Easter is one of those special times in the life of the church when we pull out all the stops. We do things differently. It's the holiest day of all in the Christian calendar, and so we act out the message or deliver it in song. There are costumes, robes, volunteers, and anthems. Rehearsals carry on week after week and folks begin to infuse a little bit of themselves into their part. One can only hope that something of their part becomes a genuine piece of their life or sticks with them beyond an hour on Easter morn.
The men get a kick out of picking on Jesus. The ones assigned as soldiers enjoy pushing, prodding, pretending to whip him. They almost seem to enjoy it. Pick on Jesus day. And everybody laughs and giggles as they cut up with one another. Pretty soon, other random folks in the cast are sneaking over to take an imaginary jab at Jesus - a choir member, a stagehand, barabbas, i'm even tempted to do so. Granted, these are all friends who know each other and are just enjoying a good laugh at Easter rehearsal. However, as I watch how more and more join the fray, it seems to take a theological turn. Perhaps there is something in all of us that just has to have our turn at Jesus. Everybody deserves the chance to get a good lick in. We've got so much we carry around, why not just take it out on Jesus. There, now that feels better.
It's been said that the desire to crucify is the way of the crowd. So, what part of us can't wait to nail Jesus? Pay attention to that part of you this Holy Week and perhaps God can use even that to transform us.
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