Why Is the Stock Market Closed on Good Friday?

Every year as Easter comes around, for the past 11 years, I get a day off when most are going to work: Good Friday. Good Friday is the Friday before Easter and is the day that Christians all over the world celebrate something quite odd: We celebrate that Jesus died on the cross. Seems odd, but the reason we celebrate is because of what happened on that next Sunday, namely, that Jesus was raised from the dead showing his victory over death and sin for us and for our salvation.

This explains quickly what the day of Good Friday is, but why is the stock market closed on this day?

There are many answers for this seemingly oddity. For one, Good Friday is not a Federal Holiday so many places will be open on this day, including public schools. One explained it this way:

Our coountry was founded and based on "Chrisitan" standards. If you dont like it, then leave (spelling mistakes were made from the genius who posted this remark)

I'm pretty sure that isn't the reason for the closure. Here are some other reasons I have heard for the closure:

- In 1907 Irish Catholic stock brokers got scared of the sell off the last time the market was open on Good Friday because so many people didn't do business on that Friday. They coined this day "the panic of 1907". (my quick reading on this panic had nothing to do with Good Friday, so this is someone just blowing smoke)

- Wiki Answers says that it has been closed on Good Friday since the NYSE's inception (so answer number one would be wrong based on this)

- It is merely a way to observe Easter to appease Christians

- Judas sold out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver on Good Friday so Christians refused to do any business on this day in remembrance of the crucifixion of Jesus

- It was an inter-confessional agreement between the Jews and Christians to celebrate Passover/Easter season

- The landlord had a disclaimer that if they were going to give the NYSE low rent that they had to close for Good Friday since it was an important Christian holiday and the landlord was a Christian.

These are the explanations I could find. Which is right? Not sure. With the high number of Jews and Christians in the New York area, I could actually see that the NYSE did some sort of interfaith day off for Passover/Good Friday. I am not sure why I get the day off, but I don't mind it.

Read More......

Passover and Christ: Part II

Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails. And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire.
Exodus 12:7-10

I will cover later the feast of unleavened bread to show how Christ is seen there, but here we see a peak of Christ in this part of Exodus 12. This part of the Passover, when speaking of Christ, is why early Christians were spoken of as being cannibals. Christ said, "this is my body, take and eat." Again, showing that he was the Passover Lamb who was to be eaten after he was slain. The lamb was to become part of their bodies, to be immersed within. The same is with Christ. When the Passover Lamb, becomes our Passover Lamb, he lives within us and immerses us with his Spirit. Just as there was nothing left of the Passover lamb after it was slain, neither was their life within Christ as he completely gave up his life on the cross.

Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover. For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Exodus 12:11-13

Just as the lamb was spread over the doorposts of the houses to cover them and sanctify them, so Christ's blood is given to us as a sign of his righteousness passed to us in exchange for our sin.

being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:24-26

The fulfillment in Christ as the Passover Lamb is simply overwhelming as he is made a public display of our sin as the lamb in the time of Egypt was publicly slain and its blood shown forth on each believer's house.

It is interesting to see that Christ is shown to be the second Adam to save us from our head just as the Passover lamb was to save the firstborn in each household. Christ is seen even more than the first Adam and the first passover lamb. Because unlike the first Adam and the Passover lambs, Christ didn't stay in the grave. So, not only did he fulfill these things, he went even further than they were able. Adam and the Passover lamb both condemned and reminded us of our sins, but Christ pays for our sins and rises again so that we might not die, but be brought to God.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
Colossians 1:15-18

We can see that in this passage that he is not only takes the place of the firstborn of all creation, namely Adam, but he also takes the place of the firstborn of the dead, namely the Passover lamb.

This was so Christ would have first place, highest significance, in everything.

The question for you is: "Does he?" Has he been sanctified, or set apart, in your heart? Is Christ your Passover Lamb who has taken away the sins of the world?

This question must be answered.

Read More......

Passover and Christ: Part I

I am going to be putting forth some writings on the Passover and Jesus Christ. For Christians, this is the most important week of our lives. Because of this week, we have hope, because of this week, we have meaning, because of this week, we have love given to us and shown before our eyes. I am going to first put forth the fulfillments we find in Christ that are shown in Exodus 12.

Before we start into Exodus 12, we must first understand that we see a lot of parrellels in the Israelites captivity and ourselves. The Israelites were slaves to the evil Pharoah, just as we ourselves are slaves to sin and do the will of our father the devil before we are saved. Then just as God saved the Israelites by His hand so God saves us from captivity of evil, death and slavery.

I will be putting forth Exodus 12 and then showing how Christ fulfills its entirety.


Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.
Exodus 12:1-2

We are told that when we become one of Christ's own, that it is our new birth. Our life, because of the Lamb of God, starts over and the day of our regeneration becomes the first day of the rest of our lives. We are a new creation, behold old things have past away, new things have come. Just as the Passover started the year for the Jews, Christ has started our lives over and this new life is the one that we have hope in because of the Passover Lamb: Jesus Christ.

Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. ‘Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb.
Exodus 12:3-4

Here we find the first actual look to the person of Christ. We are told that the Jews will choose for themselves a lamb for the slaughter of their sins. John the Baptist proclaims: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Further, we are told that this lamb was chosen 5 days before Passover (the 10th day). Interestingly, five days before Passover Jesus rides into Jerusalem readied to be the sacrificial Passover Lamb.

On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”
John 12:12-15

Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight.
Exodus 12:5-6

There are quite a few pictures of Christ found here. You will notice that the lamb must be unblemished. The father of the household would do a careful examination of the lamb to make sure it was the best, unblemished lamb that the family owned. They would find a lamb with no faults, no issues, no spot, absolutely nothing wrong with it. Meaning, there would be no reason for wanting this lamb to leave the household. Spotless lambs were the highest value and taken care of with utmost importance. The reason that it was to be a year old was that this meant that the lamb was now full grown. It was no longer a baby lamb, but a full grown lamb. It must be a male because it was to take the place as the propitiation, expiation and atonement for the first born male that was supposed to die.

Christ was our unblemished Lamb. Even Pilate said that he found no fault in Christ. Peter tells us that there was no deceit found in his mouth, that although he was reviled, he did not revile in return. He was without sin. He was the Righteous One, the Just One. He was a grown male, He was the second Adam, to save sinners from the their head, Adam, from their sin. Just as the Passover lamb was to be a male to take the place of those males who were to die, Jesus took the place of the whole world as the propitiation, expiation and atonement.

We'll continue this study tomorrow and also look further into the importance of the Passover.

Read More......