THE TWELFTH STATION: Jesus Dies on the Cross

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

—Matthew 27:46

By human standards, the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus is the ultimate failure. Members of the Jewish community had waited so long for the Messiah, had put their faith and hope in a man they believed had come to liberate them, and he died a horrific death. It was a devastating, final moment, and so many of Jesus’ friends had already fled the scene, abandoning hope in a better future.

It’s a good thing the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus are not to be judged by human standards.

Rather, what we see as failure, God transforms into victory. Where we see nothing but hopelessness and devastation, God is at work in surprising and spectacular ways. When we think of the hardships so many in our world face, we might easily grow discouraged; but our God offers us hope, and wants all of us to work together to build a world of peace and justice.

How does this perspective of Easter inspire our own work in seemingly hopeless, failed situations? How does God want us to look upon problems like poverty, natural disasters and environmental decay—by human standards, or something more hopeful?