Good Friday
When The Good Shepherd Became a Lost Sheep
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“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” —1 Peter 2:24
MEDITATION
Perhaps some might think that it is impertinent to so directly describe a shaking, stinking body if that body is the sacred body of Christ, or to dwell on perhaps the most difficult moment in Jesus’s life, when he felt forsaken and utterly alone, when his usual assurance about his relationship with God was broken. At this moment he was, in some ways, “the least like himself” in the sense of the Son of God who saw the bigger picture and wielded power over the elements and over death itself. Yet in this moment he was, in other ways, “the most like himself” in the sense of becoming the Savior who gained healing power through his own mortal experience.
He who called himself the Good Shepherd also knew what it was like to be a Lost Sheep. . . .
Since the beginning of the human experience, humans have been trying to make sense of pain. But sometimes there is no sense. Sometimes, rich as they are, cultural practices, religious rites, and thoughtful theologies simply fall short of the realities of lived experience.
So, at least for now, I am unable to conclude with a coherent declaration that ties everything up with a bow. I have nothing systematic to offer our theologies. Only this am I able to say:
I know how it feels to be lost and broken.
And so does Jesus.
—Melissa Inouye, “A Lost Sheep”
POEM
On Easter Sunday, I gave a funeral sermon for Jesus. Talked about the apostles, who’d walked mile after mile with that man until they couldn’t walk with him anymore and ran—scattered into the darkness of that night when he was in agony— so that it was only the women who were there to watch him die hard: hanging hour after hour on that cross as his strength slipped away, as the fire in his eyes went (impossibly) out. At Jesus’ funeral, I talked about the guilt that sits on our chests for leaving. I talked about the way we lose ourselves in work, the way that the rhythm of the hands as they wash and anoint the body is almost enough to still the erratic beating of a shattered heart. We had hoped so much for that boy. From that boy. Hoped and believed so hard we almost knew and in a world without him nothing at all makes sense. And can we really be blamed if, with Thomas, we close our ears against awed whispers of a meeting in the garden? Can we be blamed if we tell our sisters that it takes so much strength to grieve we barely have room to breathe let alone believe until we feel the prints in his hands, touch the wound— Oh God. My God, My God… Touch the wound in his side.
ACTIVITY
Make hot cross buns to share with a grieving friend. The cloves symbolize the nails on the cross. The cinnamon and nutmeg remind us of the spices used to prepare Jesus’ body. The raisins are the fruit of the vine, and symbolize the blood Jesus shed for us.
ESSAY
THE WAY OF THE CROSS David Habben
The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross or Via Crucis, commemorate Jesus's passion and death on the cross. Each station depicts a moment on his journey to Calvary. The practice began as pious pilgrims traced his path through Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa. Through the following images and prayers, we invite you to walk with Christ and contemplate what he has suffered, that we might not.
Preparatory Prayer
Our Savior, Jesus Christ
Through your suffering in Gethsemane and your death on the cross, you have demonstrated your infinite love, and we, on our path through mortality, have often forgotten you. We offer these remembrances now as we seek to walk the path of discipleship with renewed devotion. We repent of our sins and seek your grace. Allow us this time of focus and stillness, away from the world's noise, to bring your sacrifice into our hearts and minds. Our Savior, we seek thee now and always in gratitude and faith.
Station 1: Jesus is condemned
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider the unjust condemnation and the abuse Christ endured at the hands of those who could have protected him.
Our Savior, we remember the injustice and betrayal of those who sentenced you to die. We know that we, like them, are subject to weakness and fear. We offer our repentant hearts to thee and seek thy grace as we learn the better way.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Station 2: Jesus accepts His cross
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider the weight of the cross as it was forcibly set on the shoulders of Christ, who, already weakened from his suffering in Gethsemane, bore it with compassion for all.
Our Savior, we pause and reflect on the weight you carried on our behalf and seek now to bear our current burdens with greater faith
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Station 3: Jesus Falls for the First Time
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider the physical exhaustion that Jesus was experiencing, from all he had experienced in the recent hours, as he fell to the ground under the weight of the wooden beam.
Our Savior, we remember that even the greatest of all temporarily lost His strength and needed rest and be more forgiving to ourselves as we do the same.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Station 4: Jesus Meets His Mother, Mary.
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider with compassion and empathy this meeting of a mother and son as Mary witnesses the incredible suffering of her child.
Our Savior, we seek to stand with Mary as she beheld thy suffering with depth of love that only a mother can know. May our love for thee bring us to greater empathy of the suffering of the mothers, fathers, and children of our own time.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Station 5: Simon is Compelled to Carry the Cross
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider the suffering of those we see with our own eyes and whether we, like Simon, must be forced to help carry their burdens.
Our Savior, like Simon, we have too often become silent witnesses to the suffering of others and must be compelled to lift their burdens. Help us to act more quickly when to bear the burdens of our brothers and sisters.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Station 6: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider what simple relief we can offer to those who suffer and what tender mercies have been offered to us in our own suffering.
Our Savior, as Veronica offered all she could to give you a moment of rest in your suffering, help us to do likewise and not overlook the simple acts that may help others in the midst of their suffering.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Station 7: Jesus falls for the second time.
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider that once again, the Son of God’s physical strength was overcome and that He was once again driven onward by those for whom He would atone.
Our Savior, may we remember that we also have stumbled repeatedly in our efforts to find the correct path. May your perseverance in suffering be an example to us as we fall, that we might have the strength to rise again.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Station 8: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider the strength of compassion as the women of Jerusalem gathered to mourn for Christ and the council they receive to mourn for themselves and their children.
Our Savior, in our remembrance of thy suffering, may we like the women of Jerusalem find strength together and use our strength to help others find their way through trial, hardship, and weakness.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Station 9: Jesus falls for the third time.
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider the final steps of the path as Christ nears the site of the crucifixion and his body collapses once again.
Our Savior, as you fell in your last steps before the end, yet continued on to complete your sacrifice, we ask that we also might experience the last needed measures of grace in our journey home. May we endure in spite of weakness.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Station 10: Jesus is stripped of His Garments
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider the intent to inflict further humiliation on Christ by those who were tasked with his execution and the physical and emotional suffering that it caused.
Our Savior, as you were deprived of even your clothing, may we who have so much remember those who have so little. May we grow in empathy and compassion for those who, like you, have lost everything.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Station 11: Jesus is nailed to the cross.
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider the extent of the cruelty of this public suffering and execution and to the extent the Savior allowed himself to be brutalized for the redemption of us all.
Our Savior, what words can express the physical suffering you endured on our behalf. Yet, you willingly allowed yourself to be cruelly tortured that the family of God might receive eternal grace. May we look upon our own trials with an eternal perspective and help others to do the same.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Station 12: Jesus dies on the cross
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider how in his final breaths, Jesus spoke of forgiveness and mercy. As his physical body died, his focus remained the eternal salvation of all.
Our Savior, may we endure to the end of our trials with the strength and courage you have demonstrated in your journey to the cross. May your strength lift our burdens and help us to do so for all those who suffer.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Station 13: Jesus is taken down from the cross
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider the feelings of the family and followers of Jesus as thy removed his body from the cross and witnessed the end of his suffering.
Our Savior, in our own times of loss and suffering, may we be moved with compassion and faith, both toward others and toward ourselves. May we remember that all this life is but a moment in our path to become more like our Divine parents and strengthen those around us on our way.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Station 14: Jesus is laid in the tomb
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider the burial of Jesus as his loved ones gathered in faith to honor his sacrifice and lay his physical body to rest in a borrowed tomb; one made sacred by his presence and their actions.
Our Savior, may we remember that death is not the end and that through thy sacrifice you have taken away its sting. As we mourn with those that mourn, bless us all with the grace and compassion we need to see beyond this world into the eternities you have prepared for us.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Thou not traditionally recognized as a Station of the Cross; I have included in this series a fifteenth station depicting the resurrected Christ.
Station 15: Jesus Christ is resurrected
We pause and remember thee, our Savior, Jesus Christ
For by thy sacrifice, we have been redeemed.
Consider that the physical suffering of Jesus Christ on the way to the cross would be incomplete without his resurrection. His triumph over death and hell for all the children of God was only finished when he showed us that when the suffering of life has concluded, all things become new and eternal life continues on.
Our Savior, may we have faith in you resurrection and the resurrection of all the children of God and may that faith guide us, through thy grace, to live our earthly lives with greater courage in discipleship, trusting in the restitution of all things.
May our hearts be at peace through thy infinite atonement.
Concluding Prayer
Holy Father, we have paused to remember and contemplate the Atonement of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. We remember his example and his teachings, which we pray with earnestness, we may have the faith and strength to follow. In our daily walk, we pray that thou would grant us the needed grace and mercy offered through His sacrifice and that we, in turn, might do so to all of our earthly family. We pray that this remembrance of such profound suffering might cause us to see with new eyes the infinite worth of each of thy children, including ourselves, and love one another as Thou and Thy Son, has loved us.
In his holy name, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, we pray. Amen.
David Habben is an illustrator, artist, and educator based in Utah. He's currently Area Head and Associate Professor in the Illustration program at Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah.