11 People Jesus Met Before His Death, And What They Teach Us About That

Good Friday is the day Christians remember the love of Christ.

I, for one, have always loved this time of year as far as the Christian/Catholic calendar goes.

Perhaps because of the Lenten reflection that precedes the rituals of the Easter Triduum, they have a way of reflecting the essence of life – suffering and glory.

I also appreciate that unlike the major Christian holidays, where there are Easter sales, you can’t completely take the crucifixion, death, and resurrection, and become something to be consumed by the world. I love the silence and the songs and the memory of these celebrations; I love the spirituality and connection I feel with my faith.

Jesus met several people in his worship. People, I think, tell us a lot about not only the story of love, and the incredible intensity of feelings and emotions; but I think that meeting the inspiration of Jesus is a story about humanity. It’s about us.

Judas

Judas is easily the most disliked character in the romance; he is a traitor. To this day we use his name as a synonym for people who deceive us in this way. Often we do not see ourselves as Jews; as traitors. But maybe that’s the problem. Perhaps we should remember the times when we were not faithful to our beliefs, to the people we love and to ourselves. And he is a rare person who can keep someone’s company knowing that he will betray him. Can we love our enemies? And what does that mean for us?

Peter

We don’t think Peter was a traitor but his act of denying me seemed more pathetic than we give you credit for. Peter was a young man who seemed to ride or die for Jesus to the end. But when push came to shove, he denied Jesus, just as Jesus had told him. How many times have we failed to stand up and be counted when our voices were needed? How many people have we let down who needed us when it mattered most?

Herod (Antipas)

Although the other Gospels do not include the appearance of Herod where he is brought before Jesus after the high priests and guards have bound him, I want to do so here. Herod to me represents a busy and quiet coward. Someone who just wants to know what’s going on, and feel important because of it. However, he is not willing to do anything fruitful or good with this information. Knowledge and awareness for its own sake seem more irrational than ignorance at times. And it’s easy to fall into a pattern of curiosity, without really wanting to do it.

Pilate

Pilate is a man of some influence – he can “save” Jesus if he wants to. Of course Jesus reminds him that his power is not perfect and is only limited in time and space. To me, Pilate has always represented a kind of coward in society. A person who sees evil and can change it, not change it. It is easy to relate to Pilate because many of us are like him. We allow ourselves to be oppressed by people, and we would like to have a positive attitude and preferences that are contrary to what is right.

Simon of Cyrene

Simon is one of the few brave men in Jesus’ love. He carried the cross of Jesus at one time. This act of friendship, this act of love should not be ignored. In this act, he shows what it means to be a true friend in action, not just in words. We don’t know much about him in the Gospel accounts and perhaps that is also remarkable. That our acts of bravery and wonderful kindness when we suffer for another, should not be too highly commended. Perhaps these actions are, in fact, the greatest.

Veronica

Not from the Gospel, but rather from oral history, Veronica is another beautiful person in the love story. Deeply moved by the pain and evil of what he saw when he saw Jesus, he wipes him face to face but with courage. There is great beauty and yet subtlety in this act he is doing; there is almost an instinct about it. Do we help people who are suffering when our conscience asks us to do so? Do we follow the goodness of our heart regardless of our surroundings?

Soldiers and Civilians Mocking Jesus

The soldiers and civilians who mock Jesus represent a crowd mentality that almost all of us have shared. It’s sad how easily we get swept up in the emotions of the crowd and become people we don’t recognize, victimizing someone who, even if he’s innocent, his crime doesn’t match our responses. We must always be careful in how we react to any one person who appears to be the latest public enemy.

The Daughters of Jerusalem Weep for Him

There was a time when Jesus saw that the women in the crowd were crying because of his love; He says that they are not crying for him but for themselves and their children. There is a lot of compassion that we see in these women who are crying for him, who may or may not know him but they are crying for what was done to him. Do we find empathy in the stories of strangers? Who is not like us? Do we find compassion for people when it is very difficult to do so?

Two Thieves Crucified with Him

These two thieves represent two types of people – one who knows he has done wrong and wants to be free from the consequences, and the other knows he has sinned, and seeks forgiveness. Yes, what is interesting is that Jesus seems to forgive both of them, even if one asks him to “use his power” to free them all from their suffering. What we see here is something divine. That Jesus forgives all, not according to our human understanding of who “deserves” that. Can we emulate that somehow?

John

Known as the disciple that Jesus loved the most, John seems to be a quiet friend that although he may not be able to stop the evil that is done to you, he is never far from you until the end. We need the Johns in our life to survive, I think. But especially we need to learn how to be John to those we love.

Mary

Now I am not a mother anymore. And I can only imagine what it was like to see someone’s child suffer so much. As someone who has a devoted mother, I know that the pain I feel is often felt by my mother, because that seems to be one of the burdens of being a parent. When we see other people do we see them as a human child? Do we know that the pain they feel, may have been felt by the person who brought them into the world? And can we always have compassion for someone who has lost?

For me the basic truth, the human truth in all this thinking is that we can be and sometimes are, all these people. We are good and bad, unfaithful, and faithful; friend and foe, laughers, and brave people. Good Friday is a story that reminds people that pain and suffering are not the same thing. But also that it is not meant to be endured by anyone – even Jesus did not endure it alone. And above all, the story of Good Friday is a reminder that pain and suffering rarely have the last word; there is a resurrection nearby.