In
the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We gather again this evening to
meditate on the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today, we mark how
the Lamb of God offers Himself up for the sins of the world. But this
is no funeral service. We are not here to mourn over the dead body of
Jesus. Rather, we are here to meditate upon His passion in a more
fruitful, more excellent way. We, therefore, meditate on the
three-fold suffering of Christ upon the cross.
First, of course, consider the
physical suffering of the cross and the events leading up to it. Our
Lord has not eaten since the Passover meal He partook with the
apostles the on the night when He was betrayed. He was beaten, first
by the guards of the Sanhedrin, then by Herod's soldiers, and then by
Pilate's men. He was whipped and scourged until His flesh hung in
ribbons. A crown of thorns was fashioned and struck into His flesh.
Spikes of iron were driven into His wrists and feet. He was suspended
high in the air, exposed to the elements. He was fed vinegar.
