Good Friday Personality Quiz!

I would expect that nowadays just about everyone has done at least one personality quiz.  I’ve done several – lately they seem to be part of just about every management course.  Completing them, you usually wind up with a 4 part score (I’m apparently a "7313" BTW) or with a description (Beaver, Lion, Otter, Retriever). 

All that is well and good – it tells us who we’re perceived to be by others.  But I think we’d be much better off as individuals if we understood who we are before God.  And being sinners saved only by grace, we ought to see ourselves as one of the characters at the cross of Jesus Christ.

Pilate – you ‘wash your hands’ of responsibility, believing that the issues God presents to you are other people’s problems and not something for you to speak into or to participate in.  You distain absolutes (“What is truth?”) and see yourself as being the right proper ruler of your life.  You’ll do what is asked of you only under pressure and always with an tint of passive-aggressive behavior (John 19:19).

Soldier – you’re just doing what’s asked of you, but you’ll take whatever you can get along the way.  Really you’d rather play games than face what’s actually going on.  You see life’s little blessings as given to you by chance rather than grace (John 19:24).  You’re just marching through life as others have demanded of you and you're not really concerned with the issues of the day – they’re for other people to sort out.

Jesus’ mother – you’re heartbroken at what you see and the injustice of the world.  Both injustice to others and injustice to yourself.  But you feel helpless, so most of the time you just stand and watch, mired in your pity and grief.  (John 19:25) But God has always been gracious to you - so you trust Him to provide even when it doesn’t seem possible.

Joseph of Arimathea – you know the right thing to do, but usually wait till all the commotion is done so you can do it secretly, because you dare not step into the light and let everyone know what you really believe.  But with a friend at your side you’ll exercise the courage and spend the resources necessary to do even the difficult things no one else wants to do. (John 19:38)

Good Friday is a solemn reminder of who we are before God.  Truth is, we’re probably like one of these people at some seasons of life, and like another at another season.  In life you get to be lots of parts – sometimes by necessity and sometimes by choice.  Unfortunately, some people will try to play “Christ”.  That’s OK (even excellent) if it’s a drama presentation.  But it’s a disaster to play “Christian” in real life because one thing is certain - before God Most High, we’re not like Jesus at all.