“The cross is laid on every Christian…
The cross is not the terrible end of a pious happy life. Instead, it stands at
the beginning of a community with Jesus Christ… Because Jesus’ every command
calls us to die with all our wishes and desires, and because we cannot want our
own death, therefore Jesus Christ is his word has to be our death and our life.
The call to follow Jesus, baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, is death and
life.”
I
wonder if you have ever experienced a time when your expectations have been
shattered. If something or someone was not who you expected them to be.
This is how I experience the passage
in the Gospel of John. The spear serves as part of the revelation that Christ’s
death ensures our salvation. Many people expected Jesus to be a ruler or a
military leader. Instead, they are sent this Jesus who is both human and Divine
and preaches love not insurrection. The Jewish people expected Jesus to free
them from the Roman occupation and turned on him when it was revealed that this
was not the reality.
John says that the spear was used to
ensure that Christ was dead so the body could be removed from the cross to honour
the Sabbath and fulfill the prophecy (John 19:36-37). This spear then becomes
symbolic of the brokenness and messiness of grace.
What are some of the spears that we
can use to dismantle oppressive systems in our own society? In naming the thing
and demanding accountability, how can we respond in ways that are just?
Loving
Parent,
you come to us at times we cannot anticipate
and in ways that are unexpected. Help us in asking the difficult questions, in
working towards a world that is truly just for all. We ask this in Jesus’ name,
May it be so. Amen.
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