“What curtain will she choose? Will she choose curtain number one? Or curtain number two? Will curtain number three have the lovely vacation cruise that I just described? What curtain will she choose?” This is from the famous game show, “Let’s Make a Deal,” which has been airing since 1963.
The idea behind selecting a curtain is that the contestant “wins” whatever is behind that curtain, which they obviously hope is something wonderful and not the “zonk” or bust option. It’s kind of like gambling with live and televised audiences, but not as cool as “Rain Man.”
Sometimes, life can be a bit like a gamble, despite our best planning, most informed decisions and concerted efforts. In thinking about this, I can see that Jesus’ disciples took a gamble of sorts when they chose to follow Him, particularly at the beginning of His ministry. By the time they had been following Him for almost three years, maybe they thought that their “gamble” had paid off, such that Jesus would bring redemption, freedom, forgiveness, restore the nation of Israel and lots more! When Jesus died on the cross, I’m certain that many of His followers were confused and heartbroken.
On the other side, the Jewish leaders thought that they had defeated a competitor and even arch rival. As for the Romans who were controlling Israel at that time, they were probably relieved to kill a possibly messy and gory insurrection.
But what was going on in Jesus’ heart, as He went through such horrific experiences? He already knew that Peter would deny Him three times and all of His followers would abandon Him. He knew that the Jewish leaders would hand Him over to the Romans to be killed and if you watched Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, you can see that Jesus was just surviving minute by minute, enduring the brutal scourging, beatings, agonizing crown of thorns and the ultimate painful and slow death: crucifixion.
What was going on in Jesus’ thoughts as He experienced Maundy Thursday and Good Friday? In thinking about this question, I’m reminded of Hebrews 12:2, “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (emphasis added).
Jesus navigated the brutal beating, underwent the vicious scourging, wore the agonizing crown of thorns and endured the cross, all because He kept His focus on “the joy set before Him.” Maybe it helped Him to remember that Sunday was coming and there was resurrection on the other side of the crucifixion. Perhaps He reminded Himself about the reconciliation of humanity to God because of His pain and sacrifice. And maybe He just stayed true to His design of divine love, such that the cross was part of His journey in love. In thinking about this, I’m reminded that God doesn’t change. Therefore, genuine love doesn’t change because God is love.
So as this relates to us, when we go through difficult experiences and challenging seasons, let’s keep the same mindset as Jesus: Who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross. Let’s remind ourselves that no matter what we go through, God is able to work all things together for our good, as we remain in love with God and true to the purposes put in us by God! There are good things in front of us because of God’s incredible love for us!
Happy Easter!
