Guilty of Love - Station 1

I cannot believe that we are at the Lenten-midpoint.  Hang in there, saints.  I've been busily entrenched with work and Lent Madness 2013, that my BLOG has been screaming for attention.  What I want to do for the duration of Lent via Say on is to walk with Jesus and his seven last words from the cross.  In essence, we will walk with Jesus through the Via Dolorosa and his execution by means of the Stations of the Cross.

Have you ever stopped to think that in the eyes of the interpreters and scribes of Jewish law that Jesus was a criminal?  I know it's hard to imagine that our savior, redeemer and liberator had a falsified rap sheet that could give Bonnie and Clyde, Frank Lucas, Al Capone and Don Corleone a run for their money.

Whenever someone takes a stand for righteousness and challenge authority, they become hated by the group of oppressors.  At the time of Jesus' arrest, the Romans ruled the day.  You know they say "When in Rome or Jerusalem, do as the Romans do."  Although Jesus was Jewish, the Jews did not have the authority to execute him.  They could try them in the Jewish court system, but they would have to get permission from Pilate to carry out the execution.

After what I'm sure was an exhausting evening of going from court to trial, bounced back and forth from Romans to Jews, Jesus was sentenced to death.  As Jesus stood before the legal authorities, he kept it classy.  He maintained majestic dignity, even though he was in the right.  Often when we are falsely accused, we want to immediately right the wrong, become defensive and even combative.  At times when we're putting others in their place, we become as culpable as our accusers.  My mom used to always tell me that "Two wrongs don't make a right."  

His crime was simply, LOVE.  Jesus came to show humanity how to love, and ultimately draw humanity together.  As Jesus walked the green mile to Calvary, his eminent death would open the door to salvation that might come to all who believe.  There was a popular song in the 90s by Kenneth Baby Face Edmonds entitled "It's no crime."  The hook of the song is simple it just says "If I'm guilty of love, then let me do my time."  I imagine that as Jesus stood at the cusp of mockery and death, that he stared in eternity past and present, saw us and our ancestors and simply wanted to "do his time" and fulfill God's mission.  Have you recently been charged with loving someone to life?

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus crucified, as you stared at death and your accusers, help us to maintain majestic dignity in our lives and not be quick to react to life, but let your ultimate truth arise and our enemies be scattered.  Thank you for your gift of peace and love.  Amen.

Faithfully,
Karr