Good?
Good Friday, April 22, 2011 (John 19:1-42 with Isaiah 52:3-53:12 in b.g.)
Have you ever really wanted or even attempted to see yourself as you are? It's not easy.
John's passion narrative holds before us a mirror – of humanity. Nor is this done in some kind of general way, but in specifics that are difficult to digest. Seeing ourselves as we are requires courage. Seeing ourselves as we are demands openness to another and even others.
At first glance Pilate appears powerful. He has it all – political clout, military might, judicial prudence. And yet as the so-called trial proceeds we see beyond the outer cloak to Pilate's reality. Bit by bit his lack of courage, his own abiding fear is revealed. Do you remember as I mentioned some weeks ago – that in John's Gospel the word "Jews" does not mean Jewish people as we would understand if were to use that term. Rather in John's Gospel the word "Jews" is often a code word for those who are opposed to Jesus (who by the way was Jewish himself) and any who followed him, many who also were Jewish. As John's passion account unfolds we hear Pilate ask Jesus if He, Jesus is the King of the Jews. Jesus responds by saying has someone else told you about me or do you say this of your own accord? Pilate responds with a question that seems to demand a strong no, but in John's Gospel is a paradox. Pilate asks Jesus, "I am not a Jew, am I?" Now Pilate is Roman – but he is opposed to Jesus – in fact ends is the person who ends up ordering Jesus to be crucified. So, in this sense using John's code word – the question is rhetorical. Pilate is a "Jew".
Add to that the dynamic that Pilate who is all powerful in terms of his position becomes afraid of those religious authorities who are under him – betraying his own conscience which dictates that Jesus is innocent. Instead of honouring this innocence Pilate orders Jesus to be crucified.
From the outside Pilate is the Roman governor: reasoned, strong, unafraid. But looking closer in Pilate's encountering Jesus we see that Pilate waffles. Pilate is afraid. He will compromise himself to supposedly save his position.
Similarly with the chief priests, the main religious authorities of the Jewish people: they take great pains to remain ritually clean. Nevertheless they are so filled with anger, with hatred towards Jesus that when push comes to shove they will do anything to get rid of him. And I do mean anything. In fact at one point they claim to have no king, no Lord but Caesar, that very leader of Rome who made claims for himself that he was god, the saviour of the world. They are willing to jettison the core conviction of their faith to get rid of this Jesus to maintain their position, retain their authority and in essence save face. From this mentality they literally scream, "Crucify him, crucify him!"
It may be easy for us to judge, even to condemn Pilate or the chief priests. But as we remember Jesus hanging on the cross for the world, as we hear Isaiah's claim that all like sheep have gone astray, we need not spare ourselves from an honest examination.
How do we respond in the light of God's holiness, God's call upon our lives for justice, mercy, love? We can rationalize or compare ourselves to others in our own mind's eye. But that's not what Jesus is about. Jesus is about reality and truth – reality as seen by more than just us, as viewed by God, which includes what is going on inside our heads and hearts as regarding the needs of all people and all creation.
Do we, are we loving our neighbours as ourselves? Do we, are we loving God with all our hearts, minds and strength ? Looking around at the world – at the creation groaning because of our usage, at people fighting with one another while hurting and even killing each other – not only in the Middle East but here at home – in domestic disputes , in inter church bickering – in ignorance between and among religions, well, we will have to admit that we too miss the mark often by a long shot. As we view Jesus hanging on the cross we need to see and admit that we need help, forgiveness, new beginnings that will involve a change of heart and mind for ourselves again and again and again. In this way Good Friday and Jesus' crucifixion are like a mirror that speaks to us quite honestly. Dealing with these realities are INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT.
But this speaking from the events of Good Friday, from Jesus being on the cross, do not end there. THANK GOD!
Do we hear Jesus speaking from the cross today? In John's account he doesn't say much verbally. But his few words are deep – deeper than the ocean. Jesus looks at his mother and at the disciple he loves. He realizes that he must leave them. But he will not leave them, ALONE! He gives them each other, even as he is emptying himself for them and for all people, for all creation. WOMAN, HERE IS YOUR SON. Then to that disciple, "HERE IS YOUR MOTHER!"
On the cross Jesus allows us as we human beings are to do our worst to him. But miraculously on the cross from such vulnerability and weakness, His incredible love as God's Word in the flesh shines through. He embraces us. He dies so that we can live – not just survive, not necessarily keep our positions and certainly not our pretence – but so that we could be embraced by the love and forgiveness of God and begin again, honestly, to be opened to the reality that we are not God. Instead, but God revealed in this dying One on the cross loves us and the world. He wills to lead us through our pretence and our obsessions with death to something new, something very different.
So, dare to come to the cross of Jesus today. While there see and hear, be open to reality, to truth – not as we might like it, but as it is. By the grace of God in Jesus Christ, this, then is GOOD FRIDAY. Amen.