Lent Journey: The condemnation

Luke 23:22-25

²² For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”

²³ But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. ²⁴ So Pilate decided to grant their demand.²⁵ He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.

Meditation

Nancy got married  to her campus sweetheart Jerry. Their wedding was one of a kind. Their marriage took off on a blissful note and sooner or later their friends and family kept on referring to them as the couple of the century.

Years passed and they could not get children. They visited all kinds of specialists to no solution. Things became tough for them in their home. Not only were they judged wrongly by their families and friends but they also received insults, mockery as their daily dish.

Some of their fellow christians insisted that maybe their situation was because of ‘some sin’ that they had committed in their youth or their forefathers had committed. Meetings with the members of their small christian community became a thorn in the flesh as the people kept asking, “not yet?”

On the other hand, the in-laws from both sides kept ‘tormenting’ them with solution after another to their ‘alleged barrenness’ without caring to know their side of the story. With time, they got tired. They stopped going to church meetings and avoided people who would add salt to their injury.

Reflection:

How many times have we judged others by our words or actions without knowing their side of the story? Have we been judged unfairly in different circumstances by those who claim to know and love us? How many times do we impose our decisions on others just because we felt it’s ‘the right one’ without caring about the views of the other parties involved?

Fact: Jesus our Lord was judged wrongly by those who thought they knew him. The crowd demanded he be crucified without considering the fact that pilate and Herod did not find him guilty. Painful truth is that he suffered wrong judgement so you and I can be saved and that God’s will of incredible love could manifest.

Resolve:

It pains to imagine walking in Jesus’ shoes even for a moment, being the victim for wrong judgement. People judging and not even pausing to listen. I understand how hurting it is to judge others by my words or actions without considering where they are from. I am praying that whenever I am in the position of decision making I do not look down upon other peoples’ view for we can always reach a consensus. The good news is that Jesus having been there and done that, understands perfectly when we hurt for being judged wrongly and he strengthens us in the best way he knows how. He did it for us, let us accord him our all.

In solidarity with Christ,

Bridgit