Walking in Solidarity

September 23, 2023

Luke 23:25-32 | 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

As Jesus walks from trial to crucifixion, his influence continues to intersect with people in solidarity of life.

The Coerced
Simon represents those enslaved, coerced, or forced against their will by those in authority. The Roman soldiers, knowing there’d be no recourse, just grab him and make him strap on a load, bearing the burden of carrying the cross. (Simon’s story is fascinating and worthy of a lot of contemplation.)

The Women
Luke notes a crowd following Jesus on the way to Golgotha, but he only specifically mentions the women who were mourning for him. Yet again, we might be mindful that Mary and perhaps other women were significant contributors to Luke’s writing of this gospel (he himself never met Jesus that we know of).

The Criminals
Walking right with Jesus to the hill of death were two criminals. One might assume that such company would be all the more demoralizing to an innocent and falsely-accused person. But not for Jesus. Perhaps they were even unknowing encouragers, present reminders to Jesus as he walked along toward death just the reason for which he would die.

Not that you can ever really plan a death, especially one resulting from civic conviction, but we might have hoped that Jesus’ death would be noble or respectable. But it wasn’t. He stumbled toward death as human as anyone, in the company of those who are powerless.

This is the Way.

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Luke 23:25-32

He released the one they asked for, who had been thrown into prison because of a riot and murder. But he handed Jesus over to their will.

As they led Jesus away, they grabbed Simon, a man from Cyrene, who was coming in from the countryside. They put the cross on his back and made him carry it behind Jesus. A huge crowd of people followed Jesus, including women, who were mourning and wailing for him. Jesus turned to the women and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me. Rather, cry for yourselves and your children. The time will come when they will say, ‘Happy are those who are unable to become pregnant, the wombs that never gave birth, and the breasts that never nursed a child.’ Then they will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ If they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

They also led two other criminals to be executed with Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21

All of these new things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and who gave us the ministry of reconciliation. In other words, God was reconciling the world to himself through Christ, by not counting people’s sins against them. He has trusted us with this message of reconciliation.

So we are ambassadors who represent Christ. God is negotiating with you through us. We beg you as Christ’s representatives, “Be reconciled to God!” God caused the one who didn’t know sin to be sin for our sake so that through him we could become the righteousness of God.

Prayer

God,

For Christ to identify with all people is for me to.

But I’m not that great at it.

So help me, God. Give me the heart and the eyes and the mind and the hands to find myself with people not like me.

By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.