How we got to this?
Here are some thoughts on living through Holy Week with Luke’s gospel.
Jesus took his close followers to one side:
“Listen, we’re going to Jerusalem, where all the predictions of the prophets about the Son of man will come true.”

The welcome boded well – Hope and confusion
“Blessings on the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”
But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”
He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”

This seemed like the time. A moment of opportunity or what we could call a kairos moment. Things were about to change.

My reaction is: “Bring on the revolution!” There have been too many years of stagnation and resignation, compromised leadership and ever-decreasing circles of pointless debate. Jesus entered with such a welcome, seemingly unstoppable. Here was someone worth following, who was winning hearts and minds. The traffic was stopped and people were throwing their coats down in welcome.

Yet the day didn’t end with a coronation, a press conference and a quiet meal to take in success. Rather Jesus wept! This moment of opportunity had been missed; grace and salvation offered but Jesus was to be rejected. The free will of the people, expressed and missing the chance.

Cross words – forgiveness
In Luke’s gospel, on the Mount of Olives on the Thursday night is the moment when Jesus embraces the will of the Father and a new unity between Jesus and God. They are united, not divided. This is followed by the only mention of blood after it was mentioned at the Last Supper – as Jesus sweat blood in anguish. So Luke seems to place the crucial moment of suffering and bleeding not on the cross but at this moment. This shows the cost of accepting God’s will but also to show that this is new moment of opportunity; the new kairos moment when the new covenant is being made. We missed the first one: now there is a new opportunity, made possible by God’s love and Jesus’ love and acceptance.

Jesus asked his friends to watch at this time. Now we are asked to gaze on other people’s hardships, on occasions like Comic Relief – a film is shown in between the laughter, and we either reach for credit card or remote control! Jesus on the cross was not just the result of an orchestrated plan, but also of those who simply joined in and those who couldn’t be bothered.

Because Jesus had effectively already bled and suffered on the Mount of Olives, Luke is able to make the place of the Skull, a place of hope. Having abandoned Jesus and turned down the opportunity all we can do is follow to the cross and listen.

As we do, we hear three statements from Jesus. These are words of astonishing opportunity. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing!” Luke 23 v 34a. We did not know, and Jesus recognises that and asks for forgiveness for us!

The second words are addressed to the thief. He is dying as someone justly sentenced and yet recognises his own opportunity. He turns to Jesus and says, “Jesus, remember me”. And Jesus’ reply is, “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise!” Luke 23 v 43.

In our lives we come to recognition of the holiness and goodness of God and recognition of how far we fall short. Recognition that this is important and that we cannot earn it; but that we can receive such a gift and purpose from God and work with him.

The third set of words is Jesus’ final words. “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit!” Luke 23 v 46. Luke tells us something else: Jesus is communing with God! We might be alone and terrified, but Jesus is talking to his Father. In other words, Jesus has brought God into the most god-forsaken place on earth and moment in history.

This gives a dual significance of the tearing of the temple curtain. It is a symbol of open access to God and it also shows us that the Holy of Holies is empty! God is not in the place kept sterile and remote. God is in the very place where God has no place being: in the place called the Skull!

So we realise that this is a moment of opportunity, because God is with us, by his Spirit. We have an opportunity not on our own but with God. We have an opportunity because Jesus is the bringer of the new covenant, of forgiveness and acceptance.

It is finished – watch this space
God’s grace means that we are not abandoned to our free will! We can freely reject God but God is united in his free will to give us another opportunity.

We have the sad ability to choose death over life. We do not choose the things that make for peace. We crucify Jesus and choose to be god-forsaken. We talk about free will, but our wills are not free. We are subject to our upbringing, our culture, financial pressures, our circumstances, our access to power, the limits of our imagination, our capacity for greed, and cruelty. We need liberation.

So in the death and resurrection of Jesus, God chooses differently. We will choose self-destruction, but God generously chooses life, salvation and flourishing. Human will doesn’t have the final word, the will of Christ is vital. That’s what the Mount of Olives and the place of the Skull is all about. God is united in this act of will. The punisher and the punished.

Because of all this – we have a kairos moment, a moment of opportunity – a second chance.

What happens next? – Watch this space.