The Way of the Cross

I am a big fan of the stations of the cross. I think that it is important, wherever we are, to spend some time walking with Jesus along that road from Pilate's judgment seat in Jerusalem to the grave. I appreciate the work Mel Gibson did in his The Passion of the Christ. He took some liberties and made some mistakes, but in the film we are given the opportunity to be right there as it all goes down; we are forced to come to terms with how brutal crucifixion was. And, while several stations have been added that do not appear in the Gospel narratives, I think that the tradition is so strong that whether Veronica existed or not is moot, instead the lessons gained from her piety need to be the point.

All this to say, whoever chose John's version of the crucifixion for Good Friday was a genius. This version, above all others, in my opinion, captures the various undercurrents that were at play on that faithful day. Caiaphas' decision that Jesus must die to save all of Jerusalem from charges of revolution. Jesus' clarity in his call to drink from the cup. Pilate's waffling to save face no matter what. The disappearance of Jesus' followers. The police and temple authorities clamoring for Jesus' death, NOT the Jews. Joseph and Nicodemus as pall bearers. There is so much at play in this story, so much to notice, so much to teach. And while I will say a few words after the reading of the Passion on Friday, when it follows on the heals of the readings from Isaiah and Psalm 22 it all seems so clear; Jesus, the suffering servant, died on a cross that "my soul shall live for him, my descendants shall serve him, they shall be known as the LORD's for ever."

Holy Week is a long, tough week, but I pledge to live into it, thanks to John's Gospel.