Pin Drop

Easter Sunday; John 20:1-9

“…forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing"

When my boys were in Middle School, I volunteered to be a Catechism teacher. (We’ll get into the whys and how’s of that some other time.) The Coordinator of the program always did a special evening of “stations” to celebrate Holy Week. I was picked to lead the stop that focused on Good Friday and the Crucifixion. With Middle Schoolers. Ugh.

I was told that we’d watch a video first and then discuss it. Okay, I thought, I can handle that. The video was of a song by Michael W. Smith called “Above All Powers”. By 21st Century standards the video is pretty tame. But for these kids in 1995, the video was very graphic. Some of the kids were in tears, and several just sat there with their mouths agape.

Seeing that they were moved by the scenes of Jesus’ torment, I chose to go deeper. I described how the crown of thorns was not just “placed on his head.” It was pressed down until it broke the skin. If Jesus moved his head, the thorns would dig in deeper, bleed, and cause excruciating pain.

I described what the whip the Romans would have used to scourge Jesus was like. How it had a little piece of bone tied at the tip of each lash, that would dig into his back and tear the skin. The reason for 30 lashes was because, any more than that, the person could very well die.

I explained to them that the nails on the cross did not go through the palm of the hand, because it was too easy to tear, and the person would fall off the cross. No, the nails went into the wrist. And while it was much more secure, it was also so much more painful because of all the nerves in the wrist.

I told them that the brilliance of crucifixion, in a diabolical way, was that the person suffocated to death. Hanging there by their arms, the chest collapsed and after a while, it became hard to breathe. When the person tried to raise themselves up to catch their breath, the pain of the nails in their wrists prevented them from staying upright for more than a few seconds.

And that. Is how Jesus died.

But just before he died, Jesus looked up to heaven and pleaded with God. “"Almighty God, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" [Lk 23:34] What? After all the insults, slander, and torture, he wanted to forgive them?! Yes. Yes, I told the kids. And, if Jesus could forgive those who did all that and put him to death, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – that you or I can do that Jesus will not forgive us for.

You could hear a pin drop.

Which is quite an accomplishment with 20 middle schoolers.

And here we are at Easter. The tomb is empty, Mary Magdalene has seen the “gardener”, and the men guarding the tomb are in deep doo-doo. So, what do I learn from all this?

I know that I make mistakes on a daily basis. I regularly miss the mark of being who God has called me to be. Some days in trifling ways, other days in egregious ways. But I know that if I am truly sorry, God will forgive me. The empty tomb shows me that Jesus has overcome the pain of death and the fear of sin. Mistakes and errors of judgment that I make are not good, but are not enough to keep me from the love of God.

We are an Easter people. I am an Easter person. And Alleluia is my song. I need not fear sin, or errors or missteps. Jesus loves me enough to forgive me. There is nothing I can do that Jesus will not forgive me, if I only ask. And the joy that his forgiveness brings is enough to make me want to shout it from the rooftops for all to hear.Every Day.

You can watch the video of “Above All Powers” here.