Daily Reflections ...

Today is the darkest day of the liturgical calendar. The light of the world is snuffed out at the hands of men. In Jesus’ arrest and trial we see how threatened the Pharisees and other political powers are by Jesus. What becomes clear in Jesus’ trial is that he has no interest in the kind of power they wield, so he is no threat to those who felt the most threatened. Jesus states, ‘mine is not a kingdom of this world.’ Is he a king? Yes, but of another kind of kingdom. 

The whole scene is the literal story of what still takes place metaphorically in our lives and in the world today. Jesus is the truth, and he states that he “came into the world for this; to bear witness to the truth, and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.” The truth continues to confront and threaten people of all persuasions, cultures, and lifestyles. The truth is often uncomfortable, at times demands something of us and can needle our conscience when we try to ignore it. Like the Pharisees, we are often threatened by the truth and try to create alternative versions of the truth. We grasp for reasons and arguments to support our account of reality. There’s the sense that if we can get rid of the truth altogether, then we will feel much more comfortable with our truth – the reality we’ve created. This is precisely what the Pharisees do – they move to crucify the truth. Truth, of course, is more than an idea, a proposition, or a doctrine. Truth is a person; his name is Jesus. 

As we contemplate the crucifixion today, let’s reflect on how we’ve at times sought to crucify the truth. Let’s recognise that we too nail Jesus to the cross when we move to crucify the truth. Let’s also reflect on the fact that in this darkest moment, Jesus takes all that is untrue in us onto himself so that our sin and brokenness can be nailed to the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). The light of the world is snuffed out. The Lamb of God has been slain. The hope of the world is dead. But with him, so has all our sin.  

Holy Spirit, as we contemplate the Passion, help us to see how and when we’ve crucified the truth. Heal us today through the Passion of our Lord.

by Peter Pellicaan