This Lent we follow Jesus as he faces evil in the hours before his death. What is evil? Who is doing evil against Jesus during Passion Week? What are ways in which we are complicit in evil? Do we take evil seriously? As we experience evil in our own lives, discover how Jesus stands in the face of evil.
Invocation
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, who delivers us from all evil.
Invitation Prayer
Lord, you know the evil that comes when we are alone. You prayed in the Garden while your friends were asleep. You faced the agony of death and evil alone. Do not leave or forsake us in our isolation. Draw near in the dark of night when no one else is around. Have mercy, O Lord, Amen.
Word
Luke 23:35-37
“The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.’ The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered wine vinegar and said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’”
Meditation: Plot Twist by Anna Jacob
Imagine you are in a graduate program with three credits left to finish your degree. In your final course, you are assigned to a group project, and chosen by your peers to take the lead. Your first assignment goes well. Your classmates applaud you. Weeks go by and things continue to go well. Then the presentation is due in front of the whole class. Everyone cheers as you finish, and your instructor is impressed.
On the following day, however, opinions have shifted. The peer evaluations from your group come in. They have conspired against you, each one claiming you insisted on taking all the credit but did none of the work, not just from one individual but the whole group. The teacher informs you that you not only failed the project, but you have failed the course overall. Word spreads to your advisor and soon the claims against you have escalated. Your peers are requesting your expulsion. The university reluctantly complies. No one will speak up for you. Yet it does not end there. Next, your company learns you will not be completing your degree and will be terminating you. Your career has hit a dead-end.
Now imagine Jesus in this scenario. Leading his group, healing people, being applauded by the crowd. Then only a few days later the same people that have witnessed his miracles and heard his teachings are watching him head off to his death. It is not fair. He has done nothing wrong. And some may not agree with his sentencing. Yet they watch him pass by. Some even follow. Some go to watch. And some even go to mock him.
How did these people feel? Were they swayed by the shouts from the crowd? Did the opinion of Jesus’ peers matter more than his teachings? Were the words spoken by many men more important than the ones spoken by him?
There may have been those who had no opinion about Jesus, those who came across the scene and let the crowd decide for them, and even those that may have witnessed the soldiers mocking him and agreed with their words.
For Jesus, he needed to face the cross alone. Yet his actions saved even those that had condemned him. The evil that gathered around to end his earthly life could not (and did not) defeat him. Instead, he defeated death on that cross.
Dear Lord, thank you for taking on the crowd and suffering on the cross. Because of your love for me, I have been saved. Remind me to remember your words and to be mindful of what others may say to sway my trust in you. In your name we pray, Amen.
Sending
In the face of evil, may God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ fill you with every spiritual blessing. Go in his name, Amen.