It was sudden and dramatic.
Television news aired the moment that a massive tree fell on top of a mid-size SUV stopped at a traffic light along a roadway in Kennett Square, Pa. The car was obliterated from just beyond the driver-side door all the way to the tailgate. Surely, the viewer thinks, no one possibly survived such an impact.
And then, the camera captures the moment that a woman emerges from her car completely unscathed, running to the vehicle in front of her, obviously in a state of bewildered shock.
Said one news anchor from a local Philadelphia affiliate as he watched the footage: “Imagine if that driver did just one thing differently that morning. We would be reporting an entirely different story tonight.”
He wasn’t wrong: had the driver stopped two inches sooner; had she took an extra minute to re-check her hair in the mirror; had the Dunkin’ Donuts cashier been slow in handing her the coffee, the story would have been completely different for that woman.
I’ve been pondering the same sentiment with regards to the story of the Passion we have just heard this Palm Sunday. What if …
What if Pilate stood up for the truth and didn’t allow the crowds or public pressure sway him from protecting an innocent man?
What if Peter didn’t deny Jesus when he was asked if he was a follower?
What if Simon of Cyrene refused to pick-up the Cross or John the Beloved disciple didn’t stay with Our Lady on Calvary?
What if the soldiers refused to crucify an innocent man?
What if the second thief beside Jesus didn’t mock him from his own cross?
What if Judas, having realized his greed – and more importantly Christ’s love for him, didn’t refuse the mercy of the Cross?
So many what-ifs from the day Love-and-Sacrifice changed eternity.
Some will argue of course that it had to be this way: Pilate and Judas and Peter all had to deny and walk away from Truth in order for the Crucifixion to happen.
But perhaps not.
Jesus Christ was in charge of the gift that he was offering for our salvation. And while all of the characters in the Passion played a part in the drama on Calvary, God didn’t need them in order to offer His life for us. He would have done so freely even if Judas and Peter and the rest didn’t betray him as they did.
The love of Christ would have offered itself to set us free. It’s the sole reason why He came.
And yet, the ending could have been so very different for so many in this narrative had they chosen differently.
Pilate would be remembered as a politician who stood up for truth and righteous justice.
Peter’s brave recognition from the outset that he was a follower of Jesus would have revealed courage to us in a different way.
And who knows – you and I could be worshipping in a parish church named St. Judas Iscariot this Palm Sunday weekend.
If only they had chosen differently.
This week we call “Holy” – beginning today – challenges us to ask the same questions of ourselves that we do the characters of this Calvary drama.
What kind of disciple do we want to be?
How will I live this faith I have been given?
Do I love Jesus enough to stand up for truth? To lay down my life? To serve the least? To forgive as he asks?
If I were present at that moment in time, would I be a part of the crowd shouting “Crucify him” or would I be one of the few standing at his Cross?
Now more than ever, the world is crying out for genuine witnesses to the Gospel; the world needs women and men (and young people) who aren’t afraid to say “I believe in Jesus Christ,” and be willing to take the criticisms and persecutions that come from being a disciple.
We can still be part of the revolution of Love that Christ instituted on Calvary. The Cross from which he poured out his life continues to shape hearts today. The Cross from which he offered complete forgiveness still challenges us to do the same.
Do we commend ourselves to him and His Father, or do we choose our own way?
Do we live our lives yearning for Paradise and helping the Kingdom come now, or do we spend our days constructing selfish walls (and hearts) of hatred and division?
Holy Week’s gift is one that provides us with the opportunity of really asking ourselves: how do I want to live my life?
What if I choose to deny him in my daily actions … how will it shape the person I am becoming?
What if, on the other hand, I were to give Him everything? How would my life be different?
What if?
An important question we must look at, not just this week but every day of our lives …
No doubt that Kennett Square driver who found her own mini-resurrection moment last week is asking that question often these days, as she should. And so must we …