Week beginning 3rd April
Read: Isaiah 53, Luke 24:26
As we near Easter the last journey of Jesus comes into sharp focus. The Isaiah reading is often read as we consider the life of Jesus and the expectations of ‘Messiah’. Jesus is seen as the embodiment of the ‘suffering servant’. He experienced much negativity in the false testimony of some who spoke against him. He was arrested and held in captivity. He experienced torture and humiliation and finally was crucified. What more could the son of God suffer? Yet so often the bible tells us that suffering is part of the journey to salvation. Christ’s crucifixion shows him in the midst of human suffering, sharing in some of the worst that can happen to humankind. In its graphic reality it shows how much God loves and cares for all of us; that he shares in it. Christ’s human life shows us the possibilities of life lived to the full and how care and healing can be integral. The resurrection which follows after illustrates the hope of something much better.
Reflect: How do we relate our understanding of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection to things which happen to people now? When we see others needs in undeserved torture, homelessness, human trafficking, and persecution, do we see Christ’s story alongside? How then if we profess to be Christians do we respond? Can we do one thing to ease the tragedy of one other person’s life?
How do stories of tragedy and hardship enrich our lives?
Prayer: Loving and generous God, as we recall and revisit the accounts of the life of your son Jesus, help us to grasp that whatever hardships we suffer, there is always hope, and that you are always there with us in our experiences, even though we may not be aware of it. Thank you for Jesus’ life and all that we can learn from it. Help us to be faithful to your teaching, and always to strive to understand more so that our lives are worthy of being your follower. May we experience and share in the joy of Christ alive as we celebrate Easter.
