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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, teach me the difference between being controlled for a bad reason and for a good one! Amen.

The people who hated Jesus made sure He was arrested and brought to their rulers, Pilate and Herod. Both found Jesus "not guilty," but the people begged until Pilate let them take Him away to be killed. As Jesus walked up the hill to be crucified, His followers cried; even a thief crucified with Jesus said He was innocent. But a few hours later, Jesus cried, "Father, I put my spirit into your hands," and died. Then people said, "This man did nothing wrong."

Kids spend their days controlled by other people. Adults tell you which school you're going to, what work you have to do and what time to get up and go to bed. Sometimes, you're told what sport or instrument you'll play and how long to practice. You might even be told who you have to spend time with, whether you like them or not!

This week's Gospel (Luke 23:1-49) is about being controlled by other people. First, Jesus is arrested. He's whipped. He's questioned by the rulers of the country, who don't believe a word He says. Then He's forced to carry a cross up Calvary hill. He's nailed to that cross and left there until He dies.

If you sometimes feel helpless about being controlled by other people, Jesus would understand!

When you're a kid, adults make decisions for you until you're old enough to make them for yourself. Many of those decisions make sense: You might want to stay home and eat ice cream all day, but getting an education is important, so they make you go to school. You might want to only hang around with a few kids, but you're told to be nice to everyone.

Jesus had made His own decisions for a long time, but now, He let Himself be controlled by other people. He thought it was important: In order to prove He would sacrifice anything for us, He let Himself be hurt. He wanted to show that nothing would stop His love for us -- and also to prove He was the Son of God, by coming back to life at Easter.

Being controlled can be uncomfortable. Every once in a while, though, it has good results![[In-content Ad]]

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