On a typical Friday, thoughts of weekend activities, restful mornings and life away from work may surface. Or, as preparations ensue for a weekend at home, anxiety may rise about chores, housework and errands.

But today is different. Today, we celebrate the ultimate sacrifice: Jesus’ death by crucifixion, an act that united God and his people for all of eternity. Regardless of what lays ahead, take a moment to pause and reflect, considering the magnitude of this completely atypical Friday.

Before you reunite with friends, dive into unfinished projects or enjoy a long morning of rest, read through the Bible’s account of Good Friday, joining churches across the globe in recognizing Jesus’ death on the cross.

You will find a selection from today’s lectionary below. To read the complete passage, follow the link on the bottom of this page.

John 19:16-42 (GNTD)

Jesus Is Crucified

So they took charge of Jesus. He went out, carrying his cross, and came to “The Place of the Skull,” as it is called. (In Hebrew it is called “Golgotha.”) ¹⁸ There they crucified him; and they also crucified two other men, one on each side, with Jesus between them. Pilate wrote a notice and had it put on the cross. “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” is what he wrote. Many people read it, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city. The notice was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The chief priests said to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am the King of the Jews.’”

Pilate answered, “What I have written stays written.”

After the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier. They also took the robe, which was made of one piece of woven cloth without any seams in it. The soldiers said to one another, “Let’s not tear it; let’s throw dice to see who will get it.” This happened in order to make the scripture come true:

“They divided my clothes among themselvesand gambled for my robe.”

And this is what the soldiers did.

Standing close to Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there; so he said to his mother, “He is your son.”

Then he said to the disciple, “She is your mother.” From that time the disciple took her to live in his home.

The Death of Jesus

Jesus knew that by now everything had been completed; and in order to make the scripture come true, he said, “I am thirsty.”

A bowl was there, full of cheap wine; so a sponge was soaked in the wine, put on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted up to his lips.Jesus drank the wine and said, “It is finished!”

Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Jesus’ Side Is Pierced

Then the Jewish authorities asked Pilate to allow them to break the legs of the men who had been crucified, and to take the bodies down from the crosses. They requested this because it was Friday, and they did not want the bodies to stay on the crosses on the Sabbath, since the coming Sabbath was especially holy. So the soldiers went and broke the legs of the first man and then of the other man who had been crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they did not break his legs.One of the soldiers, however, plunged his spear into Jesus’ side, and at once blood and water poured out. (The one who saw this happen has spoken of it, so that you also may believe. What he said is true, and he knows that he speaks the truth.) This was done to make the scripture come true: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And there is another scripture that says, “People will look at him whom they pierced.”

The Burial of Jesus

After this, Joseph, who was from the town of Arimathea, asked Pilate if he could take Jesus’ body. (Joseph was a follower of Jesus, but in secret, because he was afraid of the Jewish authorities.) Pilate told him he could have the body, so Joseph went and took it away.Nicodemus, who at first had gone to see Jesus at night, went with Joseph, taking with him about one hundred pounds of spices, a mixture of myrrh and aloes. The two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices according to the Jewish custom of preparing a body for burial. There was a garden in the place where Jesus had been put to death, and in it there was a new tomb where no one had ever been buried. Since it was the day before the Sabbath and because the tomb was close by, they placed Jesus’ body there.

Read the entire Good Friday lectionary—John 18:1-19:42—here.