Final Notice

Wednesday of Holy Week
John, Chapter 18

A few days ago, Jesus was in the spotlight.

Now, he is under the microscope.

Judas scrutinized Jesus’ habits, and knew where he would go to pray.

The Roman guards scrutinized him in a stakeout.

The high priest scrutinized his disciples and his teaching.

Pilate scrutinized Jesus to find out who he was.

The crowd scrutinized between Barabbas and Jesus. 

Each and all gave Jesus their final notice.

I wonder what each one saw.

Did they see Jesus or their own concerns and responsibilities?

Did they see what Jesus was doing or what they wanted to do?

Jesus stood on the balcony overlooking the crowd.

Barabbas was at his left, looking safe and smug.

Pilate stood at his right, bending over the rail to plead with the crowd.

They shouted back, “Crucify Him!”

How can “Hosanna!” turn to “Crucify Him!” in a matter of days?

Judas betrayed him because Jesus wasn’t acting like the Messiah Judas wanted.

The Roman guards arrested him because he wouldn’t behave like a subject of the Empire.

The High Priests condemned him because he wouldn’t teach what they wanted him to teach.

Pilate condemned him because he would give the answers that Pilate wanted to hear.

In the same way, the crowd turned on Jesus because it was clear that he wasn’t going to give them what they wanted, either.

They wanted violence.  They wanted victory.  They wanted freedom in the world.

In Jesus, God was going to give the world what it needed...now what it wanted.

The crowd wanted to see glory.

Jesus was going to show them suffering.

The crowd wanted a harvest.

Jesus was going to plant a seed of grain.

The crowd wanted their situation to be transformed in the chaos of war.

Jesus was going to transform hearts in the chaos of love.

When two people have different goals, they can part ways and each focus on their own passion and aim.

But when two people share the same goal, but disagree on how it is to be done...

That is when conflict rages fiercely.  Each advocates vehemently for his or her own way.

The crowd trusted God to deliver them.  God’s goal was to deliver them.

But the crowd wanted God to do it one way...God was going to do it a different way.

How difficult it is for humans to give up their own methods!

And when someone does not perform...

They are put on final notice.

But even on the cross, they gave Jesus one more chance:

“He trusts God.  Let him deliver him, if he delight in him.” (Matthew 27:43)

And: “Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.”  (Mark 15:32)

They would stop torturing the Son of God, they would stay his execution, if Jesus would call on the hosts of angels, the warriors of God.

In other words: “We will believe you are the Messiah if you start acting like one, if you start doing what we want you to do, if you show us you have the muscle to back up all of your strong words.”

God came in glory on that day.

But it was not the glory of bright light, shining armor and armies of angels.

It was not the glory of consuming fire.

It was not the glory of trumpets and fanfare.

It was the glory of wood, a crown of thorns.

It was the glory of fire that blazed but did not consume.

It was the glory of availing not prevailing.

It was the glory of...

...sheer silence.

If God doesn’t announce his arrival, how are we to know when he has come?

How are we to tell whether God is truly with us?

What sign shall we look for?

God has revealed God’s self.

God has taught us what to look for...

A broken body...

Shed blood...

Abasement.

Suffering.

Deus Obscura!