Good Friday

Amazing and unexpected transformations. Last evening when we gathered with Jesus in the Upper Room for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, I spoke about two of these amazing transformations, these unexpected changes that Jesus instituted. One was the change of the Passover meal to this Eucharistic Banquet, the Mass. The second was the Levitical priesthood, the priesthood of the Old Testament transformed in amazing and unexpected way into the priesthood of the new covenant.

Today as we come to Calvary, as we stand at the foot of the Cross, we see once again that Jesus invites us into amazing and unexpected transformations. The first is that the very tree of death, the Cross. The place of great agony and unspeakable pain. A shameful death where the criminal is bared to the world and languishes hours and even days as he slowly suffocates. That this terrible place of torture, this wood of death, this tree of pain, Jesus turns into the tree of life. That from this tree, this wood that would be under all ordinary circumstances a horror, now becomes the source of life.

From his side flowed blood and water. The water of baptism. The blood of the Eucharist. Life for the world. Totally amazing and unexpected. From the jaws of defeat Jesus brings about victory and salvation.

The second astonishing thing at Calvary is that the King, who we, liked the crowds of Jerusalem, welcome to with great Hosannas, the son of David — the King that would restore the glory of Israel on Palm Sunday — is now not enthroned on the palace seat with great attendants, with servants about him, with great worldly power of force and coercion, but he takes his throne upon the Cross. That Calvary, in this unexpected and amazing way, is transformed into the throne room of the King. That here from the cross, Jesus will rule. That he becomes the King of the world only when he is lifted up and draws all people to him, because he enters deeply and intimately into our pain and our suffering. He’s the king who says, “I came not to be served but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for the many.”

This King of Kings, rules from the Cross. The great act of love for us — those who are members of his kingdom.

Not only does Jesus make the tree of death the tree of life, not only does the king now rule from the throne of grace upon the Cross, but the third astonishing, amazing, and unexpected transformation of Calvary, is that the cross becomes Jesus’ greatest pulpit. The itinerant teacher of Nazareth who was found on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, who preached to the multitudes on the plain, who stood on the Mount of Beatitudes and spoke beautifully of this transformation of the mind and the heart in God. The one who preached from the boat. The one who gave us the Bread of Life discourse in the synagogue at Capernaum. This same Jesus, preaching in all of these places, now rises to the pulpit, the greatest pulpit ever. The cross. Because now not only does he speak incredible words of transformation, “Forgive them they know not what they do. Behold your mother. Behold your son. This day, this day you will be with me in paradise.”

But the very act of his crucifixion, a great love of the Father, and obedient love to his heavenly Father, and a great love for us speaks untold volumes that the witness of his love upon the Cross, a life given for us a life given to the Father.

“Into your hands, I commend my spirit.”

Here Jesus mounts the pulpit and preaches with the most profound and greatest authority the world has ever seen. He doesn’t speak about love; he gives it and he gives it to the end.

Our faith is filled. If we stay close to the Lord, these days, and every day, with amazing and unexpected transformations, Jesus transforms everything and his aim is to transform you and me. That we who suffer under the weight of sin and the fear of death might be transformed to see as he sees, to live as he lives, to hope as he hopes, to entrust ourselves wholeheartedly to the Father as Jesus does.

To love one another as he has loved us. This is the incredible, amazing, and unexpected transformation that is important to you and to me. He’s not done. Watch and wait and stay close for these amazing and unexpected transformations in Christ.