Sanity's Requiem

And as they led Him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. (Luke 23:26)

Jesus is in terrible shape after all this. He has had no sleep since Wednesday night, and no food since Thursday’s Passover meal. There’s no record of anyone giving Him a drink. Instead, He’s been beaten, slapped, and spit on, dragged from place to place, and flogged nearly to death. He’s lost a lot of blood. And there is worse to come.

Jesus is supposed to carry the heavy crosspiece out to the place of execution, to Golgotha. But He’s not up to it physically. The soldiers know they’ll be in serious trouble if He dies before He is crucified. So they grab a bystander from the side of the road—Simon of Cyrene.

Simon must have been horrified. Carry a cross like a common criminal? But the Romans had the legal right to force him to do it, and so he did. He followed Jesus all the way out to Golgotha.

I wonder how long it was before he found out exactly whose cross he was carrying that day—and what Jesus Himself was carrying for him. Because Simon almost certainly became a Christian—that’s why his name and the names of his sons are known to the early church. And so he would have learned what Jesus carried for him and for all of us—our sin, our guilt, our shame. All the way into death—where He destroyed it forever. And then He came back to us, alive again, our Savior and our joy.

WE PRAY: Lord, thank You for what You carried for me. Amen.

So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to be crucified. (Matthew 27:24-26)

Pilate is being theatrical when he literally washes his hands of Jesus’ blood; he is trying to dissociate himself from what’s about to happen as clearly as he can. It’s nonsense, of course; Pilate is the only one with legal authority to kill Jesus, and everyone knows that.

The crowd is also being theatrical with their over-the-top language, “His blood be on us and our children!” They don’t really mean it; they simply want Pilate to get on with the show. They accept responsibility for Jesus’ death because they are quite certain that there will be no reckoning; nobody will ever force them to pay for the evil they are doing.

But Jesus isn’t being theatrical at all. He’s being real—He’s doing reality, with every painful step He walks, and every drop of blood He sheds. He knows that what He is doing will save everyone who trusts in Him from the power of sin, death, and the devil. His suffering, death, and resurrection are the most real things that have ever happened to us—because they take people who are dead in guilt and shame and turn them into forgiven, blessed children of God.

WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord, for saving me in reality. Amen.

When the chief priests and the officers saw [Jesus], they cried out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him! … [Jesus] ought to die because He has made Himself the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this statement, he … said to Jesus, … “You will not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You and authority to crucify You?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over Me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered Me over to you has the greater sin.” (John 19:6a, 7b-8a, 10b-11)

By this point, Pilate has lost control of the trial. He knows Jesus is innocent, but he still can’t set Him free. And Jesus Himself is behaving like a judge—explaining to Pilate that what he is doing is sin, yes—but not as bad as Judas’ sin, because Pilate at least has his divinely appointed office as judge to hide behind.

Pilate finds himself on trial—just as the Council did, just as Herod and Judas himself did. And the deciding question is the same: What will you do with Jesus—this innocent Man, this Son of God?

We know what they did. And we too had a hand in it, because it was our sins, our guilt, that sent Jesus to the cross. Because He loves us, He took our death, and gave us a share in His own resurrection. And as a result, God looks at us and says, “Not guilty.” He sees us in His Son Jesus—covered in His innocence, forever forgiven, newborn children of God.

WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord, for taking our judgment. Amen.

So Pilate [asked], “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about Me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You over to me. What have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. …” Then Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” (John 18:33-36a, 37-38)

This part of Jesus’ story makes me want to cry. Because Jesus is usually silent during His Passion. But here, for once, He’s talking—quite a lot, too! Why?

He tells us: It’s “to bear witness to the truth.” Jesus is evangelizing Pontius Pilate, the man who will condemn Him to death. He cares for him that much.

And if Jesus loves Pilate that much—cares that urgently about his life, his salvation, his blessedness—then there’s no way I can avoid another fact. Which is that Jesus cares just that much about me and about you. We are not faceless bits of humanity to Him. We are individuals He urgently loves—people He died and rose to save. He came for just that purpose, to make you His own.

WE PRAY: Lord, since You want me that much, I’m Yours. Amen.

And as soon as it was morning, the [Jewish leaders] bound Jesus and led Him away and delivered Him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him, “You have said so.” And the chief priests accused Him of many things. And Pilate again asked Him, “Have You no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against You.” But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. (Mark 15:1-5)

When the sun came up, the council sent Jesus to Pontius Pilate—the Roman governor who ruled Judea. They had to do this, because they wanted Jesus dead—and as a conquered nation, they no longer had the right to put people to death. So they handed Jesus over to a non-Jew, that is, a Gentile.

What this means for us today is that all human beings were involved in what we did to Jesus. We can’t blame the Jews or the Gentiles—it’s all of us. If His own people betrayed Him and handed Him over, it was the Gentiles who carried out the death sentence—even though they knew He was an innocent Man.

So the guilt belongs to everybody. But because God loves us, Jesus’ mercy and forgiveness belong to everybody, too—He gives it to anyone who will take it. That’s because Jesus willingly suffered and died for every human being in the world. He took away all of our evil at the cross; and when He rose from the dead, He became the Source of life for all of us who believe in Him, no matter who we are.

WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord, for taking me as Your own. Amen.


Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

And the high priest stood up and said, “Have You no answer to make?” … But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. … What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” Then they spit in His face and struck Him. And some slapped Him, saying, “Prophesy to us, You Christ! Who is it that struck You?” (Matthew 26:62a, 63-65a, 66-68)

Jesus kept silent during His trial before the high priests and other leaders. This upset His enemies, as they couldn’t get their false witnesses to tell the same story—and without that, their case would fail. Their only hope was to force Jesus Himself to say something incriminating.

And so the high priest used the Name of God to force Jesus to say who He is: the Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man. It was completely illegal, but it worked—because Jesus will never dishonor the Name of His Father.

Jesus’ own words sealed His death warrant. Because none of His enemies could imagine that what He said might be true—that the Christ, the Son of God, might actually be standing before them, on trial for His life. On trial for our lives—because Jesus’ death means our life, and His resurrection means that everyone who trusts in Him will become children of God forever.

WE PRAY: Lord, I believe that You are the Son of God—and my Savior. Thank You. Amen.

At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture Me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled. (Matthew 26:55-56)

This must have been the last thing the disciples heard as they fled into the darkness. Jesus is making it clear to His enemies that what they are doing is both wrong and ridiculous—and yet, it’s happening to fulfill the prophecies in the Bible. It’s the only protest He’ll make; He will not refuse to go with them, He will not call down thousands of angels to rescue Him. But Jesus does make this one protest. Why?

I think it’s because Jesus is always our Savior, and He can’t see people as enemies—only as the people He will die for, in just a few hours. And so He tells them the truth they need to hear the most at this moment. Perhaps they will remember it, later, after He rises from the dead. Perhaps it will grow, like a seed in their hearts, and produce the good fruit of faith. Perhaps.

Jesus does this for us as well. Even when we are deep in sin, He is still looking out for us, finding ways to call us back to Himself. He will not give up on His enemies, and He will not give up on us.

WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, help me to hear You when You are trying to reach my heart. Amen.

Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to Him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.” … When Jesus said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. So He asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He. So, if you seek Me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that He had spoken: “Of those whom You gave Me I have lost not one.” (John 18:4-5a, 6-9)

I doubt any of the guards had ever met such a prisoner—one who had such power He could blow them backward with the simple words, “I am.” Because if you look at the Greek words, that is what Jesus said to them—and it meant more than simply, “I am the one you are looking for.” “I AM” is the Name of God (see Exodus 3:14). Jesus is God in human flesh—and by speaking His own Name, He made it completely clear that He was the one in control, even of His own arrest.

So Jesus has all power—but how does He use it? Not to protect Himself, but to protect the people God the Father gave Him. Jesus will not allow His disciples to be arrested with Him. Jesus alone will go into suffering, death, and resurrection, because He is our protector as well—the One who saves us from the power of evil at the cost of His own life.

WE PRAY: Thank You, Lord, for protecting me with Your love and power. Amen.

And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And [Jesus …] took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, He fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Remove this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.” (Mark 14:32a, 33-36)

Sometimes hope produces the worst pain. Up to this point, Jesus has been saying to His disciples, very clearly, that He would in the future be handed over to His enemies, be mocked and flogged and crucified—and then He would rise from the dead. There has been no doubt in anything He said.

But now, here in the garden on the last night of His life, it looks like that perfect conviction has been withdrawn. Like any man, Jesus is subject to the tortures of hope—the thought that just possibly, God the Father might find another way to save the world. A way that would allow Jesus to escape the future He has known for years.

And so, like any man, He prays. He prays in desperation, asking God for that possible loophole—but always adding, “Yet not what I will, but what You will.” Because He loves the Father, and He loves us, and He is not willing to lose us for any price—even His own life.

And when hope fails Him, Jesus turns back to love. He rouses His disciples so they can make their getaway. And then He turns His face to the cross, for all of us.

WE PRAY: Dear Savior, thank You. I love You. Amen.

[Jesus] rose from supper. He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. … [Afterward] He said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? … If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:4-5, 12b, 14)

What is this washing, that Jesus does to us and commands us to do to each other? Why is it so important that He says, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with Me”? We get a clue when Jesus says, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.” There’s only one bath I know of that makes a person clean forever, and that is Baptism. And so this daily washing of feet—what is it, then? It must be the ongoing, continuing forgiveness Jesus gives us for the sins we commit every day of our lives. When He washes us, He restores us to the perfect cleanness He gave us at Baptism, and we are glad.

Jesus can do this because He has paid the price for our cleansing at the cross with His own blood. Because of His death and resurrection, we who trust in Him are no longer sinners doomed to destruction; we are God’s own children, who live with the life Jesus gives us. And we follow His example, washing the feet of our brothers and sisters, forgiving them when they sin against us—just as Jesus forgave us.