Walk with Jesus: Abundance, not scarcity. The costliest of ointments poured out for Jesus. A man carrying a jar of water – work usually reserved for women – shows the way to the Passover meal. Pilate may have had generosity as one of his motives in offering the crowd Jesus’ release, but they choose Barabbas; and so Jesus is crucified. The words pierce us across the centuries. A soldier who had stood guard exclaims: “Truly this man was God’s Son.” This conviction continues to penetrate our souls, creating a space to house the incredible news of Easter.

It was time to have a special party for Passover. Passover was the time people celebrated their freedom. Years ago, they had been slaves and now they were free so each year they had a special party to help them remember that now they were free. Where shall we have this party? Jesus’ friends asked him. Here is what Jesus said: Go into town. Look for a man carrying a jar of water. He will take you to the house we will use for the party. It was very easy to find this man. In Jesus’ time, men almost never carried jars of water — that was considered women’s work. There was only one man who was carrying a jar of water.

Jesus is abandoned, denied, and betrayed by his friends, and the extent of his grief is made clear in Gethsemane. But even in his grief, Jesus obediently surrenders himself to the will of God. Like Isaiah’s suffering servant and as stated in the Christ hymn quoted by Paul, Jesus willingly endures derision, abuse, and all manner of suffering until his brutal death on the cross: Christ’s perfect example of self-sacrificial love for the sake of the whole world.

As we commemorate Christ’s sacrificial life and death this Holy Week, what sacrifices might God be inviting you to make to better love both God and neighbor?

Prayer: Almighty and ever living God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.