This is the day when good news, though closer than it has ever been, feels furthest away. The Divine Logos, the Word of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, came and lived with us. A few saw the truth and grace of His message, mostly we pushed him away. We were happier with power in this life, our own immediate desires being met, and the lies devils tell us we wish to believe. What harm can fakery do? Is there a market for the message of the Kingdom?
Everyone has someone they wish to impress. Are we willing to lose their respect for the truth? Are we willing to follow the Logos wherever He leads? A few like Socrates are, but most of us are like the students of Jesus: We run away, unless we are coopted in getting Him executed by the state.
Holy Friday and the command to take up our cross means that humility and meekness are fundamental virtues for the faithful. Jesus created and received the Cross. He was King and rewarded with a crown of thorns. He makes all things beautiful, we wrapped him in cheap imitations. Jesus is the liberator, we beat the liberator. He is our Bridegroom, our response to love is death.
When the Son of God forgives His enemies from the Cross, we cannot do less. Jesus Christ would let any of us come to Him as we are and then He would help us to become who and what we should be in God. If a “Christian” is a little Christ, then cruelty, torture, injustice, are incompatible with our best nature. We can be plain in our talk, He was, and one, after all, must have enemies to love them. Yet this is a sad truth to be acknowledged, not a spiritual discipline! In this life, making enemies is all too easy as Our Lord’s life shows. A man can be perfectly just and we still wish to crucify Him, assuming He escapes our prior attempts at infanticide or stoning.
We must accept that many enemies justly dislike our vices and not our virtues. We oppose many “demons” who are prophets and “tyrants” who are wise shepherds.
Through all of this reality, we see Jesus, who deserves glory and honor, being willing to walk through dishonor to show solidarity with us. We drag the God-man down to death, He returns with glorious resurrection and a promise of life to any seeker. There is a tradition that the new life was requested and received by Pilate himself! This pious story from some Christians almost certainly is not historical, but shows the disposition of the followers of Christ.
Jesus died for all and there is hope for every soul.
Jesus Christ is victor, because He accepted defeat rather than comprise the Kingdom. He knew humility had power to expose the impotence of worldly systems.
There is no place in the Kingdom of Heaven for the bully-boy, the bluster, the big head that so often we tacitly admire in leaders. There is no place for pride in us. What we abhor in others, do we practice ourselves? The focus is still not tight enough: there is no place for pride in me.
The Kingdom of Heaven, victory in Jesus, is near, but I have to turn from pride. I have to kneel before the Cross and let go of the world, the flesh, and devils.
Pascha is coming, the Son will soon rise in the East.
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