Good Friday... and A Confession

Being in Jerusalem on Good Friday has been pretty surreal, I have to admit, as we've remembered Jesus' death in the very place where it all happened. We commemorated the day by literally walking the path that Jesus walked that day (and the night before). We first stopped at the Upper Room where the Last Supper was held on the Thursday evening before His death. The room has changed quite a bit architecturally over the years, but the actual location is pretty historically accurate.

We're in the Upper Room here.  It was quite crowded, as you can imagine.

After Jesus and his disciples eat the Last Supper, the Bible says they walk to the Mount of Olives (so Jesus can pray in the Garden of Gethsemane). This obviously wasn't what they saw on that walk, but it was our view on the way. 

The garden of Gethsemane. This is probably my favorite place in the entire city of Jerusalem up to this point.  Although there are a number of tourists who are in and out everyday, there is a peace and serenity here that I love. Jesus prayed here with his (unfortunately sleeping) disciples the evening before He died.

Another view of the garden.

Donning apparel appropriate for this (unseasonably) cool April day at the Garden of Gethsemane

Okay, this has nothing to do with Good Friday, but this is one of Charis' new favorite ways to be carried through Jerusalem. :)

I promised a confession in the title of this blog post, so here it is. While I obviously love all of God's word, I have always struggled with reading the gospels more than any other books of the Bible. Yes, I know, I know... words of Jesus, parables, Sermon on the Mount, passion story, nativity story, and so on. I'm not saying that it isn't wonderful stuff or that it isn't a HUGE part of our faith, but I've personally always struggled to deeply connect with much of the content.

Much of the issue here, I'm sure, has to do with the literary critic in me. If I want to open my Bible and read a story from the gospels, I often get overwhelmed because 1) I can't remember which of the gospels has the story; 2) I realize that more than one of them contain the story, and then all of the differing accounts are confusing; 3) I can't determine which of the accounts is actually the most historically accurate, and that gets frustrating when I am trying to really study details and historical facts.

Another huge part of my struggle is that I sometimes have difficulty connecting with the humanity of Jesus specifically. While I absolutely believe that he was 100 percent God and man in every facet of His life, it feels like my daily walk with Him is based so much more on his role as God than on the 33 years He spent on the earth as a man. Not only that, but so many of my favorite Biblical characters are my favorites for that very reason -- they are incredibly human on every level! David is the prime example there. Yes, he was a man after God's own heart, but he was also a murderer, an adulterer -- a man who lived a truly "abundant" life with high high's and low low's. My life often feels like that, as well, and there is such great comfort in connecting with a biblical character who could seek God so passionately and yet mess up so often.

That, of course, is the issue with Jesus as a man. He never messed up. We could get into all sorts of roundabout theological discussions about the true nature of his humanity, but when you boil it right down, He was tempted and tried in every way that we as humans have been, and yet He was without sin. Necessary for salvation? Yes. Necessary for being 100 percent God and man? Absolutely. Encouraging on a very human level when I mess up and am hoping to follow Jesus' example? Ehh... not always.

(As an important side note, though, when I do mess up on a very human level, it is only because of Jesus that I have any hope at all. So even though I can't gain encouragement for my brokenness by looking at his perfect life, I do know my sin is completely paid for and my brokenness restored because of His life alone. I certainly don't want to forget about that truth in the midst of my ramblings!)

All of that to say, living in Jerusalem has begun to break down these walls in my heart that have (for years) been hardened toward the content of the gospels and the conundrum of Jesus' humanity because I am being afforded the privilege to literally walk where He walked. His humanity has been coming alive to me in an entirely new way over these past three months because I can experience the places, the customs, the weather, the sites that He did. It makes His humanity seem so much more tangible in my mind, and that has allowed the content of the gospels to become so fresh and meaningful.

One more thing... if you get a chance, go here and listen to the "Friday" and "Saturday" sermons. They are undoubtedly the most meaningful, informative pre-Easter messages I have ever heard, and I am eagerly anticipating listening to "Sunday." You will be blessed!