The Ugly Poor

“He had given so much! He had done so much! Nobody understood and, as far as we can tell, He died utterly forlorn, utterly alone, utterly humiliated.” These are the words of a man who was talking to his pastor about Jesus’ crucifixion, and they seem to express the way the disciples were feeling on the morning after Good Friday. They had left everything to be with Jesus-their families, their jobs, their businesses-because they had experienced the presence of God through Jesus in a decisive and powerful way. They had been filled with hope in Jesus as the Messiah who would exalt them as a People and as a nation and, suddenly, it was over. The Master had been humbled beyond belief, and they were physically, emotionally and spiritually wiped out. Because Jesus had been killed, the powers of evil seemed to have risen to preeminence, contrary to everything Jesus had been saying about how the just would prevail ultimately. Those words Jesus had spoken…