Death always comes as a surprise. Even
when we expect it, the moment one dies always catches us unaware. “I didn’t expect it to come so soon.” … “I
thought there would be more time.”
When I recall the death of my parents, I
remember my shock when my father died unexpectedly. April 16, 2003. My mother
called and told me to come home. She then put my Uncle Ted on the phone who
told me the reason. My dad died of a heart attack as he prepared for bed. Because
he had no prior history of heart trouble, death came as a surprise, a shock.
Three and a half years later, I leaned
over my mother, reading Scripture and reciting prayers for the dying. Moments
later, a woman from our church, who had volunteered to watch her on that day,
said, “I think she’s gone.” Mom took
several more breaths. “Not yet,” I
replied, and then a moment later when she breathed her last, “Now she’s gone.” Multiple myeloma and
amyloidosis, her death sentence, worked its last. November 1, 2006. All Saints
Day. Although I waited for death for more than a week, its inevitable arrival
still surprised me.
Scripture reminds us that the death of
Jesus seemed to come as a surprise for those around him. Even to the end, those
who loved and accompanied Jesus, must have been surprised, even shocked that he
was dead, dead on a cross.
Scripture also tells us that his closest
friends and family members gave Jesus a proper burial. Given the circumstances
of the Passover, they anointed his body, wrapped it in a clean linen shroud,
and laid him in a new tomb. His community of believers accompanied him to the
end.
As a faith community, we accompany our
deceased family members and friends to the end. They ask us for the Prayer of
the Church and the Lord’s Supper in order to be strong and absolved of sin. We
oblige. For their mourning friends and family, they ask for a proper, public
viewing and a Christian burial. We oblige. We gather at funeral homes, churches,
cemeteries and social halls. We accompany them to the end and remember them. On
their birthdays and anniversaries, at the next Christmas and Easter, at family
gatherings and on the Day of the Dead, we remember.
Externally, the death and burial of our parents,
siblings and friends resembles Jesus’. Yet, his death was different. Jesus did
not simply die of a heart attack or a lingering disease. Our Responsory reminds
us, “He was delivered up to death; He was
delivered for the sins of the people.” Because of his death, “We have an advocate with the Father; Jesus
is the propitiation for our sins.”
He was the propitiation for our sins,
and he was the propitiator. He was our paid debt, and he paid our debt. A debt we
could never pay.
Because our Advocate was delivered for
our sins, we should, as our hymn reminds us, ponder his passion. When we meditate
on Jesus’ last moments, we know our God is compassionate. Verse Five closes
with these words: “Help me see
forgiveness won By your holy passion. If for me He slays His Son, God must have
compassion!”[i]
Jesus’ death, which in John’s Gospel, is
his moment of glory, reveals God’s infinite compassion for me, a poor,
miserable sinner. Because God is compassionate to me, should I not be
compassionate as Jesus taught? We read in Luke, chapter six:
“Be compassionate just as your Father is
compassionate. Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you
won’t be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be
given to you. A good portion—packed down, firmly shaken, and overflowing—will
fall into your lap. The portion you give will determine the portion you receive
in return.”[ii]
With that hymn and passage in mind, find
time today to meditate on Jesus’ passion. Reflect upon the depth of His
Father’s compassion. Reflect upon the compassion our Father has for you and
yours, and how He is the Author of all life – eternal life and human life.
May God bless you in your prayer this
Good Friday, and may the Holy Spirit make you a believer in the power of God’s
love poured forth from the Cross into your heart. In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.
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