It’s good to be back at the gym a few days each week after the prolonged COVID lockdown. I not only use that time to get some much-needed physical exercise, but I also use the time to unplug from all electronic devices and meditate on life. Today I had just finished a lesson plan with a handout for our adult class at church this Sunday. We’re studying the timely Amy-Jill Levine book on the Witness at the Cross and my session involves the “other two” that were crucified to the left and right of Jesus. Earlier, James and John had been chided for asking to be seated to the left and right of Jesus when his anticipated kingdom arrives.
After giving this some thought, it occurred to me that our
lives are replete with images of left and right, including all symmetric
objects like our very own bodies! Our
politics involve left progressives and right conservatives. And then there are the centrists that
attempt to walk the middle line and work diligently to find that middle ground
of compromise that can help everyone move ahead without a stalemate. I wondered if there was something to be
learned about Jesus not crucified alone, but with human beings also
crucified to his left and right that Holy Friday.
It's been noted that the gospels infer
that Barabbas may have been a freedom fighter or revolutionary
against the oppressive Roman occupiers.
He was scheduled to be crucified on this day along with the other two, but
the crowd chose Jesus. It’s been said
that "One person's freedom fighter is someone else's terrorist". It just may be that these two men whom church
legend names Gestas and Dismas were captured with Barabbas while they were
fighting against the oppressing Roman army and tried as enemies of Rome.
Having the two condemned men on either side of
Jesus enabled a final dialog among the three of them while they were still capable
of speaking. Gestas mocks Jesus asking
him to save them if he is the Son of God, while Dismas asks Jesus to accept him
into his kingdom. Jesus replies that he
will be with him in paradise that day. Soon
all three men on the left, center and right had succumbed to respiratory and heart
failure.
As I was driving home, I entered a major
intersection with four lanes. The Way
included a left turn lane, two center lanes and a right turn lane. I had the choice of wandering off left and
right or continuing on in either of the two center lanes. So, I decided to
continue my life’s journey along the center path to paradise.
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