A beautiful legacy of hope spoken from the cross
Albert Bogle
November 26, 2022
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Luke 23: 33-43 (NRSVA)
33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [[34 Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’]] And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35 And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’ 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37 and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ 38 There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’
39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ 42 Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ 43 He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’
The spectacle of crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth is sanitised in the gospels. To look upon it in reality, understanding the enormity of the moment is too much for us to grasp. Human justice and eternal mercy meeting is beyond our emotional and mental ability.
PRAYER:
Eternal Trinity,
My human eyes
Can see no beauty here
Cruelty runs deep
In the veins of your creation
I keep gazing at my brokenness
His brokenness
Your brokenness
Our brokenness
My brokenness
Then a word is spoken?
No, the eternal Word
made flesh
speaks his eternal Will
His legacy of hope
‘Today you will be with me in paradise’
Paradise brought into hell
‘Hope truly is eternal’
Out of time
in time,
as advent proclaims,
the Word made flesh!
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