Family Bible Study - Good Friday

Gospel Passage
(Abridged) John 19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers plaited a
crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe; 3 they came up to
him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 5 So Jesus came out,
wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” 6
When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!”
Pilate said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with
him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered,
“We have no king but Caesar.” 16 Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. 17 So they
took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which
is called in Hebrew Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on
either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read,
“Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took
his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. 25 So the soldiers did
this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of
Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved
standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the
disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. 28
After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A
bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to
his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished”; and he bowed his
head and gave up his spirit.
Questions for discussion -

1. Why do you think we call the day Jesus was killed “Good” Friday?

2. On Good Friday, the mob chose Barabbas, a thief and a murderer, over
Jesus. What happens whenever we sin?

3. At the Cross, Jesus gave Mary to St. John as his mother and St. John as a son
to Mary, and St. John tells us that he took her into his home (meaning his life).
Have you taken Mary, Jesus’ mother, into your life like St. John did? Do you
see that the secret to remaining faithful to Jesus even when we look at the
suffering of someone we love is staying close to Mary at the foot of the Cross?
used with permission - Fr. Roger Landry