In St. Luke’s passion, we hear Christ first speaking to His disciples at the Last Supper. He wants to teach them the meaning of the death He is about to undergo. He gives them His body and blood as an act of sacrifice, but this is not what they are seeing. They are arguing about status and who is the greatest among them. Jesus tells them they are not to imitate the ways of the world, where dominating power is the prize. Among His disciples the one who serves is the greatest. But His teaching is hard. Jesus is faithful to His word and suffers the judgment of the world. He is condemned to the horrible death of crucifixion. He is stripped naked and nailed to the wood of the cross between two criminals. As His enemies insult Him He puts His teaching into practice and asks His Father to forgive them.
As He hangs dying, weak and vulnerable, one criminal ridicules Him but the other turns to Him, asking to be saved: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” He has seen in the face of Christ the saving power of God and finds redemption: “Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with Me in paradise.”
Today we have welcomed Christ to Jerusalem; when we adore and worship Christ this Good Friday, we will be able to reaffirm our faith, as His disciples, that it is by His holy cross that He has redeemed the world.