He told us to love one another.
But we would not.
He told us to forgive as we want to be forgiven.
But we would not.
He told us to look with compassion when we see suffering.
But we would not.
He told us to store our treasure in heaven, and give generously of what we have here on earth.
But we would not.
He told us to stop looking at other human beings with lust, as objects for our own satisfaction.
But we would not.
He told us to follow the weightier matters of God’s law rather than our human customs.
But we would not.
He told us to lead by serving others,
But we would not.
He told us to seek first God’s Kingdom, rather than anything else.
But we would not.
He asks us to follow Him, leaving anything else behind.
But over and over, we will not, because we know where it might lead. We know what we have to lose in this world. And so we deny, evade, even betray.
And when faced with our lives full of what we would not do, we may even be tempted to join those who shout, “crucify him.”
Or we may even realize, especially if we have authority, that we must do so, because he has claimed authority to tell us to do these things as what God wills.
Today, we think, is the day we can be rid of this man who is disturbed enough to think God would tell us to do what we do not want to do.
