Today, we, together with the universal church, remember with a heavy heart how our Lord Jesus Christ willingly walked a path of betrayal and extreme humiliation, and was nailed to the cross for us. It was the will of the Father, and the Son willingly obeyed, all because of love!

Because of love, the Son took on the form of a slave (cf. Philippians 2:7) and dwelt among us, and never enjoyed the honour and dignity that a king deserves. Jesus was born in a lowly way and lived a humble life. He never accumulated any wealth, nor sought to win the love and admiration of His subjects, but lived a simple and subdued life among His people.

He wanted to show us that a humble and simple life, combined with the intentionality of “emptying oneself”, enabled Him to submit to the Father more easily and follow the Father’s will more readily.

Looking at ourselves, on the other hand, we are constantly accumulating, whether it be wealth, honour, achievements, accomplishments, power, and so on. In order to look respectable in front of others, we unconsciously wear layers of masks, making us not only prideful but also heavily burdened.

As Jesus entered Jerusalem, He laid down the baggage of being loved by people, let go of His plans, and even His freedom, and focused on receiving instructions from the Father and fulfilling His will.

We keep accumulating, while Jesus keeps letting go!

Jesus also let go of His expectations of His own followers, even those closest to Him, like His disciples and apostles.

He only sought to keep giving without expecting anything in return.

Jesus, once a highly respected teacher and Messiah, suddenly became a “criminal” who was scorned by people. He went from being the charismatic master and divine healer who attracted many followers from far and wide, to someone who was abandoned by everyone and treated like dirt, and all of these happened in just a few days! What could be more tragic than what this King of kings went through? And what He bore were not His own debts but the heavy debt of sin that you and I owe! Who among us can claim to be without sin and deny this fact?

But this is how ridiculous the world is: Jesus, the sacrificial lamb who bore the sins of the world, approached His own cross step by step. He was betrayed and abandoned by those who loved Him, ridiculed and insulted by those who wanted to put Him to death in the most despicable and contemptible way. Even those who had once admired and loved Him mocked and spat on Him. As the executioners swung barbarously the most cruel instruments, Jesus was beaten and bruised all over, unrecognizable as the revered king and teacher He had once been. After being stripped of His dignity in His mind and spirit, Jesus was violently and insultingly stripped of His garments, left naked and exposed to the ridicule of those who had once worshipped Him. Finally, after being toyed with by the soldiers, He was nailed to the cross, unable to move, hovering between life and death, being seen helpless, struggling between excruciating pain and gasping for breath… until His final breath.

As bystanders, betrayers, and executioners, we still cling tightly to our dignity, our face, our identity, and everything we feel entitled to. This is the cruel reality we are faced with on this day when we commemorate the Passion of Jesus!

Now, let us listen to the first words that Jesus spoke to our Heavenly Father on the cross:

“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)

It was in this way that Jesus absolved all those who had cruelly crushed Him! But…is it true…is it true that we really have no idea what we are doing? Are we satisfied with how Jesus absolved us? Lord Jesus, what really was on Your mind?

Finally, Jesus, who was hanging on the cross, was stripped of everything that rightfully belonged to Him, both material and non-material. Hanging between heaven and earth with nothing on Him, He reconnected heaven and earth and finally reconciled people with God. But what about Him…, when He had totally emptied Himself, Jesus cried out loud, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) This was the most astounding and heart-wrenching cry of our Lord Jesus, His most complete and radical offering of Himself! Everything in the world belonged to Him, yet He had completely offered it without reservation. And at last, Jesus experienced the pain that no one had ever experienced since the beginning of time, and no one will ever experience till the end: being abandoned by men and by God!

“I thirst.”  (John 19:28)

This statement represents the cry of humanity to God and the intense thirst of God for humanity, which finally came together in our Lord Jesus!

Just when Jesus was stripped of everything, and seemed to be unable to do anything, He accomplished the greatest task, breaking the separation between God and men, reconciling and reuniting them once again!

Finally, the Lord Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:28).

Reflection

Seeing that Jesus loves us to the end, to the point of giving up everything He has, without reserve, would you be willing to follow suit until the end?

Can you accept being stripped of the dignity you think you are entitled to in front of others?

Under what circumstances would you willingly offer up everything you have, just like Jesus did?

Today’s Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, I don’t really understand what made You give up everything for us by completely surrendering Yourself to God. I may understand it in my head, but I can’t comprehend it in my heart, and I cannot imagine how I can learn from Your example and follow it to the end, love until the end! Please cry out to my soul, awaken me, so that I am no longer bound by the things that have been holding me back, and am willing to completely let go of everything I think I am entitled to. Lord, please teach me to be like You, to not be afraid to expose my weaknesses, my brokenness, and even my sins in front of people, so that You can work miracles and do great things in me, through which Your infinite glory will be manifested!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

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