A "Good Friday" Flashpoint

“Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”And they slapped him in the face…” The Gospel of John, Chapter 19, verses 1-3 NIV

During His Earthly ministry, no matter how well He quoted and explained Scriptures, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, comforted the poor in spirit, described the Kingdom of Heaven, or even raised a dear friend from the dead, Jesus Christ STILL had many doubters all across Judea! Much of this doubt emanated from the very humane, albeit spiritually wicked, feelings of envy or hatred all because Jesus did things that others simply could not do!

According to the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John, when Jesus went to minister in His hometown of Nazareth, the chatter from the background included skeptical comments like,"Where did this Man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? Is this not the son of Joseph, and is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James and Joses and Simon and Judas and His sisters, are they not all with us? Where, then, did this Man get all these things?"

Clearly, those who made such envious remarks were more focused on doubting Jesus because He had grown up among them, instead of recognizing the manner of man He was in the flesh—and the great and miraculous deeds that He performed on a regular basis due to His spiritual gifts!

Now, many of us have experienced doubt, envy, or even hatred within our own lives, whether it is at work among colleagues—or even among our own relatives and “friends;” it can be discomfiting the moment that we realize that our labors are not appreciated, our intelligence and passion are not respected, and our best efforts are not lauded in private or public by those who we assume care about our well being!

For perspective, years ago, I was back home on law school summer break sitting in a barbershop and listening to chatter from some friends that I grew up with who were discussing one of our mutual friends who had been recently selected in the NFL Draft. Specifically, this one friend just went on, and on, and on some more about how he had been the better player when we were kids playing football for the Jake Gaither Park Giants and when we were in high school! Said friend then lamented how he should have “stuck with it” in college and, to conclude his jealous soliloquy, he noted how our new pro football playing friend was "trying to high side," a slang euphemism that denotes that the person is acting as if he/she is better than everyone else. This last part, the "high side," was totally contrary to my own interaction with this same pro player when I ran into him after the draft, when our laughter and trash talk was the same as it had been many years earlier in class, in the cafeteria, at Kappa League meetings, and on the playing fields. Which is why I could not help but think to myself that my newly minted pro player friend did not deserve such derision from our mutual "friend” who just would not shut his mouth! While I held my peace that morning to avoid what could have become a heated disagreement, as I sat thumbing through the pages of a tattered old 1970’s era Jet Magazine that had probably been on that barbershop table since the 70's, after one of my best friends who was waiting to get his hair cut next to me humorously noted under his breath that “some of these Negroes can’t sleep at night,” I reflected upon how Jesus responded to skeptical comments from His own doubters: "A prophet is without honor in his own hometown."

Today, Good Friday, is yet another opportunity for us to remember that the love that Jesus displayed for us all, including His doubters, compelled Him to be dishonored during His sham trials before the Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate—and His horrific execution upon a wooden Cross. Lest we forget that the insults that were shouted towards Jesus because of His divine abilities were a result of people who knew Him well, but who simply could not abide by the fact that one from among them was THE living Son of God.

Lest we forget that the brutal beatings, and the humiliating hurling of phlegm that surely would be hard for most of us to abide, was endured by Jesus for the sake of extending grace to the faithful and sinners, alike!

Lest we forget, this Good Friday, that the sign above the Cross mocking Jesus as the "King of the Jews," was made all the more painful as His doubters mocked Him further by demanding that since the “Christ” boasted so much about how He could "tear down the Temple in three days," then why couldn't He take Himself down from the Cross?

But alas, what the ancient doubters didn’t realize was that the Temple of which Jesus spoke was His human body, one that would soon die that long ago Friday—and rise from the dead early that Sunday morning!

And yet, even as Jesus was breathing His last breaths, He forgave those whose natural selves simply couldn’t understand who He was—and the importance of His life, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension into Heaven!

On this Good Friday, as we pay homage to Jesus for His human sacrifice, may we endeavor to follow His spiritual lead by being fully at peace with the reality that not everyone within our orbits will understand (or appreciate) the path that God has laid plain for our lives! And while giving thanks to those within our lives who stand tall through storm and sunshine, just like Jesus's Mother Mary, His loyal followers John and Mary Magdalene, and the wealthy Joseph of Arimathea who used his own fortune and personal grave for a purpose he could not yet comprehend, may we also forgive and pray for those who cannot recognize the Divine gifts that exist within each of us as we push forward on this “tedious” journey called “life.”

Thank you for subscribing to the Hobbservation Point—have a good Friday and a great Easter weekend!