The soldiers at the scene of the cross were dividing up the spoils, as was their way. But this time, the pickings were slim. Some small wrappings. A pretty good seamless robe. No money.
Jesus had lost even the clothes on His back, exchanging them for some wood and some nails. He had no home of His own. His only visible means of support had been His network of friends - but now they were mostly scattered or hid. Alone. No power. No last will, nothing to probate. His short burst of fame had now run out. He'd given over the care of His mother to someone else. He had no children -- no legacy, as this culture saw it. And now, He was being stripped even of life itself.
Nothing left but a corpse,
in a grave,
the stony end.
Nothing. The perfect place to start for someone whose task it is to renew everything. The end. Of the beginning.
And what of us, who live our lives in a world stuffed with stuff, putting our treasures in the retirement account of earthly life, some of us with families, some with friends, some with at least 15 minutes of fame? What of our life of blessings and curses, and dreams fulfilled and broken? Why would we want a new beginning?
Because it all comes to the same stony end. And all that's left then is what had been there all along, hidden beneath all the stuff of life. A loving God who is always with us and for us. A God who was left with nothing, who went into the tomb, but didn't stay there. Nothing became everything. And we can share in that everything now, while we still live, whatever we might have.
Lord, You are at the end of everything. You are at each new beginning. You are in between, where we are now. You make something worthwhile out of nothing. Help us be part of the Kingdom for which You have set us apart. Amen.
Downloadable PDFs for :
Lent, Holy Week and Easter
Holiness
Prayer
Intercession.
Other links :
a poem by Christina Rossetti
Ken Sapp's reflections on "into your hands"
Chris Armstrong, for Christianity Today
David Maddalena at IMBY
Richard Vijay's Good Friday songs in Tamil.