Good Friday its Wednesday

I had to work down at Maddington today – which is like the South Pole from where I live. This meant an extra 20 minutes or so on the train / bus trip. I didn’t read but was just thinking about the crucifixion of Christ for some reason – in particular the way he was crucified in between two thieves.

It hit me then that both of these people were both equal in their crucifixion. Both were equally shamed, convicted and equally condemned. Nothing that they could do could save them from their death penalty. None was better than the other. And both were held responsible for their own predicament. No-one had argued the case that any of them had a disadvantaged childhood and so could be excused. No absent Father, no mother with depression, no drugs, alcohol or dysfunction in the family could be blamed for causing their transgression—the buck stopped right there with them.

Maybe this is a picture of humanity. We are all the same. When it comes down to it – none of us are better than another person. Education, profession, class, creed, fame or fortune never enters into it. All hang in the open exposed in our shame and our guilt unable to do anything to shift the blame, allay the guilt or defer the penalty.

One thief would have looked to see the man on the cross next to him. When he looked he saw just that. A Man. Nothing more. A Man who too was soon to die. A fool that threw the remainder of his life away for a worthless set of ideals or a dream. A man who had delusions of being a King, in a kingdom of love. Surely this kingdom would never come in the reality of this brutish, unjust world.

Another thief looked at the same man and saw someone quite different. I don’t know what he knew or what he saw. Had he heard this man speak? Had he only heard rumors of him? Had he seen the miracles? Whatever the situation he knew enough to recognise the hopelessness of his predicament and humbly dared to beg a simple question. “Remember me when you come into your Kingdom”. He obviously had faith enough to see beyond this life, beyond the parameters of death and to recognise Christ for all who he claimed to be. To take a chance on this God Man – to take him at his word. He was promised a place in paradise. Not because of anything he did – except dare to place his faith in him. He dared to believe.

All Men are in fact equal. All Men die. God died there with them. God offered hope. Yet one Man died in and with the God Hope. The other died only with and in his own hopelessness.

I now see the scene of those three men hanging on their crosses as a picture of the delineation of humanity. It is a picture of Law and of Justice. It is a picture of penalty and of death. A picture of frailty. A picture of finality. A picture of choice. Of decision. Of consequence. Of hope. Of life. And of Love.

And of Eternity crucified to the Finite.