Easter reflections on the Sacrificial Lamb

(In honor of Easter, I’ll take a brief break from the wisdom of Solomon this week.)

The cross of Christ is at the very center of Christianity. The four Gospel accounts in the Bible all take a look at this monumental scene from varying perspectives, which gives us the opportunity to somewhat see ourselves in one or more of the players.

Maybe you find yourself identifying with Peter, and his very emotional and public betrayal. I can’t help but feel Peter’s emotions as I read the accounts, especially when Jesus turns and looks Peter in the eyes after he denies Him for the third time as He had prophesied.

Maybe you identify with Barabbas of whom we have the most poignant picture of Jesus taking our place on the cross. Maybe you identify with one of the other disciples who fled the scene. It is difficult to imagine being there when Jesus was arrested and taken away, wondering if you were next.

Maybe you identify with Mary, the mother of Jesus, as she witnessed her Son experiencing this horrendous account with no ability to do anything about it. Only a mother can truly put herself in this position.

You could identify with the soldiers who nailed Jesus to the cross, since it was our sins that made this necessary. Dare I say any of us could identify with the fickle crowds that hailed Jesus at the triumphal entry, but quickly became the angry mob incited to cry out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

I think this is one of the many reasons that we have difficulty reading the crucifixion accounts, because there is at least one, if not many, of the characters in this greatest of all dramas that we easily identify with – and it hurts us to the core.

We like to imagine having Peter’s boldness when he was ready to take on a garrison of soldiers with a small knife, but we struggle knowing we more than likely would have fled the scene after His arrest or even denied knowing Jesus.

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