Strength in the Face of Weakness (Holy Week Tuesday)

Holy Week Tuesday

John 12:20-36, Isaiah 49:1-7 & 1 Corinthians 1:18-31

In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

It is difficult for us to imagine the agony that any person condemned to death might feel as they await their fate, even more so when that person is actually innocent of any crime. The psychological pressure must be huge and simply waiting for the appointed hour would, for most people I suspect be quite unbearable. Here we have Jesus, even before his arrest and trial in front of a kangaroo court being fully aware of what it is that he faces. The only clue to the inner turmoil inside him is when Jesus says, “Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say---Father, save me from this hour?” (Jn 12:27a).  I suspect that most of us would probably be a lot more vocal if we were in that situation, yet it underlines the vulnerability and humanity of Jesus.

In Mark’s gospel we read of a similar occasion in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus is praying alone saying, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want”( Mk 14:36). Aware of the sheer horror of what is to come he is understandably completely repelled by it. Yet, at the same time he remains true to his divine calling, recognising that his own will was not what mattered here, but rather the will of the one who sent him. Yesterday we heard of how Mary sensed something of what was to come as she anointed the feet of Jesus with her expensive perfume. Now we see Jesus himself explicitly referring to his own death.....only a few days away now. How could he remain so outwardly calm while at the same time going through what must have been a huge mix of emotions? In one short passage he speaks not only of the very human fear of death, but also acknowledges that his own impending death will be an event that will change the course of the world. There was a sacred purpose in what was to come that only Jesus was able to bring about, as he bridged the gap between the human and the divine.

As Jesus agonizes over the sheer awfulness of coming events, there is the recognition of his divine purpose as he says, “It is for this reason that I come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.”(Jn 12:27b-28a). Even in the midst of the barbarity that will soon unfold he is able to point towards the one who sent him. Death was not something that was able to contain him, in his upcoming resurrection the glory of God would be clearly seen by all.

He knew that his death was not going to be something that only a few close family and friends would be affected by, or even just his growing band of disciples. He speaks of being lifted up from the earth and of all people being drawn to him. It is a reference not only to the physical act of hanging high upon a cross, and visible by all who came to witness his execution, but also to the matter that in doing so the eyes of the whole world will be upon him. His death, rather than being a premature end to his ministry would in fact be the catalyst that draws people closer to the very heart of God. By his obedience to the will of his Father salvation was freely available for all without exception. In an echo of his radical inclusiveness during his earthly ministry, by his death and subsequent resurrection he was able to reconcile all of humanity with his heavenly Father.

In our reading from 1 Corinthians Paul speaks of “the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God” (I Cor 1:18). The message that those who bayed for his blood wanted to get across was that this was the just desserts for this troublemaker who had gone about stirring up the crowds with his healing and proclamations about the kingdom of God. He must die, and in the most public and humiliating way......on a cross sandwiched between two common criminals. In the minds of the authorities it was they who had won; it was they who had achieved their objective. They had crucified this imposter, this man who they accused of blasphemy, this man who challenged their whole way of life.

Yet Paul turns the whole thing upside down. Far from being a symbol of weakness the cross actually becomes a sign of the power of God. Jesus in his humanity becomes the weak and the despised, and in doing so reduces the power of those who believe they have brought him down. It wasn’t the powers that be that were going to have such a huge impact upon the world; it was this itinerant carpenter/preacher man who had managed to get so much under the skin of those who thought they were in control.

The message in the gospels though is that far from simply giving up and allowing events to overtake him, Jesus was actually very much in control of the situation. At any time he could have called upon God to save him from the upcoming horror, yet he chose instead to stand in the gap and bridge the gulf between humanity and God.

As we move on in Holy Week, we get closer to that moment when it all seems so bleak. When Jesus is betrayed and abandoned by those who were closest to him, and ultimately we journey with him to the cross, where it all seemed so final. Yet it is in the very weakness of the cross that we find our strength, and we join our prayers with that of Jesus as he prays “Father, glorify your name”.

AMEN