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So much happening in so little time! We are left gasping for breath. We stagger under the weight of the mighty arm of historical occurrence. You and I praise God because we know the rest of the story. Those present did not know how things would turn out. They must have been like awestruck children nearing exasperation.

Those of us who have read and perhaps studied the great writers amazingly discover that Saint John tops them all. Shakespeare was truly brilliant but there is a peculiar demeanor about our lengthy passage that goes beyond his work. Dante and Milton -- with others coming to mind -- cause us to pause reverently in admiration but John causes us to kneel in adoration.

How can we even begin to digest all of this coming at us at one time? It is so imposing and it stretches us to limits that give us a glimpse of our immortal souls. We want to shout for everything to wait a minute or two, indeed, a year or two! Call in the wise men and women; let them brood for a time.

But now -- just maybe -- the Holy Spirit has provided us with enough love, faith, and hope to continue in genuine humility. Praises be to God, what an opportunity! We are privy to the unfolding and making of salvation history. It is a moment of our spirits being quickened.

Judas Iscariot betrayed his Lord. This whole business of betrayal is one which is gripping for us because we never know who will decide to sell us out. The drama of human beings relating to human beings is filled to overflowing with such nasty experiences. Some move well into adulthood before finding out what has happened to them. Others learn in high school or even before. How about you and me? If it hasn't happened to us, it will! Yes, and not one of us has a desire to be labeled a "Judas." His name -- all it conjures up -- is an odious reminder of what is at hand.

How many times have we heard this man thoroughly castigated for his dastardly deed? We have probably lost track. His is an infamy that never goes away. It carries a singular stench. He betrayed our blessed Lord! He was a scoundrel and deserved the worst cell in hell. But many of us over time become more thoughtful, don't we? The scum of the earth who betrayed the greatest and most pure man to live among us is seen, at least, with some compassion and not a few questions. Was he really that bad and did he have a will of his own to prevent his name being remembered forever as the epitome of a traitor? You and I cannot condone what he did, and Christ tells us not to judge.

What are the motives behind his actions? Some say he was a Jewish patriot who wanted the hated Romans driven from the land. He was patient with Jesus for a time and began to see there was no hope for this to happen. Others maintain that he was a crook from the beginning and wanted only to handle the little band's money. He would then steal cleverly from that precious treasury to promote himself. Yes, it is even thought the devil so totally dominated his motives there was no other way for him to behave. Could he have been predestined? Haven't we seen people, who despite their apparent good intentions, never seem to come out on the right side of anything?

While you and I see ourselves, for the most part, as quite distant from his perfidy, are we really? If Christ and his church do not say what we want to hear, what is our response? Sometimes good people betray their pastors. Sometimes good pastors betray their people. To be sure, these are exceptions, but our personal stories cannot be told accurately from our internal struggles that are only known by us and God. To be more focused, we have all been tempted to betray somebody. The evil one tells us that is not the way something should be and we are led into a trap. To correct the situation, the evil spirit skillfully sells us on betraying someone we have loved and supported. So, the question becomes one of accepting or rejecting the bait made to look necessary for all concerned.

Simon Peter showed his cowardice. Peter invariably seemed to get the attention of the gospel writers. He was the dominant apostle, regardless of whether he was doing good or ill. He ran the gamut of cowardly bum to sacrificial saint. Of course, we would only see the latter after the resurrection and the day of Pentecost. He was the most unlikely of the twelve -- except Judas Iscariot -- to provide leadership for the ancient church. How could someone be such a bumbling idiot? His Lord had called him close different times, giving his insight into the future. It is as though he heard a different drummer. He had the close confidence of his Lord and worked overtime to negate that beloved relationship.

At this cataclysmic point in time, there just doesn't appear to be much hope for him. All he was capable of doing was slipping around on the fringes telling folks he doesn't know the Man of Galilee. After all that his Savior had seen him through, he was apparently scared out of his wits some people would connect him to the fellow about to be crucified. What a loser! It was indeed a frightening Friday and Peter was one of the biggest ducks in the puddle. He was so far removed from the imperative loyalty to lead the Jesus movement, we scratch and dig around to find something with which to defend him.

Just the simple word, "coward," causes many of us to shiver and shake. Is there ever anyone who wants to be described as one? Except in jest and playfulness, we don't like any part of that word. Oh, we might like it applied to someone else who strongly disagrees with us or does something we can't tolerate. Even then, it has a way of cluttering up our understanding of religious and moral perceptions. We would just as soon it not appear in our dictionaries and vocabularies. In a sober moment of pondering, we admit that if we took it out, we would have to find another word to define what certainly is a fact of life! Yes, history books indicate it is not an uncommon trait.

Peter's fate turned out to be infinitely better than that of Judas Iscariot. Who could tell at the time how things would turn out? It looked like a big zero was the answer. So, what is the difference? Is it that God liked Peter a lot better than Judas? Needless to say, that is a stretch and mostly for those who want to do endless dialogue dynamics for the sake of exploring all possibilities. Perhaps the best way to understand his problem is to note that he recognized the Lord has chosen him for great things but he simply did not know what to do about it. So, he stumbled and fumbled with a generous amount of grumbles. Jesus was through with his betrayer but not his cowardly apostle.

Pilate performed his political duty. Good old Pontius Pilate! He seemed to do everything on schedule. He was a predictable politician. After apparently having such accurate and objective thoughts of God's Son, he progressively or regressively -- depending on one's understanding -- ended up defending what was near and dear to him: his position. To let things get out of hand was certainly to be demoted and possibly much worse. So, to survive and meet his own needs in his world, he caved in and opened the way for our Lord's hideous death. Sound familiar for politicians? You bet it does! He was right on schedule and we might even be tempted to inquire as to why he took so long.

Maybe we should inject the thought, which has much substance, that there are only two kinds of politics: good and bad. The good means most everybody wins in the highest and best sense. The bad means quite the reverse. Is Pilate reacting like most of us would react in that situation? Obviously, he was fascinated by the man whose guilt or innocence was in the balance. He had not been with Jesus in closed sessions like the apostles. He was known only at a distance. While fear and some sense of justice motivated him, he did the only thing that made sense at the time. What would you and I have done? Would we have been seriously interested in good politics? Each of us has to answer for himself or herself.

It must have been quite an ego trip to have Jesus before him and be able to convict or acquit this amazing fellow. It was an opportunity made in a pagan heaven, filled with idols and self-congratulatory weapons. He had, some would call, God in his presence, the power to destroy or release. Wow, that is something of a very special circumstance! What else could be so favorable for a man who wanted always to stay on the good side of Caesar, who many considered a deity? Perhaps there is nothing so destructive in our world as pure, unadulterated egotism: witness the likes of Adolf Hitler and many others. It was a singular and demonic instant of glory.

Pilate has not only found his way into the holy scriptures, he appears as well in both the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. We are not apt to forget him anytime soon! His is one of the few names having been perpetuated from the times our Lord walked and talked upon this earth. He made history and his name is there for all to see. Yes, one wonders about his select place -- good, bad, or otherwise. He could be called a major player or actor but it was certainly the Father's stage and the Father, contrary to what some may say, was doing all of the directing. Yes, we see only in a mirror dimly but God has the total picture, which he sees perfectly and in its totality. The majority of Christian worshipers across the globe say Pilate's name.

Mary, his mother, was given to a trusted and loving apostle. Can we even begin to imagine Mary's thoughts and feelings during these hours? She watched her son undergo a humiliating death. There he was stark naked in agony, dying like any common, ordinary thief or seditionist. Her heart must have been ripped asunder and she may have even shouted at God because it was all so unjust and unfair. Try -- for a fleeting moment -- to put yourself in her place. She carried him inside her body like any other mother and gave birth to him. He was a part of her body and after the birth, when she could hold him in her arms, there was that powerful sense he belonged to her. In a way she died, too. Her baby, little boy, teenager, and adult man was gone.

She is the blessed Virgin Mary to much of Christendom. What an appealing and magnificent name! She was a sublimely favored one and full of grace. The Lord was with her. She was blessed among women. The fruit (Jesus) of her womb was blessed. She is defined as the mother or bearer of God. Many ask her to pray for them at their deaths. Wow, that really was and is some extra special lady! Why is it when we speak about feminist power and priorities, she seems invariably absent? To some extent, in our day and time this is being answered and many Protestants have had their blinders lifted and she begins to move to her rightful place.

It is said on reliable authority that the apostle who received the honor or responsibility for her was John. Our Lord would look after his mother, like any good Jewish son, and so he gave her to one he must have trusted the most. It all happened just before he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Exactly what occurs after that remains questionable, except for mention in the Acts of the Apostles. In reverential retrospect we view a son who refused to die before his mother received some security for the future. For an instant, motherhood is lifted to a new level because she bore the Son of the living God. The ages have spoken of such maternity. Catholics and Orthodox integrated her extraordinary place in the faith, centuries ago.

Hopefully, gone are the days of vitriolic arguments about her and where she belongs in our belief systems. Pope John Paul II, who spoke to many outside of the Roman Catholic church, has helped us immensely. The movement on the part of some of us in the Protestant churches has helped and is helping. Increasingly, we are experiencing evidence she is more -- much more -- than a woman in the right place at the right time! The healthy dialogue has caused some of us to shout praises to God, our Father, for the progress at hand. It did not come overnight but it has come to us under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. No feminine force can unite us as Christians the way Mary does. She may very well be the key to our unity.

The key players do what they do! Among them -- along with Jesus -- is Judas Iscariot, Simon Peter, Pontius Pilate, and the blessed Virgin Mary. How can the story of a frightening Friday be told without them? Yes, and it isn't over until it's over! The piercing of his side is not the end. The gentlemanly conduct of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, we soon learn, is not the end. We group the events together, as best we can, and wait in anticipation of the supreme victory song of salvation history. Those, centuries ago, had mixed feelings. Some thought the ignominious tailgate had come down and the Master had failed in a definitive fiasco.

The thing you and I must not do is to become lackadaisical which leads to a lackluster attitude toward Resurrection Sunday. Oh, dear Father of our Savior and Lord, please don't allow this to happen! We are reminded there is not the smallest amount of humdrum in what is taking place. We know beforehand that the gloom and doom gathers by the tons. We have to wait until a glorious victory is declared once and for all. Our brothers and sisters who were there join in an unending chorus of praise with us. Our spiritual ancestors plead with us to be vigilant and re-experience what Christ does for us. Kneel in prayerful tears of joy for atrocious events that changed our lives and deaths, now and forever. Amen.