Broken for you, broken for me, broken for the world

Today was our last day in Israel. It was fitting that we spent our day walking the same road that Jesus walked. He walked the route from Mount of Olives to the place he was crowned king, Golgotha. Though he wasn’t crowned King in the way we would have expected, or even in the way that some of his followers would have hoped, we have no doubt that on that cross the great battle was won, and Jesus arose again as King.

We started our journey walking to the Garden of Gethsemane. It was here in this garden that Jesus prayed for another way, a different way. It was in this same garden that Judas, his friend, betrayed Jesus with a kiss on the cheek. We took time to remember that just before this he was anointed (like a King) with oil. The aroma from such an anointing would have filled the air as the Romans came to arrest him.

From here we walked up, as Jesus would have, to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The church rests upon what tradition has declared as, Golgotha, the very rock where Jesus was crucified. We sat just outside along the steps and took time to look upon the face of God as he hung on a cross. This battle was the great battle that was fought. It was here that Christ conquered death.

I wish I could write more of the experience, but words have left me at this point in our journey. As I remember the broken body of Christ, hung upon that ancient torture device, I remember that we too are broken. It is only in our brokenness that we can enter into Christ’s broken body, broken for you, broken for me, broken for the world. And as the world seems to get darker, we remember that death is not the end.

Friends, for those who call Jesus their lord, their rabbi, their God, resurrection is not possible, it is inevitable. So as our day, and our trip comes to an end, we proclaim His death. But we also proclaim His resurrection.

The light of the world, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, Jesus is Lord.