The Hardest Question: Luke 23:1-49 - Sunday of the Passion

¹Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. ²They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.” ³Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered, “You say so.” ⁴Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation against this man.” ⁵But they were insistent and said, “He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.”

  ⁶When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. ⁷And when he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. ⁸When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. ⁹He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. ¹¹Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate. ¹²That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies.

  ¹³Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, ¹⁴and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him. ¹⁵Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. ¹⁶I will therefore have him flogged and release him.”
  ¹⁸Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!” ¹⁹(This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) ²⁰Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; ²¹but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” ²²A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.” ²³But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. ²⁴So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. ²⁵He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished.

  ²⁶As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. ²⁷A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. ²⁸But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ ³⁰Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ ³¹For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
  ³²Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. ³³When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴⟦Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”⟧ And they cast lots to divide his clothing. ³⁵And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” ³⁶The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, ³⁷and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
  ³⁹One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴²Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

  ⁴⁴It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, ⁴⁵while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. ⁴⁶Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. ⁴⁷When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” ⁴⁸And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts. ⁴⁹But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Cross by Diane Brennan.  Creative commons image on flickr

Last Sunday, at our final first communion class, one of our young people asked me:

“Why did Jesus have to die?”

To be honest, I find that to be the most difficult question of the Christian faith—though equaled by the question “why do bad things happen to God’s children?”

I guess you could say that this was the elephant in the room as we taught the children that they’re eating the body and drinking the blood of Jesus—something that’s mind-blowing even for adults. 

For as much as we talked about Jesus’ love in giving his life for us and including us at his table, the story of his passion is hardly a good bedtime story. 

If you really listen to it, and picture it in your mind, it will indeed cause you to tremble…

Years ago, someone told me that worshipping during Holy Week was out of the question “because it’s too painful—and I have enough pain in my life.”

She has a good point…  The passion story brings us face to face with the most painful realities of our existence.  We must face the reality of evil in our world.  We must face the reality of pain, and suffering; particularly our mortality.

Moreover, we must face that as sinners, we bear responsibility for Jesus’ death.  You and I crucify Jesus every time we reject God’s will for our lives, and deny our neighbor the love that God has for us.  Jesus died for our sin—but he also died because of our sin.

Even though Jesus did all of this in love for us and the world, it’s hard to find comfort at the cross, where there is so much evil—and so much death.

But what if God is, in fact, responding the question “why do bad things happen to God’s children” with the cross?

What if Jesus suffers the evil of the cross because we do?

What if Jesus suffers weakness, humiliation, poverty, and death—because we do?

And it’s true that we bear responsibility for the crucifixion.  Even still, Jesus says “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

Putting it all together, then, Jesus’ Passion is his incarnation into all of the painful realities of our human existence.  When we’re poor, discouraged, and desperate, Jesus is in it with us.  When people abuse and accuse us, Jesus is in it with us.  When we’re sick and dying, Jesus is in it with us.  When we sin against God and neighbor, driving nails into Jesus’ hands and feet, Jesus is still for us. 

We go to the cross because that is where Jesus is.  At the same time, we face the darkness in our world and the darkness in our own hearts—also trusting that Jesus is there, for us and with us. 

We go to the cross because that is where salvation begins. We are liberated from sin’s deadly and destructive power and given a brand new life.  We are drawn into the spirit of Jesus’ forgiveness and reconciliation, no longer seeking retaliation, bearing grudges, and fighting others for our own rights.  We are consumed by Jesus’ compassion and mercy for all people.  We set tables for the hungry.  Our hands and words create peace and justice.  We live together as God’s family.

So on this Holy Week, I invite you to these three challenges:

1.      Name before God what hurts the most in your life.

2.      Name before God the evils you see hurting God’s children in the world. 

3.      Ask God to help you change one thing in your life; to put one sinful habit or lifestyle choice to death for good.

I then invite you to take these with you into Holy week.  Think about them, pray over them, and offer them up to Jesus at the cross. 

Do this because the cross is where God turns the tide against suffering and evil and death: and that is God’s love for us.  The cross is the sign of promise that Jesus is both for us and with us. 

God wants for that same love that destroys evil and death to change you: to change your heart; to change your mind; to change your will; to change your desire… 

We journey into Holy Week to be caught up in the love of God that surpasses understanding—and to begin a new life as children of God.  The hard questions may remain, but at the cross there can be no doubt—that Jesus is for us and with us.