In the Name of God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The story of Jesus’ passion that we heard this morning is the core and climax of each Gospel.  It is the heart of the story, and because it’s so important, each of the evangelists tells the story a little differently to help his particular community deal with the paradox of the cross . . . deal with the fact that in this shameful, dreadful death is the source of our salvation.  And because our salvation is the point, none of the passion stories is meant to evoke pity . . . or sorrow . . . or even repentance . . . although we understandably may feel each of these things.  Rather, the passion narratives witness to the presence of God.  That’s what each of the evangelists is showing his community:  that God is at work . . . that God’s purpose is unfolding through these events.  The evangelists are trying to evoke FAITH.

Luke, whose version of the passion we heard today, is particularly interested in presenting Jesus to us as the Son of Man.  What does this title mean?  Well, it can simply mean ‘human’ . . . a ‘son of man’ is a human being.  Around the time the Gospels were being written other more theological meanings were crystallizing around this title, but this morning, let’s just stick with this basic understanding . . . that the title ‘Son of Man’ referring to Jesus means ‘human being’ . . . and because it’s Jesus we’re talking about, it refers to the perfect human being.  So . . . in the passion according to Luke we discover God’s presence . . . we see God at work . . . through perfect humanity submitting to God’s purposes.  Through his humanity, Jesus points out the way to us . . . showing us, his fellow humans, the path we are to walk so that God’s presence can be revealed to and through us.

The Jesus Luke gives us is one who is full of compassion, love, and patience . . . in dying as well as living.  Each year, as we move from Gospel to Gospel, I come to believe that the Gospel we’re reading is my favorite one . . . in year A I’m inspired by Matthew; in year B I’m certain that Mark tells the story best, and in year C I fall in love with Luke.  Each Gospel presents us with a somewhat different Jesus . . . just as our friends each describe us somewhat differently . . . oh, it’s certainly the same person our friends describe when talking about us, just as it’s the same Jesus in each of the Gospels, but nevertheless in each we get a somewhat different feel for Him.

In the Gospel of Luke we find a Jesus who is particularly alert . . . particularly awake . . . particularly present in the moment.  If we look at the nuances and details of the passage in Luke we heard this morning, we will find a Jesus who is alive to everything happening around him and who responds with love and compassion and forgiveness . . . showing us how to follow him and to live . . . and die  . . . as humans.  Like Jesus, we’re called to live with awareness . . . to be AWAKE . . . and not to hide from our lives or to let our lives slide by.

This can be scary business.  So first, and very importantly, in the agony in the garden Jesus gives us permission to be afraid.  I think Jesus is very frightened when he begins his prayer in the garden.  Why else would he pray for this cup to be taken from him?  He can see what’s coming . . . he’s no fool . . . and he’s no masochist . . . he doesn’t want to suffer.  But he DOES desire to do God’s will, and that’s a VERY different thing.  Some versions of Luke’s Gospel contain a couple of verses we didn’t hear this morning.  After Jesus prays that he NOT have to go through the agony he can see is coming – but ALSO prays that his Father’s will be done – some texts add this:  “Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength.  In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.”  This is the picture of a man in torment, struggling to conform his human will to the will of God.  And it tells us that it’s all right to share Jesus’ fear, his anguish, grief, and sorrow as we confront and struggle with God’s will.

But look what happens next.  I remember being taught that when threatened, our basic instinct is either to fight or to flee.  But Jesus does neither.  Nor does he withdraw into himself.  He is alert, awake . . . present to everything that is happening . . . and yet seemingly calm.  What he feared would happen has now begun . . . and he submits to God’s will.  He submits NOT with resentment or anger about his situation, but with compassion and forgiveness toward others.  He heals the slave’s ear.  He is in the midst of all this tumult and confusion and yet maintains a tremendous presence of mind . . . he is AWARE . . . observant of details . . . and remains the focused, still center in the middle of the chaos of his arrest and trial.

And while Jesus seems to become increasingly calm through his ordeal, his accusers become more and more frantic.  I find real spiritual truth in this, because, personally, I know that I am most calm when I am most securely anchored in God, and that when I am struggling with God . . . or simply being forgetful of God . . . I am at my most anxious and frenetic.  Look at the religious leaders in today’s story.  They’re struggling with God and it’s making them wild.  When Pilate and Herod find the charges against Jesus flimsy and declare his innocence, the religious leaders become even more frenzied than they were before.

As his suffering increases, we continue to see a Jesus, the Son of Man . . . the perfect human being . . . who is filled with compassion.  His first words on arriving at Calvary are those of forgiveness:  “Father forgive them.  They do not know what they are doing.”  And when one of the thieves asks Jesus to remember him in his kingdom, Jesus offers far more than what is asked of him:  he promises not only to remember the thief, but a place for him in paradise.  At the time of Jesus’ death, he is deluged with jeers.  But he remains anchored in God.  He remains the perfect human.  And his faith is meant to inspire our own.

How are we to follow Jesus?  Luke provides some models for us in his story:  we see the faithfulness of the women . . . the courage and generosity of Joseph of Arimathea . . .  the bold honesty of the centurion.  All of these are fine examples for us . . . but ultimately of course, we are meant to follow the pattern of Jesus himself.  We are to become Christ-like.  And what does Luke’s Gospel tell us in particular about this?  Stay alert . . . stay awake . . . despite your own pain and anguish, do not turn away from the suffering of others.  Do not withdraw from the challenges facing you, but respond with compassion, love and patience.  Yes, there will be struggle . . . yes, there will be fear . . . but do not fear your fear.  Do not succumb to it.  Stay anchored in God. 

Hear the story of the passion and BELIEVE.

Amen.

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