HE IS DESPISED AND REJECTED OF MEN;
A MAN OF SORROWS, AND ACQUAINTED WITH GRIEF:
AND WE HID AS IT WERE OUR FACES FROM HIM; HE WAS DESPISED, AND WE ESTEEMED HIM NOT. [ISAIAH 53:3]

This text came to mind as we were visiting the Franciscan church called "The Convent" in the Yucatan. It was the last stop on a tour that had taken us to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. The building was erected in the late 1580's. From the outside it looked like a fortress, for that was one of its original purposes. Entering the church was like stepping back in time. Although we could see that it still serves the local population as an active church, most of our tour group treated it as a museum piece that was simply less of an antiquity than the Mayan pyramids.

Being an old Hispanic church, it was no surprise to see a life-size crucifix. This portrayal of Christ on the cross was graphic and detailed. His face was bruised and battered. His back was raw with the wounds of the scourging. The knees were scraped and bloodied. Looking at this crucifix brought the words of Isaiah 53 to mind. As I looked around, it seemed that few in the tour group bothered to give the crucifix more than a glance. Why?
Was the portrayal too realistic? Were the tour members so secular that it wasn't even an interesting museum piece? Did the sight of the crucifix make them feel uneasy? Maybe most of these people have been on so many tours that they barely take note. After all, "if you've seen one church, you've seen them all."

On Good Friday the people saw the real thing. It was not a statue but our suffering Lord on the cross. We are told many hid their faces and averted their eyes as they passed by. Some looked on more out of curiosity than anything. Others actually jeered as they hooted and hollered at the suffering One. None of them esteemed Him.

It is said we live in a post-Christian, post-religion era. It is no surprise to us that today many choose not to have anything to do with Christianity. As far as they are concerned, church buildings, Bibles and the Gospel are simply museum pieces. When it comes to meditating on the passion of our Lord, they still esteem Him not. They want nothing to do with the Suffering Servant. They aren't interested in things associated with Jesus, the Scripture or the church.

We are observing the season of Lent. As we contemplate the cross, our eyes might also be offended by the gory, bloody crucifix in Mexico. Why? He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are Healed. [Isaiah 53:1-12] Do we only want to celebrate the joy of Easter without the gruesome reality of Good Friday? We can't have one without the other.

As we contemplate the passion of our Lord, we need to understand that His bruised and bloodied wounds should be ours. He took our punishment upon Himself. He died so that we might have life. To modern ears this seems archaic, hopelessly old-fashioned and even superstitious. That's what I saw among the tourists in the church in Mexico. Yet, the Holy Spirit continues to work in our lives to bring us to faith, sustain our faith and strengthen our faith. No, we don't worship some "dead Jesus." We worship our victorious, resurrected Lord. Nevertheless, we need to stop and remember what He did for us on Good Friday. Then, we look forward to the Easter joy and the glorious resurrection when we will be with the Lord forever.

Blessed Lent.
Pastor