Metro Creative

We are standing on the edge of the Resurrection and the joy of Easter. We are to realize that, on this solemn Sunday, we are witnessing the greatest event in human history. We are witnesses to the death of death. We are saved from ending with no meaning. We can follow a path that leads not only to eternity but to the very source of love, God. God himself reclaims his children. He sews permanently, earth and heaven together in the flesh of His son Jesus. God has reopened heaven to his children by showing them the way of life that will get them there. God is love. Jesus will give the last drop of blood for each of us. This is what Calvary is: the physical suffering endured for each of us; Visually, spiritually, mentally, and scripturally.

I want to take a moment to look at the events between Holy Thursday, where the Last Supper will take place, and Calvary’s Crucifixion. I don’t think we realize these two events are intimately linked. The Last Supper, as Christians call it, was the celebration of the Passover. It is a sacred dinner that commemorates the Passover of the Angel of Death. The last and most profound plagues that would finally allow the Jewish people to leave their bondage in Egypt. It has been commemorated ever since by the Jewish people as the symbol of God’s love and His will to free His people from bondage. Easter for Christians is the ultimate expression of God’s generosity and love for us. In Jesus, His son, will make atonement for our sins on Calvary and, in so doing, free us from the bondage of death. As we say in Church, ” by your cross and Resurrection you have set us free. Free for a personal relationship with God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

During supper, Jesus will break the bread and, saying, “Take this and eat, this is my body.” He will take the cup and say,” This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26: 28). He was eating the commemorative dinner of Passover. He will mention in His prayer the Covenant, that is, the promise that God will redeem us and write His law not on stone tablets but on our hearts. Jesus is the Climax of God’s promise.

All four Gospels highlight the supper, but in John’s gospel, we see Jesus talking to His disciples, so worried for them as He was going to be crucified. He tells His disciples that the Holy Spirit is coming to help them; His concern for them is obvious. There is so much more detail in John’s gospel than the other three, for it shows Jesus’ anxiety, and one almost gets the feeling that Jesus is rushing to say and give everything to the Apostles before He must be arrested and led to execution. But He leaves Himself in the bread and wine, that is not just food items but spiritual food for the Journey. Through this event, He leaves an entryway into each of us, a command to do this: the wine and bread will be transformed into spiritual food and into an intimate relationship with Jesus.

Jesus was arrested, pointed out by Judas, betrayed by a kiss. The very symbolic greeting of love. The rest of the narrative unfolds before various authorities who question Jesus and ultimately bring him before Pilate. Pilate is conflicted for it is difficult to find a reason to execute Him. However, Pilate will take the politically expedient step of condemning Jesus. (For this, Pontius Pilate’s name will ultimately echo down the ages for this cowardly political act).

We are all aware of Jesus’s progress to Golgotha, where he will be executed. We are all present as we watch with remorse and anguish. But do we see it from Jesus’s view? What was He thinking as He was led to His death? He does not complain, accuse, or cry out for Justice. He accepts all the torment and suffering. He sees the women of Jerusalem. He stops speaking with compassion for them: ” A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 8 Jesus turned and said to them, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. ‘ ( Luke 23:27) Again, as He is on the Cross, suffering, He takes a moment to recognize the person also crucified on his right. The one criminal will ask Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. Jesus will, with gentle compassion, put His own suffering aside and say,” Today you will be with me in Paradise”. (Luke 23:42-43). Jesus, to the end of His earthly life, sees the souls He loves and has spent His ministry bringing the Good News to all peoples at all times.

Do we really understand and see what we have been given, or do we take this all for granted? Is Easter just a date on the calendar when we start thinking about gifts for loved ones, coloring eggs, and getting a new outfit to wear? Stop, look, and see what this Sunday is about.

The Resurrection will happen as the prophets foretold. “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” (John 2:19) He lives, Alleluia, Alleluia!.