We hear Isaiah’s prophecy today: the Messiah, the chosen one of God, will be rejected. He will be oppressed, condemned, and harshly treated. He will be buried amongst evildoers. Yet, the Messiah is subject to this as a part of God’s plan of salvation as he gives his life as an offering for his people. It is busy time of the year for all of us. The pressures of work, school, and family obligations can be overwhelming. Yet, in the midst of our busy world and our busy lives, the Church calls us to this most holy week. The Church calls us to journey with Jesus, to be his obedient disciple. Today, as we come to church on Good Friday, we are called to the foot of the cross. We come to the cross where our Savior died as he shared in our humanity. At times, perhaps, the idea of Jesus dying on the cross and suffering to take away our sins may seem abstract, distant, and difficult to grasp. Perhaps this action seems more real for us today as as we stand at the foot of the cross, as we bring our burdens and our prayers, our hopes and our disappointments, our longings and our frustrations, our anger and our doubts, placing all those things at the foot of the cross. Yet, as we bring all these things to the foot of the cross today, we realize that our faith does not promise a life of discipleship that is free from burdens and sufferings. What Jesus promises us in our life discipleship as we stand with him at the foot of the cross is that his yoke will be different, that it will open up a new life for us. Yes, we will always have our own crosses to bear, just as Christ had his cross. However, Christ himself will accompany us on our journey, in our joys and in our difficulties, giving us the courage to face all the challenges and twists and turns of that journey, giving us confidence in God’s fidelity and in the promise of hope. The darkness of death on Good Friday is not an end in itself. We have hope in the resurrection to come. In the darkness, we still have God’s grace. We have his love, and mercy. And so, at the foot of the cross, we persevere, we wait, and we hope.
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