Read: Matthew 27:32-44
32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
If you’ve spent time around children in their teen years when their bodies are changing and their hormones are going crazy, you’ve probably seen how quickly they go from the heights of joy and happiness to the depths of depression and hopelessness in nanoseconds. Just as you begin processing the dramatic shift, they swing back the other way again!
The last week of Jesus’ life feels a little like that.
We started on Palm Sunday with the Triumphal Entry. Jesus came into Jerusalem to “Hosannas” and palm branches and praise. He was exalted and hailed as a king. There was a sense of expectation and hope. “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Just a few days later, everything has changed. There’s no call to arms. No political rallies. No moves toward rebellion and overthrow. That wasn’t Jesus’ agenda. Instead, there is a provocation at the temple as Jesus shames and confronts the despicable practices there. There are word-traps Jesus skillfully maneuvers. And there is a question of his own that the leaders are afraid to answer.
As the week goes on, the passions of Sunday fade. The religious leaders become bolder. And then, Judas Iscariot comes to them and agrees to lead them to Jesus that they can arrest him and put an end to their headache that is Jesus.
On that fateful Friday, after the sham of a trial before Annas and Caiaphas, Pilate is presented with an obviously innocent man by Jewish leaders bent on his execution. He tries deftly to avoid having to disappoint the leaders while not condemning an innocent man, but when he asks the people if he should release to them Jesus – the King of the Jews, or Barabbas – a hardened criminal, they pick Barabbas.
Incredulous, he asks what they want him to do with Jesus. The people who had praised him; the people who had laid down their cloaks before him; the very ones who had shouted, “Hosanna!” and waved palm branches; they lift up their voices and shout, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
The Christian life is an invitation to walk with Jesus. It’s an invitation to having His Holy Spirit fill us and guide us and develop in us the character of Christ. Paul says there is no greater treasure in all of life than knowing Christ. His greatest desire was to know Christ “and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:10-11).
The invitation to walk with Christ is not an easy one. Barbara Brown Taylor once said, “I want to stop about a day short of following Jesus all the way.” We want Jesus in the power of the resurrection, but not the sharing of his sufferings. We want the blessings and the glory and the triumph of Palm Sunday without the pain of betrayal and denial and crucifixion and death.
Thomas Keating wrote, “The spiritual journey is not a career or a success story. It is a series of small humiliations of the false self that become more and more profound. These make room inside us for the Holy Spirit to come and heal.” We have to die to ourselves daily. We have to take up our cross daily. We have to trust in Christ over-and-over; moment-by-moment.
As S. M. Lockridge, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego for many years preached, “It’s Friday…but Sunday’s comin’!” There is a cross before the crown. There is death before life. There is struggle and suffering before victory.
It’s Friday
The earth trembles
The sky grows dark
My King yields his spirit
It’s Friday
Hope is lost
Death has won
Sin has conquered
and Satan’s just a laughin’
It’s Friday
Jesus is buried
A soldier stands guard
And a rock is rolled into place
But it’s Friday
It is only Friday
Sunday is a comin’!
Take time to reflect:
We began our Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday (February 26). A reflection question that day was, “Where in my life have I wandered from God and gotten off the right path? What are the practices that will enable me to find my way back?”
Today, as you look at the cross; as you linger with Jesus as he suffers and dies; how would you answer that question today? How did Jesus walk with you through your Lenten journey? Where have you seen growth?
Are there any places in your life where you still feel distant from God? Any distractions that keep you from going even deeper with him? Pray and leave them at the foot of the cross. Ask Jesus for the strength to overcome by his Spirit.
Sunday’s comin’. We will celebrate soon. Ask Jesus to guide you in making a plan to build on what he’s started. Ask him to help you walk faithfully with him in light of his incredible love expressed on the cross.