The meaningful small actions of the passion of Christ

Here in Greece we're celebrating Easter a week later, in solidarity with the Greek Orthodox Church, so I've been thinking lately about the events leading up to Jesus' Passion.

I have always been drawn to the Last Supper scene in John's Gospel. I love hearing John's account of Jesus' words, to get to hear Jesus pray for his disciples and for me. As I read these chapters recently, the word "remain" struck me, specifically in John 15:16 (NAB): "It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain."

"Remain" resonates with me because my time to remain here in Athens is dwindling. Even though I won't remain here, I want my words, love and the work I've done to remain in my students' lives and the lives of the people I live with, to be fruit that continues to grow as they grow. I want the fruit all these people have borne in my life to remain in me, long after they are physically present with me.

I think that's what many people want. To make a lasting impression on the world, in a life, in some way. Jesus tells us in this verse that this is what God wants for us, too.

The things that remain with me most are the small things: my student, taking the time and having the courage to talk with me in public in front of his friends. The scent of the flowers outside our house that always takes me by surprise as I walk by. An invitation from one of my friends here to go to the grocery store or watch the sun set from our balcony.

These "small" things are more precious, more meaningful, more lasting because they seem more fragile, more susceptible to being forgotten or going unnoticed, and I think maybe that is why they mean the most. It's these things that transform me, these things that encourage and heal me and lift my eyes to Jesus.

This is one of the most incredible parts of life to me: that, in all this living, we have the chance to impact other human lives, to bear fruit that remains. Maybe in big ways, maybe in small. Either way, even Jesus' Passion was comprised of many "small" actions.

He said "yes" to each individual lash, took each step, let others strip away each piece of his clothing. He let them say each word, hung there for each minute, let each sin touch him. He said "no" to no little thing, and all of these little individual actions created something big, lasting. If everything he did and everything we do are aimed at saving humanity from death, each small action is no less meaningful than those that seem big.

Which of the lashes he took was for me, was endured to take away a specific sin of mine? I am grateful he didn't say "no" to that one -- it has borne fruit that remains in me.