AUDIO MEDITATION:

Aert Mytens (Flemish, 1541-1602), Christ Crowned with Thorns, ca. 1590–1600, oil on canvas. Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame: P. Reilly, J. McCrindle, N. Cummings, P. Mannheim Purchase Funds, 1981.013.

FULL TEXT:

We are headed into Palm Sunday, the beginning of the final phase of Jesus’ public ministry, which will culminate in the cross and empty tomb.

When people hear that Jesus is approaching Jerusalem, they go out to welcome him into the city, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”

The week will begin with this royal acclamation as the crowds treat Jesus as a king, but it will end when they turn on him and mock this kingship with a crown of thorns and a reed scepter. This painting reminds us what lies ahead in Jerusalem for Jesus.

Here we see Jesus’ face, but everyone else is darkened and obscured. There is room for us in the shadows, in the circle of people who bind him and place the crown of thorns on his head. As the drama unfolds, we take our place among the people whose rejection of Jesus is met with mercy and salvation.

Where will we stand when forces of darkness confront the light? How might we step out of the shadows of bystanders to join those who suffer?