This Night Gives Me Hope

This night of Good Friday leaves me considering the beginnings of Christianity. And I wonder if the greatest proof of Christ’s divinity is how messy, poor and cowardly Christianity’s beginnings were.

Have you ever seen a religion start so poorly? I mean, if you were in Israel on the days around Christ’s crucifixion and had to bet whether Christianity was going to have any impact around the world, I don’t think you would’ve bet on it.

On Holy Thursday, Jesus was surrounded by men who had no idea what he was talking about which was fairly usual. One of Jesus’ disciples has already agreed to betray him. Jesus tells his lead apostle that he’ll betray him. Within hours, Peter is running around telling anyone who will listen that he has no idea who this Jesus fellow was.

Jesus is crucified in a violent and bloody spectacle and dies. His apostles scatter having lost all hope. They go into hiding. Another disciple, Judas, hangs himself to death.

This is not a great way to start the saving of the world. All was in shambles. But using these faulted men Jesus formed the Church. This Church I love. This Church that clearly isn’t dependent solely on its faulted members.

It makes me think that maybe…just maybe I too can be used by Christ to bring about something good in the world.