MEETING JESUS

April 2, 2010
Good Friday
John 17-19 (selected)

The garden was a place of seclusion. Jesus wanted a chance to struggle with the next choice he was being forced to make, the next steps on the path he found himself travelling. Secluded is good, but it can also be a bit un-nerving, especially at night. Let us remember that Jesus was not from around there. At best, he might have camped there during other pilgrimages to Jerusalem, with his family as a child or perhaps in the active years of his ministry. The Bible doesn’t tell us why Peter, James and John accompanied him to the garden – was it safety in numbers? That could make sense especially, if Judas’ motivations were now known. Did they insist - worried about Jesus going off on his own? Did Jesus want the company? He asked them to watch and wait, not wanting them to sleep. Jesus checked back a couple of times to see if they were still there and that they were still awake. The “why” is a piece of the story we are forced to leave to mystery and speculation.

We are challenged to just trust the narrative that Jesus was in the garden semi-secluded. His companions were near by, and he did check in from time to time, but he had the space and time he needed to struggle with God about what he should do next. Although there was likely some room for a bit of a middle ground, Jesus seems to have whittled it down to two extreme choices: (1) give up the message he was so committed to, and hope that he could just go home quietly; or (2) continue preaching what he had been preaching and “live” with the consequences of that gospel.

The latter was a “cup he wasn’t sure he was ready to drink” when he went off in the garden.
If Jesus did decide to make a run for it, it was likely too late because the advantages which the secluded garden held for prayer and discernment also allowed Judas to bring an arresting party to take Jesus into custody. However, given Jesus’ relatively calm mood, we assume that (in the end) that Jesus had accepted his fate and was prepared to deal with whatever was waiting for him.

When we meet Jesus in the garden, we are meeting one who knows that faith can sometimes test our patience and commitment. When we meet Jesus in the garden, we are meeting one who takes time to discern where the Spirit might be calling and draws on a sometimes-less-than-logical-trust-and-faith to try and get through difficult times.

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Jesus was brought in to meet with both the powers of religion and politics. Less than 24 hours before the Sabbath, a hastily called meeting was held in the high priest’s court. Jesus had been drawing un-wanted attention. The mini-riot at the temple when Jesus drove out the money changers was probably brought up. As well, Jesus was being asked to clarify a number of rumours: things he had taught that seemed less than consistent than traditional doctrine, and claims of Messiah-ship that were being made about Jesus. Did the Annas or Caiaphas know about the special anointing Jesus had been given only a few days earlier? Was there worry that Jesus had accepted a coronation as the next “David”, so long hoped for by large segments of the Hebrew population? This may have been a concern, theologically, but also a delicate political subject. Judea and Galilee were occupied lands of the vast Roman Empire. They had a large degree of religious freedom, but Messiah-talk reached into the areas of leadership, which could be of concern to the Empire. Even Hebrew leaders, like Herod in Galilee, only ruled under the supervision and oversite of the Romans! The high priest wanted to know what was really going on with Jesus and his palm waving followers!

Jesus chose to be of little help. He was prepared to stand by what he had been doing and saying and he wasn’t going to comment on rumours.

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In the Roman Governor’s head quarters there was similar scene, with a much different approach from a political perspective. All of the theology and dogma meant nothing to Pilate in and of itself. But these messianic claims were important. Not from a religious leadership point of view, not with a view to faith, but to the very heart of the meaning of the word: Messiah.
Messiah (Hebrew, or Christ, in Greek) means “anointed one”. It uses the same language that was part of the ancient coronation rituals. When Israel evolved it first monarchy, the prophet Samuel was charged by God to find a suitable king for the people. When Saul was chosen (and the same thing later with David), there was a ceremony of sacred anointing with oil. That ceremony preceded the actual rise to power. It was the permission, the right to rule.

Had Jesus been chosen or had he claimed this right? Are you a king?!
Again, Jesus chose to be unhelpful, not confirming, nor denying rumours: choosing instead to do that annoying thing of answering questions with questions.

When we meet Jesus in the court of power, we are meeting one stripped of any legitimate authority: we are meeting one who knows that they are out matched by the system and yet is able to remain committed to the truth held dear! They have most of the power, but not all. They could question him, but they couldn’t force an answer. They could threaten punishment and pain, even death, but they couldn’t make him change his mind.

They hoped they could kill the man and the movement would die too, but they had no guarantee of that!

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Jesus was delivered to the soldiers after the sentence had been pronounced. Nothing short of a dramatic jail break, or perhaps a well placed bride to the right person, would change the path Jesus was on now.

His death was a certainty, and so the remaining time would be used for the amusement of the soldiers and the social motivation of the crowds, geared towards any who might be tempted to run a-fowl of the authorities. Jesus’ physical humiliation would be a walking billboard for local-law-and-order.

When we meet Jesus with a crown of thorns and a mock royal robe, we are meeting one who is at the mercy of others, not in control. When we meet Jesus on this path of sorrow, we are witnessing the worst of our human nature – the ability to hurt and destroy – the desire to quickly end our feelings of frustration. That’s the main purpose behind capital punishment (always has been and still is): in ending the life of one we have decided in criminal, we hope end our pain: pain that we have because of this person we want dead.

I am sure that for some, it does bring closure to deliver the ultimate punishment to someone we have concluded deserves nothing less.

In Jesus, we see the biggest concern with capital punishment (always has been and still is): the presumably innocent person marched to the gallows or the gas chamber or the chair ... or the cross. We might see Jesus as innocent. Pilate might be remembered as having declared it too. But it may still have been legal and within the empire’s right to punish Jesus and end his movement in this way.

When we meet Jesus on the road to Golgotha, we are meeting one who seems out of place, who is being unreasonably punished – tortured, humiliated and murdered – all to satisfy a blood lust, a tyrannical clinging to power and a sick sense of retribution.

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Once at the Place of the Skull, Jesus’ authority continues to fade. The irony of the sign of punishment: “The King of the Jews!” We hear the biblical comments of those who wanted it to be clear that Jesus was only claimed to be king, he really wasn’t. Would anyone who witnessed the crucifixion have concluded that any claims to kingship (real or imagined) meant anything?

If Jesus was a king, Rome was stripping him of his throne. The sign placed above Jesus’ head, whether intended by Pilate to be a subtle appreciation for Jesus’ real authority or a message of cruel irony, would have been read as a warning:
Don’t try to control this region – it belongs to Rome; Caesar is your king and no one else!

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When we meet Jesus on the cross – we are meeting one stripped of all power, totally defeated. We are in that black hole where we wonder whether God is even real. Has any of it been worth it.

When this one struggles to say those last words: it is finished!, we are left with little hope to be believe anything else.

It is finished.

The powers of this world have won.

God is dead. (extinguish candle)

#184VU “We Meet you, O Christ”