians 10:17).

The wine represents Christ’s blood that He shed to make it possible for our sins to be forgiven.

What will you do?

The biblical Passover has been virtually forgotten by Christians today, in favor of traditions not taught in the Bible. But when Jesus Christ said, “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19), He was observing the Passover.

Will we follow His example and commemorate it with the “fervent desire” He had?

For more about why the Bible tells us to observe the New Testament Passover instead of Good Friday or Easter, see:

• “Sign of Jonah: Did Jesus Die Good Friday, Rise on Easter?”
• “Origin of Easter.”

If you have further questions, feel free to send them to our Personal Correspondence Department using our Contact form.

Mike Bennett is a writer and editor for the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. He and his wife, Becky, attend the Dallas, Texas, congregation.