During the nineteenth century, all Oxford graduates were required to translate a portion of the Greek New Testament aloud. Oscar Wilde was assigned this passage from the passion story of Jesus. His translation was fluent and accurate. Satisfied with his skill, the examiners told him he could stop. But he ignored them and continued to translate. Several times more they tried to call a halt to his reading. Finally he looked up and said, “Oh, do let me go on! I want to see how it ends!”

We need to read this story from beginning to end, don’t we? In fact, even at the end, when Jesus is on the cross, when Jesus dies his horrible death, we do not want to quit. For the end is not the end, and Easter is just around the corner.

Yet today is Good Friday - or Death Day. Or the day of tragedy. Today we …