Easter Reflections

On Thursday night, I went out for dinner with other homeschooling friends and when it got dark, we watched "The Passion" on TV. What a powerful movie to begin the Easter holiday with. I'm glad Mel Gibson created that movie because it's so worthwhile to see a portrayal of the Crucifixion events as they really must have been, even though they are so incredibly hard to watch. It's a movie that easily makes viewers empathise with different people. Any mother who saw Mary's flashbacks would know just I mean. And Peter's 3 denials were made to seem so natural when we could see the position he was in. Even Judas' story could be quite easily understood, which is perhaps most frightening of all.

In fact, after the movie, my friend said that she'd studied a 'different' sort of take on the actions of Judas. In this theory, Judas continued to believe that Jesus was Messiah as firmly as the others did, but in his impatience to keep things moving, and frustration with what he perceived as Jesus' dilly-dallying, he thought he'd force His hand. Perhaps Judas never intended the Crucifixion to happen at all. He merely expected to influence events so that Jesus, finding Himself backed against a wall, had to assert His majesty and usher in the sort of earthly reign Judas was expecting. We'll never know for sure but, in a way, this possibility of Judas' motives makes it even scarier and more tragic.

Anyway, here's an excerpt from a book written in a memo form that I thought interesting & revealing about the way high-fliers of the 21st century might tend to judge the world.

TO: Jesus, Son of Joseph, Woodcrafter's Carpenter Shop, Nazareth
FROM: Jordan Management Consultants, Jerusalem.

Dear Sir,
Thank you for submitting the resume of the 12 men you've chosen for managerial positions in your new venture. They've all taken our battery of tests and we've run them through our computer and organised personal interviews for each of them with our psychologist and vocational aptitude consultant.

It is the staff opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education and aptitude for the type of enterprise you are undertaking. They do not have the team concept. Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to fits of temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership. The two brothers, James and John, sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Thomas demonstrates a questioning attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel it our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by the Greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus definitely have radical leanings and both registered a high score on the manic-depressive scale.

One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, meets people well, has a keen business mind and contacts in high places. He is highly motivated, ambitious and responsible. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your comptroller and right-hand man. All of the other profiles are self-explanatory.

We wish you every success in your new venture.
Sincerely yours ...