March 8, 2012

  • Station of the Cross 1: Jesus is Condemned to Death

    During this Lenten Season, my wife and I had been reflecting on the Stations of the Cross, a meditation of Christ's journey to the top of Calvary.  We especially enjoy some contemporary songs written as a result of this meditation.

    Station of the Cross 1: Jesus is Condemned to Death

    As I put myself into Jesus' place, I wondered what was going through His mind when He was condemned to death. Although as God, He already knew that this would happen, I imagine that His human side had questions and doubts. In fact, He prayed for the Father to take away the cup of suffering that He knew He would come to bear. Sometimes, we forget that Jesus is both one hundred percent man and one hundred percent God. There is a human side to Jesus, not only because God created man in His image, but also because Jesus is the image of God, the first born of all creation and in Him dwells the fullness of God Incarnate. This is one of the things that Incarnation means and this what the Incarnation tells us. Jesus conquered death and gave the mankind eternal life. He is indeed the perfect Lamb of God, the sacrifice for all our sins.

    BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD!

    Jesus' sentence to death reminds me of a time that I listened to the Father and did exactly as He asked me to. Others around me tried to convince me not to do what God wanted me to do and tried to convince me that I was not hearing His voice.  This is what happened to Jesus. He claimed that He spoke the words that the Father had given Him.  This challenged the Pharisees and their interpretation of the scriptures and their security in the law.  Jesus did not do anything wrong.  He just spoke the truth and He was condemned because of it.  In fact, in His trial, He stated clearly to Pontius Pilate that He came to testify about the truth.

    Reflecting upon the life of Jesus and what He experienced, my experiences are placed into perspective and I grow closer to Him, closer to Who He is, and closer to His humanness.  For what I had experienced in this life is similar to what He experienced and I paid a price for it, but that price was not death (though I did die in the eyes of those who accused me).  Perhaps, one of these days, the price will be death and when that day comes, I am ready because I know Jesus.

    Dear Heavenly Father,

    May we continue to keep our eyes on you despite what the world tells us.  May we continue to devote our hearts and minds to You and draw closer to You.  May we forgive those who accuse us falsely, those who turn others against us, and those who abuse authority.  May we continue to understand that despite being sentenced to death, Your Son still had the peace and resolve that only comes from the Spirit of God.  May we be given that Spirit and given the opportunity to witness for You in the ways that You had ordained for us.  May You continue to keep us, protect us, and strengthen us during times of tribulation.

    Amen.

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