"Who can stay awake in this night of God? Who will not be
as if paralyzed by it? Christ's struggle was with God.
This was his real agony. He overcame it through his
self-surrender. That was his victory, and our hope."
--Jurgen Moltmann
I watched "The Passion of the Christ" again last night. I see something new with every viewing. What struck me this time was the image of the procession to Golgotha. As Jesus stumbled under the load of the cross (and our sin), Simon of Cyrene was called out from the crowd of onlookers to give assistance. The screenwriters added to the story a piece of dialogue. Simon said to a struggling Jesus, "you are almost there."
Although that is a piece of fiction, I believe it has eternal weight. This weekend while on a prayer retreat I watched as our great Redeemer approached my dear husband in the midst of his own struggle with self surrender.
With the power that comes only from experience, Christ whispered, "You are almost there".
Christ's victory became our hope.
