And over his head they put the charge against him, which
read, “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.” Then two robbers were crucified
with him, one on the right hand and one on the left. And those who passed by
derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple
and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down
from the Cross.” So also the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked
him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of
Israel; let him come down now from the Cross and we will believe in him.” -
Jesus is nailed to the cross. For centuries hereafter,
people will gaze at this image of pain and suffering. They will be repulsed,
they will be saddened, they will be convicted, they will be comforted. Benedict
XVI writes, “Let us halt before this image of pain, before the suffering Son of
God. Let us look upon him at times of presumptuousness and pleasure, in order
to learn to respect limits and to see the superficiality of all merely material
goods. Let us look upon him at times of trial and tribulation, and realize that
it is then that we are closest to God. Let us try to see his face in the people
we might look down upon.”
Those witnessing this scene in the moment don’t understand.
They want the Messiah to strike down empires, destroy and rebuild the Temple,
save himself. They don’t understand the dying man they see before him. He looks
weak. Yet looking back, we see his strength. He is not going to save himself. He
is going to save all of us.
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