Broadmoor Baptist Church
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
NOTES:
Many centuries ago, Christian pilgrims, wanting to fully participate in Christ’s passion, would journey to the Holy Land and worship at each site visited by Christ during the last week of his life. Over time, this ritual was symbolically re-enacted in churches during Holy Week. Different stations would be set up throughout the sanctuary depicting various scenes of Christ’s Passion and Crucifixion. Worshippers would visit each station, and meditate on the scene through readings, art and prayers. This devotional ritual is called the Stations of the Cross. Today, we will be celebrating a form of this ritual at our church called Journey to the Cross. The different rooms in our church are set up to represent various scenes from Christ’s Passion, beginning with the Last Supper and ending with Christ’s burial in the tomb. This guidebook will assist you on your journey. Along the way you will be invited to meditate on certain readings*, listen to certain songs, offer prayers and participate in spiritual exercises, all aimed to help you enter into the story of Christ’s death.
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Follow the signs to the room with the next scene. If the door to the next room is closed, please wait until the people ahead of you are finished. At each scene, you will be given a meditation to read, some reflection questions to ponder, an action to perform and a prayer to offer. Take enough time at each station to enter into the story being represented. If you are travelling in a group, you may wish to read the meditations aloud and discuss some of the reflection questions. Keep in mind, however, that other groups are following you and so be conscious of the time. At the stations with music, simply hit “Play” on the portable stereo and the song should begin.. A blank sheet has been provided for you at the back of this guidebook. Feel free to record your thoughts and impressions as you proceed on the journey. Please respect the spirit of silence and reflection that is an essential element of this spiritual journey. Discussion at the different scenes is a welcome component to the group experience, but please try to remain in silence as you walk from room to room. If you wish to meditate a little longer on the Journey to the Cross experience, you may remain in the Sanctuary before heading out to the final scene in the side exit of the church. Please exit by the side doors with the black curtain draped over it and then proceed to the parking lot (the black fabric is meant to represent the curtain that was torn in two when Jesus died). If you have any questions during the journey, please feel free to ask the greeter located in the Church foyer.
May God touch your heart, mind, spirit and soul as you walk in the steps of Jesus, his Son! *All Scripture references taken from Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the Bible, The Message.
MEDITATION
SCRIPTURE LESSON: Mark 14:17-25
God is dead! The nightmare of pain and suffering, the agony of betrayal and loneliness come to an end. After three mercifully brief hours on the cross, suspended between earth and sky, Jesus dies. Choking on the hyssop dipped in wine, he gasps out the words, “It is finished.” He bows his head and gives up his spirit. Immediately the earth feels the ramifications of the death of God. The sky turns black; the earth shakes; the tombs were opened; and the curtain in the Temple was torn in two. The curtain—that barrier that separated the Holy of Holies (which was the special room where God’s Spirit dwelt) from the rest of the Temple—is split. No longer is God removed from his people. Everyone—not just the high priest—now has access to God. Thanks to the blood of Christ, we may boldly enter into the Holy of Holies and approach God face to face! But Jesus’ loved ones don’t know this yet. Relatives and friends carry his body to the gravesite—to the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man who was also a disciple of Jesus. They lay his body gently in the new tomb carved out of the hill and wrap it in a clean linen cloth. A great rock seals the entrance and those who mourned him leave him alone as they go to their homes. They do not remember his speaking about rising on the third day. All they know is that he is dead and gone. Their grief completely overwhelms them and they walk away.
After sunset he came with the Twelve. As they were at the supper table eating, Jesus said, “I have something hard but important to say to you: One of you is going to hand me over to the conspirators, one who at this moment is eating with me.” Stunned, they started asking, one after another, “It isn’t me, is it?” He said, “It’s one of the Twelve, one who eats with me out of the same bowl. In one sense, it turns out that the Son of Man is entering into a way of treachery well-marked by the Scriptures - no surprises here. In another sense, the man who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man - better never to have been born than do this!” In the course of their meal, having taken and blessed the bread, he broke it and gave it to them. Then he said,
Have you ever felt abandoned by God? Have your expectations and understanding of God ever been undermined or threatened by painful life circumstances? Have you ever encountered difficulties or obstacles that seem too big or too hopeless for God to enter into and intervene? Despite the fact that Jesus had predicted his death AND resurrection countless times throughout his ministry, his followers were totally devastated when he died. Even though they had been with him for three years, they still didn’t understand who he was and what he was about, so his death represented the end of all their hopes and dreams for what they hoped he would accomplish. And they mourned this loss profoundly. It wasn’t until the third day when they encountered the risen Lord that they began to catch a vision for the grander purpose in Christ’s life, death and resurrection. And hope was re-born in their hearts...a hope that would sustain and form them into Christ’s kingdom workers as they shared the good news with the people they encountered.
THE LAST SUPPER
“Take, this is my body.” Taking the chalice, he gave it to them, thanking God, and they all drank from it. He said, “This is my blood, God’s new covenant, Poured out for many people. “I’ll not be drinking wine again until the new day when I drink it in the kingdom of God.” They sang a hymn and went directly to Mount Olives.
REFLECTION
ACTION Kneel at the table meant to represent Christ’s final place of rest and listen to the CD. As you reflect on your journey to the cross, tell God about those times when you felt abandoned or let down by him. Confess your doubts and disappointments. Or maybe you have questions you want to ask. Speak them all to God, believing that he hears and cares. As you leave this place, however, note that the curtain covering the doors has been torn in two. Remember that because of Jesus’ death, you may freely enter God’s presence. And the resurrected Lord meets with us, reveals himself to us and transforms our lives. So receive Christ’s gift of hope as we wait for Easter morning.
PRAYER Lord, when you were buried it seemed like the end of everything you promised and stood for. But it wasn’t; it was only the beginning. As we travel today from the Crucifixion to the glorious hope of Easter Sunday, be with us in a special way to help us recall and reflect in our hearts who you are and what you have done for us. Amen.
JESUS DIES AND IS BURIED SCRIPTURE LESSON: Mark 15:33-47 At noon the sky became extremely dark. The darkness lasted three hours. At three o’clock, Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Some of the bystanders who heard him said, “Listen, he’s calling for Elijah.” Someone ran off, soaked a sponge in sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.” But Jesus, with a loud cry, gave his last breath. At that moment the Temple curtain ripped right down the middle. When the Roman captain standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit breathing, he said, “This has to be the Son of God!” There were women watching from a distance, among them Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and Joses, and Salome. When Jesus was in Galilee, these women followed and served him, and had come up with him to Jerusalem. Late in the afternoon, since it was the Day of Preparation (that is, Sabbath eve), Joseph of Arimathea, a highly respected member of the Jewish Council, came. He was one who lived expectantly, on the lookout for the kingdom of God. Working up his courage, he went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate questioned whether he could be dead that soon and called for the captain to verify that he was really dead. Assured by the captain, he gave Joseph the corpse. Having already purchased a linen shroud, Joseph took Jesus down, wrapped him in the shroud, placed him in a tomb that had been cut into the rock, and rolled a large stone across the opening. Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Joses, watched the burial.
MEDITATION The Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed… When is a mother more inclined to cuddle her children? When they’re a nasty, insolent brood, disobedient and disrespectful of her motherhood? Or when they are cuddly? When will a father likelier give good gifts to his children? When they’ve just ruined the previous gift, by negligence or by downright wickedness? When they are sullen and self-absorbed? Or when they manifest genuine goodness and self-responsibility? But the love of Jesus is utterly unaccountable—except that he is God and God is love. It has no cause in us. It reacts to, or repays, or rewards just nothing in us. It is beyond human measure, beyond comprehension. It takes my breath away. For when did Jesus choose to give us the enduring gift of his presence, his cuddling, his dear communing with us? When we were worthy of the gift, good people indeed? Hardly. It was precisely when we were most unworthy. The Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. In the night when his people betrayed him, the Lord Jesus said, “This is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many.” Then! In the night of the gravest human treachery, he gave the gift of himself. And the giving has never ceased. The holy communion continues today. This is grace.
REFLECTION Look carefully at the Upper Room scene depicted in the drawing. Which disciple best represents your response to Jesus? Are you like Judas, wracked with guilt over mistakes from the past or sins about to be committed, so that you can’t even look at Jesus, but instead throw your head back to look at the ceiling so you can avoid eye contact? Are you like doubting Thomas, facing away from Jesus, scratching your head as you try to decide if he really is who he says he is? Are you like Peter, preoccupied with your own hunger needs, so that you focus on eating instead of listening to Jesus? Or are you like the beloved disciple, leaning in toward Jesus, ignoring the meal in front of you, in order to hang on to Christ’s every word? Make your confession now to God.
ACTION You are invited to the Lord’s Table. Take a piece of bread, which represents Christ’s body, given on the Cross for your sins. Dip the bread in the cup of juice, which represents Christ’s blood shed for you. And as you eat, remember and celebrate Jesus’ incredible love for you.
PRAYER Lord, what shall I say to you? I lay my hand upon my mouth. Your love is too wonderful for me; it is high; I can’t understand it. But this I do: I dwell within it, silently, gratefully, faithfully, believing in it after all. Amen.
MEDITATION
JESUS PRAYS IN THE GARDEN SCRIPTURE LESSON: Mark 14:32-42 They came to an area called Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him. He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony. He told them, “I feel bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil with me.” Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: “Papa, Father, you can can’t you? - get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want - what do you want?” He came back and found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, you went to sleep on me? Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don’t enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don’t be naïve. Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.” He then went back and prayed the same prayer. Returning, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn’t keep their eyes open, and they didn’t have a plausible excuse. He came back a third time and said, “Are you going to sleep all night? No - you’ve slept long enough. Time’s up. The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up. Let’s get going. My betrayer has arrived.”
Have you ever seen flesh torn by a knife? or a sword? or a nail? Nerves are sheared, blood vessels scraped or torn, flesh rent in two. The pain is incredible. First, Christ’s hands and feet are nailed to the cross, and then he is crucified. As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain. As he pushes himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, he places his full weight on the nail through his feet. Again there is the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves of the feet. Eventually the arms fatigue and Christ can no longer pull himself upward. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled. Death by asphyxiation. Jesus Christ, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Breath of Life and sustainer of all that lives, suffocates to death on the cross.
REFLECTION It is hard to imagine a God being nailed to a cross by his own creatures. It is even more difficult to understand a love that permitted such a thing to happen! Jesus, as those men drove heavy nails into your hands and feet, did you offer the pain as reparation for some particular human weakness and sin? Was the nail in your right hand for those who spend their lives in idleness and boredom? Was the nail in your left hand in reparation for all Christians who live lukewarm lives? Were you stretching out your arms to show us how much you love us? As the feet that walked the hot, dusty roads were nailed fast, did they cramp up in a deadly grip of pain to pay for all those who so nimbly run the broad road of selfishness and self-indulgence? Which of my sins nailed you to that cross?
ACTION Take a minute to reflect on the patterns of sin and failure which seem to hold you in bondage. Write them down on the piece of paper beside the cross. Fold the paper in half and then take a nail and drive it through the paper on to the cross. And as you do so, look at the image of the crucified Christ. Behold the Man, wearing all your shame and guilt, and taking on himself the punishment that you deserve. Will you turn away in shame or fear or indifference? Or will you respond with heartfelt love and gratitude?
PRAYER O Jesus, for how many ages have you been on the Cross and yet people pass by in utter disregard of you except to pierce once again your loving heart. How often have I passed you by, heedless of your overwhelming sorrow, your countless wounds, your infinite love. How often have I stood before you, not to comfort and console you, but to offend you by my conduct or neglect of you, to scorn your love. You have stretched out your hands to comfort me, and I have seized those hands—that could have rightfully condemned me—and have bent them back upon the Cross, nailing them rigid and helpless to it. Yet I have only succeeded in imprinting my name on your palms forever. You have loved me with an infinite love and I have taken advantage of that love to sin all the more against you. Yet my ingratitude has only succeeded in piercing your loving heart and causing your precious blood to flow forth on me. O Jesus, let your blood be upon me, not for a curse, but for a blessing. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on me. Amen.
MEDITATION
JESUS IS CRUCIFIED SCRIPTURE LESSON: Mark 15:22-32 The soldiers brought Jesus to Golgotha, meaning “Skull Hill.” They offered him a mild painkiller (wine mixed with myrrh), but he wouldn’t take it. And they nailed him to the cross. They divided up his clothes and threw dice to see who would get them. They nailed him up at nine o’clock in the morning. The charge against him - THE KING OF THE JEWS - was printed on a poster. Along with him, they crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left. People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: “You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days - so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you’re really God’s Son, come down from that cross!” The high priests, along with the religious scholars, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him: “He saved others - but he can’t save himself!” Messiah, is he? King of Israel? Then let him climb down from that cross. We’ll all become believers then!” Even the men crucified alongside him joined in the mockery.
No one can hope to identify fully with the anguish the Son of God must have suffered as he pleaded with his Father to show him an escape route from the cross of Calvary. The Gospel writers give us a glimpse of some of the pain and turmoil which caused Jesus to entreat the Father to deliver him from the necessity of dying the death of a criminal: Jesus wept and grieved, he cried out to God in fear and dread, he struggled with obedience, begging his Father to find a different way. And his extreme agony took a toll on his body as the sweat, which poured from his body, fell to the ground like drops of blood. Nowhere else in Scripture is the humanity of Christ more clearly manifested than in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here is a man, burdened by the knowledge of his imminent suffering and death. Here is a man desperate for a way out. Here is man struggling to obey God’s calling. Here is a man who is afraid to die. And – most amazing of all – here is a man who begs his friends for help. Jesus Christ, Son of God, King of kings and Lord of lords, pleads with his disciples to stay awake with him in his hour of deepest needs. And his best friends slept the night away.
REFLECTION The invitation still stands: to stay awake at Jesus’ side no matter what the cost. Christ still yearns for friends who will enter into his story of suffering love and continue his ministry of healing and hope. How will you respond? Will you hear his cries for help, or turn a deaf ear to his voice? Will you give him what he asks, no matter how inconvenient or intimidating the task may seem? Or will you simply dismiss his request, convinced he can’t possibly need you? Will you obey immediately or put it off, hoping he’ll just forget the request? Friends, will you stay awake one night to pray with Jesus?
ACTION Spend a few minutes in silent prayer at the kneeler, confessing those times you let Jesus down. Tell him that a lot of the times you’d rather sleep than pray. And then ask Jesus to give you the strength to stay awake with him when he needs you the most. Commit yourself anew to being the kind of friend that will enter into and share Jesus’ pain and struggles.
PRAYER Dear Jesus, you are sweating. No, you are bleeding. You must have suffered more than anyone of us can imagine. Of course, Lord, you felt abandoned by one and all. No one shared with you these lonesome moments, not even those you had chosen to be your disciples. Those who were witnesses of your miracles and with whom you ate, drank and slept abandoned you. They were tired, Lord, and fell asleep! Please Lord make me understand more the meaning of staying with you, of sharing your life, of being your follower, of believing in your words and imitating your deeds. Amen.
MEDITATION
JESUS IS BETRAYED SCRIPTURE LESSON: Mark 14:43-50 No sooner were the words out of his mouth when Judas, the one out of the Twelve, showed up, and with him a gang of ruffians, sent by the high priests, religion scholars, and leaders, brandishing swords and clubs. The betrayer had worked out a signal with them: “The one I kiss, that’s the one - seize him. Make sure he doesn’t get away.” He went straight to Jesus and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. The others then grabbed him and roughed him up. One of the men standing there unsheathed his sword, swung, and came down on the Chief Priest’s servant, lopping off the man’s ear.
A heavy cross is thrust into Jesus’ arms. He is ordered to carry it to the site of his execution. The cross is heavy and the road to Calvary, the road to Golgotha—the place of death—is long. Jesus weary from lack of sleep, loneliness, fear and beatings he received slumps to the ground. The soldiers fear that he might die along the way. They seize Simon Cyrene, put the cross on his shoulders as he stands behind Jesus, and make him help shoulder the load. A perfect stranger, coming into the city, just happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was grabbed and forced to take the cross. Was he reluctant? Did he protest? And yet...did he realize that all who watched and jeered at him would pass into oblivion while his name would go down in history and eternity as the one who helped his God in need.
REFLECTION Soldiers force Simon against his will to help Jesus carry his cross, up the hill to Calvary. He did not wish to take the burden but complied as directed and accepted humiliation…. Why me? Someone else can take the burden, someone else can take the care, Someone else can take the work-load, I don’t even want to share. The option is available, there is no need to strive, I can go through life unhelpful and ignore the plaintive cries. I can leave the homeless homeless, the starving poor are dross! I don’t need to comfort strangers in the shadow of the cross. Forget the lonely and neglected and those just sleeping rough, Care? - of course I care – I just don’t care enough. What will your response be?
Jesus said to them, “What is this, coming after me with swords and clubs as if I were a dangerous criminal? Day after day I’ve been sitting in the Temple teaching, and you never so much as lifted a hand against me. What you in fact have done is confirm the prophetic writings.” All the disciples cut and ran.
ACTION You are invited to pick up the large wooden plank which represent the crossbeam of the Cross and carry it around the room. Feel the weight on your shoulders...bear the burden on your back. Listen to the song on the CD as you walk. As you do so, say “Yes!” to Christ. May this symbolic walk be your commitment to walk the paths of love and mercy Jesus trod. Don’t let your help be forcefully solicited, like Simon—instead, joyfully abandon yourself to Christ. When you have made the full circle of the room, put the crossbeam down and pause a moment at the foot of the Cross, affirming your commitment to Christ.
PRAYER Lord Jesus Christ, you who came not to be served but to serve, you gladly gave your life over to suffering and death for us: give us the grace to follow in your way, to live lives of self-sacrifice for those who suffer and are in need; grant this, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
MEDITATION
SIMON HELPS JESUS SCRIPTURE LESSON: Mark 15:21 There was a man walking by, coming from work, Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. They made him carry Jesus’ cross.
Look at this! The treachery—to betray his friend and master with a kiss for thirty silver pieces; loyalty so cheaply bought Traitor, do your deed. Is he a criminal now—this Man of Love?— that they come for him with swords and clubs And his friends all turn and run away forgetting that this very day they swore they would die for him! Watch them cower! Come darkness, come! This is your hour!
REFLECTION A kiss sold for coins. The gesture of love and friendship purchased as a signal of betrayal. How could Judas have done that? How could a man who had spent three years in the presence of God, who had sat at Jesus’ feet as he taught and had witnessed his healing touch, how could he sell that kind of love for thirty silver pieces? A kiss sold for coins. The gesture of love and friendship purchased as a signal of betrayal? How could we have done that? How could people such as us, who have spent time in the presence of God Sunday after Sunday, who have heard his words and teachings recorded in Scripture and have experienced his healing touch in our midst, how can we continue to trade that kind of love for temporary pleasures….for power, for success, for wealth, for fame, for social acceptance, for a life of ease? Worship…the Greek word is “proskuneo,” which means, “to come toward to kiss.” How can we lift our hearts in worship Sunday by Sunday—extending the kiss of friendship to our beloved Saviour—and betray him by our actions the very next day? Could it be that the heart of Judas lurks deep within us too?
ACTION Take a minute to reflect on those times you have betrayed Jesus by your own actions—those times you have sold him for some sort of earthly reward. You may wish to write them down on the blank page at the back of the guidebook. Then you are invited to empty your pockets of your spare change into the bowl, as you symbolically renounce your traitorous gain. We will take the money received and donate it to charity.
PRAYER Lord Jesus, give me an undivided heart that I may live to serve you.. Give me an undivided heart; no other gods, no other loves before you. Amen.
MEDITATION
SCENE 4: PETER DENIES JESUS SCRIPTURE LESSON: Mark 14:66-72 While all this was going on, Peter was down in the courtyard. One of the Chief Priest’s servant girls came in and, seeing Peter warming himself there, looked hard at him and said, “You were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” He denied it: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He went out on the porch. A rooster crowed. The girl spotted him and began telling the people standing around, “He’s one of them.” He denied it again. After a little while, the bystanders brought it up again. “You’ve got to be one of them. You’ve got ‘Galilean’ written all over you.” Now Peter got really nervous and swore, “I never laid eyes on this man you’re talking about.” Just then the rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered how Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows twice, you’ll deny me three times.” He collapsed in tears.
The gospels describe the torture of Jesus in the sparest terms. Early readers of the gospels had no need to have it described; they knew first-hand the terrible part that torture played in Roman crucifixion. When the sentence for crucifixion was passed, Jesus was stripped of his clothes and tied to a low post or thrown to the ground. Then he was beaten, probably with leather whips fitted with bones, or lead, or spikes. The lashes from the punishing whip must have left tracks of blood on his body, an aching, pitiable sight. Pilate, according to John’s gospel, led the broken Jesus before the crowds as his last hope to set him free. But they showed no pity. After his beating, they took him into a courtyard, put a ragged purple cloak on him and a reed in his hands, and then pressed a crown of thorns onto his head. Kneeling before him in false homage, they ridiculed him: “Hail King of the Jews.” And in brutal sport, they spat on him and struck his head. “Behold, the man.” Here was God’s Son: so disguised, so hidden, so weak, mocked as king and wearing a crown of thorns! And evil seems to have its way with him. Yet the one who sees in faith, sees Jesus still as king. Evil’s seeming rule endures only a little while, an “hour,” a fleeting moment in God’s time. It does not master Jesus Christ, the king.
REFLECTION If you had looked at the face of Jesus when he stood in Pilate’s courtyard, what would you have seen? A face bruised from the mockery of the soldiers; a face wrapped in silence, not offering any defense against the slanderous allegations of the leaders; a face masking a great mystery of love that would not relent from following God’s will even to death. “Behold the man.” And witness the proof of his love demonstrated in blood, sweat and tears. Such love compels a response of equal abandonment. Are we willing to accept Christ’s invitation to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus even unto death? How can we even conceive of such a faith in the comfort and security of our North American culture? Take a minute to think about our brothers and sisters who live in other countries where they are persecuted and martyred for their commitment to Jesus. How would you respond in similar life and death situations?
ACTION Touch the objects in the room. Crack the whip and feel the prick of the crown of thorns. As you picture the suffering face of Jesus, give thanks for his love and re-commit yourself to living for him and continuing the work of his kingdom on earth.
PRAYER Loving Saviour, you allowed your enemies to crown you with thorns and to treat you like a fool; make us patient when we suffer and forgiving when we are slighted. Help us to see our own trials as participating in yours, so that we may bear witness to the salvation that comes from you. Amen.
MEDITATION
THE SOLDIERS MOCK JESUS
Let’s backtrack about twelve hours. Jesus was seated at the Table in the Upper Room, preparing to celebrate the Passover with his disciples. When no one volunteers to perform the servant’s task of washing feet, Jesus gets up and does it himself. The Master serving the slave? Horrifying! Peter is deeply embarrassed and refuses to allow Jesus to serve him. But when Jesus warns him that Peter can have no part of him unless he allows Jesus to wash him, Peter demands an entire bath! Bold, impetuous, passionate Peter...you were totally sincere when you promised Jesus you would rather die than betray him, weren’t you? Those declarations of devotion and faithfulness just roll off our tongues when we’re caught up in a tangible experience of God’s love for us. But when the guards come with the swords and the clubs, and the courtyard fill up with suspicious accusers, the bold sentiments quickly dry up. Oh Peter...if you had filled your head with the memory of Christ kneeling to wash your feet, would your answer to the servant girl’s question have changed? If you had focused on this tangible expression of his love for you, would you have proudly allied yourself with the One who lived to serve you? But instead you allowed the angry images of the disgruntled mob to crowd out the vision of your Servant King. So you broke your promise. You chose to protect yourself instead of supporting your beloved. And when the rooster crowed and Christ looked into your eyes, you were forced to face the pitiful inadequacy of your love and fidelity.
REFLECTION SCRIPTURE LESSON: Mark 15:16-20 The soldiers took Jesus into the palace (called Praetorium) and called together the entire brigade. They dressed him up in purple and put a crown plaited from a thorn bush on his head. Then they began their mockery: “Bravo, King of the Jews!” They banged on his head with a club, spit on him, and knelt down in mock worship. After they had their fun, they took off the purple cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they marched out to nail him to the cross.
How many times have we made promises to Jesus that we never kept? How many times have we crumbled in the face of peer pressure and denied any knowledge of Christ? Why is the approval of those around us so much more important to us than the approval of Jesus? And why do we allow the perceived threats of Christ’s enemies to so thoroughly erase the memories of his sacrificial love extended to us? In your mind’s eye, pause a moment to look deeply into the eyes of Jesus and see reflected there the depth of your love and commitment to him.
ACTION The basin and the water stand as a symbol of Christ’s life of loving service. Take a minute to wash your hands, or the hands of the people you’re travelling with. May this action serve as a reminder of Jesus’ unfailing love for you. As you are washed, ask Jesus to give you an abiding memory of his love for you, so that you will be inspired to live in wholehearted faithfulness to him.
PRAYER Jesus Christ, you love us steadfastly, but we have trouble loving in return. It has been so easy to choose the path of our own indulgence or security instead of the way of sacrifice. We like to feel comfortable and secure rather than risking the disfavour of others. Forgive us, Jesus, for those times when we have gone along with the crowd instead of aligning ourselves with you. Keep the memory of your faithful love close to our hearts and grant us courage to follow the truth you reveal to us. Amen.
PILATE SENTENCES JESUS
SCRIPTURE LESSON: Mark 15:1-15 At dawn’s first light, the high priests, with the religious leaders and scholars, arranged a conference with the entire Jewish Council. After tying Jesus securely, they took him out and presented him to Pilate. Pilate asked him, “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?” He answered, “If you say so.” The high priests let loose a barrage of accusations. Pilate asked him again, “Aren’t you going to answer anything? That’s quite a list of accusations.” Still, he said nothing. Pilate was impressed, really impressed. It was a custom at the Feast to release a prisoner, anyone the people asked for. There was one prisoner called Barabbas, locked up with the insurrectionists who had committed murder during the uprising against Rome. As the crowd came up and began to present its petition for him to release a prisoner, Pilate anticipated them: “Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?” Pilate knew by this time that it was through sheer spite that the high priests had turned Jesus over to him. But the high priests by then had worked up the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas. Pilate came back, “So what do I do with this man you call King of the Jews?” They yelled, “Nail him to a cross!” Pilate objected, “But for what crime?” But they yelled all the louder, “Nail him to a cross!” Pilate gave the crowd what it wanted, set Barabbas free and turned Jesus over for whipping and crucifixion.
MEDITATION Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate.” After his arrest in the garden, he was taken for a hurried hearing that led to his judgment and condemnation. Prompted by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, the Roman procurator, Pontius Pilate, judged him and sentenced him to death. Most likely Jesus was just another obscure Jew to Pilate, unexpectedly thrust before him the day before a hectic Jewish feast, when the Romans stood poised, battle-ready, to crush any sign of Jewish disorder or rebellion. Pilate’s priority that day was to keep order in the turbulent city. Controlling Jerusalem was far more important than the innocence of the One who stood before him. And yet...we see his indecision. He knows in his heart that Jesus has committed no real crime. We see him trying to reason with the crowd, acknowledging there are no grounds for conviction. But the mob will not listen. The same people who welcomed Christ as King just five days earlier now scream for his death. And so Pilate, fearing political upheaval, gives in and sentences Jesus to death. The mob wins. This scene re-emphasizes the danger of peer pressure. Pilate is coerced by the crowd to render an unjust sentence. The people are persuaded by the religious leaders to condemn a man they had just welcomed as king. And the innocent man in the middle of the fracas is the one who suffers.
REFLECTION Are you secure enough in your relationship with Christ that you would be willing to stand up for what is right even amidst intense opposition? Note that the religious leaders are the ones leading the assault on Christ. Would you be willing to speak out for justice even if your religious leaders condemned you? (Think of the German church under the Nazi regime). Do you love Christ more than your father or mother, your daughter or son, your own life? Such is the life of faith we are called to.
ACTION Make a palm cross, following the printed instructions. (See the examples in the room). Take the palm cross with you to remind you how quickly our shouts of “Hosanna!” can turn into screams of “Crucify!”
PRAYER Loving Jesus, you call us, but we have wax-filled ears; you reveal yourself, but our eyelids are heavy; you lead us toward our neighbour, but we build walls around ourselves; you hate evil, injustice, and alienation, but we get used to it. O God, we pray, help us to see ourselves both as we are and as we might be before you, and draw us by your Spirit’s tether into your forgiving, renewing, and life transforming grace. Amen.
