Crucifixion Friday before Easter All four Gospels including John 18 The Lord Jesus is shown nailed to the cross with eyes open symbolizing His giving of His life and victory over death. He looks at the mourning Virgin Mary who is comforted by other women including Mary Magdalene on her right. They are positioned in the form of a bouquet of flowers. Mary has her traditional red cloak (humanity) over blue (divinity and sanctity from Christ). John the Evangelist, to whom Christ entrusts the care of His mother, is on the left and is shown beardless alluding to his being the youngest Apostle. Behind John stands the centurion Longinus who pierced Christ side with his lance allowing the blood and water (symbolizing His blood shed for the remission of sins and baptism) who confessed Christ to be the Son of God (Mark 15:39). He has a halo (like John and the Theotokos) which rises from his inner sanctity since he became a Christian and martyr (by Pilate’s order) shortly after the Crucifixion. Christ, the New Adam (1 Cor. 15:45), was crucified on Golgotha, the burial ‘place of the skull’ of the first Adam, shown below in the earth. While the Eastern Cross shows the lower footrest tilted to the left to indicate judgement (the ‘bad’ thief’s direction), the icon shows this by having the direction of Christ’s feet and the cavern below open to the left. The sign above Christ originally carried the inscription I.N.R.I: ‘Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews’. The sisters of Lazarus are before Christ...Martha kneeling and pleading while Mary lays on the ground (proskynesis) showing love and reverence for Christ which holding his feet (symbolic of Mary’s choice of the a deeper knowledge of Christ as found in Luke 10:38-42). The outdoor event (geographical features illustrate this) shows events before (the sisters), during (Christ’s command) and after (unbinding) the raising of Lazarus simultaneously.