Holy Week: The Passion of Christ

Read: John 18-19

Good Friday has always been a bit of an oddity for me. Perhaps it is the word 'good' that I have never quite understood. The story of Jesus' suffering and death on the cross, or "passion" (Latin for suffering), has always been disturbing and powerful, but I have never thought of today as "good." Today is really a terrible and awful day, the day Jesus suffered for us. Sure it is good because in the end we benefit, but without Easter, Good Friday is really the worst day ever.

The story of Jesus' passion has received new interest over the past few years. Mel Gibson's movie has brought new attention to the gruesome details of Jesus' suffering and death. While it is important to understand the story of Jesus in a real way, I struggle with the excessive violence the movie depicts. Is it the violence and suffering that brings redemption? Or is it Jesus unyielding faithfulness to God's will? The question of redemptive violence is complex and important, but an in depth look will have to wait for another day.

Today, I want to focus on one small, yet illuminating, detail in Jesus' passion story in John. The first detail concerns Peter's denial of Jesus. After Jesus is arrested and brought to the high priest, Peter follows and waits in the nearby courtyard. Peter is then asked by a woman if he is a disciple of Jesus:

¹⁸The woman said to Peter, "You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?" He said, "I am not." Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing round it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. John 18:17-18

Peter denies being a disciple of Jesus out of fear, as he is worried that he too might be arrested. Yet Peter also wants to remain close to Jesus and the action, presumably to witness what takes place. Peter denies knowing Jesus and then warms himself next to the charcoal fire. I find this detail to be fascinating and important, for denying the Lord is most often neither dramatic nor pronounced, but most often subtle and unnoticed.

Peter warms himself with the charcoal fire after denying Jesus. He is in the dark, and receiving warmth from a charcoal fire which produces very little light. Peter is in the dark, yet he has enough warmth and light to be comfortable. Contrast this with the light of Christ:

"³⁶The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." John 12:35-36

While Peter warms himself in the darkness with a false light, Jesus light shines. Peter's denial is perilous because he is in danger of being overtaken by darkness. What is subtle and seductive, is that Peter hardly notices the absence of light, the true light of Christ. Good Friday poses for Peter, and ultimately for us, the question of light and darkness. We will walk in the light of Christ or be consumed, little by little, by the forces of darkness?

Questions:
-How do the subtle forces of darkness work in your life?
-What can you do to avoid being pulled away from the light of Christ?
-How do you deny Jesus? What can you do to be a light for others?

Prayer: Lord, on this most holy day, let your light shine in the midst of my darkness. Help me Lord to live in the life-giving light of Jesus Christ, AMEN.