John 19:1-3
On one level, this piece connects with the part of the story where Jesus is beaten, insulted and whipped. The breaking of his body reflected in the distressing and dislodging of the puzzle pieces. On another level, it may represent ourselves; for we are all broken in some way – if only a little bit – by our own passage through our life’s story. While Jesus’ oppressors’ sticks, fists and whips assailed his body; their insults, taunts and hateful words assaulted his psyche, seeking to attack the very core of his being. We may be fortunate to avoid physical beatings in our lives (though sadly, not all of us), but we have all experienced the words, comments, attitudes and prejudices of others that have lashed at our sense of who we are and what our value is. The pieces of the ‘puzzle-that-is-us’ become damaged, dislodged and even lost. Emotional wounds hurt just as much as physical, even if they don’t literally bleed.
The one who is central to the Easter story, Jesus, knows what is like to endure the physical and mental attacks of his abusers. He gets it. He knows where each of our unique pieces belongs and he wants to help us, all of us, to heal and become fully complete once more.
