un·just
- not based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair.
- Wrongful, unmerited, undeserved, unwarranted
- Dishonest, unethical, unprincipled, immoral
Holy Week 2007, while undergoing testing that would lead to being diagnosed with cancer, I heard a sermon on Good Friday that forever changed the days leading up to the Resurrection for me. Then came Lenten Season 2026…
The entire world entered the Lenten season this year after two weeks of trying to digest the things we were reading in the January 30th Epstein files release. All of the conspiracies that got many of us labeled “delusional” in the last decade, are now known facts. Monsters are real. The fact that they not only continue to walk free, but hold power in all facets of society – Unjust.
On the first Holy Thursday, after the Last Supper, Jesus and the apostles went to the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-46). It was there that Judas arranged to have Him arrested (Luke 22:47-48). In a moment filled with tension and despair, Jesus experienced profound anguish as He prayed, knowing the trials that lay ahead. As the weight of humanity’s sins pressed down on Him, He sought solace from His disciples, yet found them unable to stay awake and support Him during such a pivotal time. Jesus began Good Friday having spent the night in prison and being mistreated by guards after being betrayed and abandoned by those closest to him (Mark 14:34). The betrayal by Judas not only marked a tragic turning point in the events leading to the crucifixion but also highlighted the stark contrast between loyalty and treachery among His followers. In the early hours of Good Friday, Pontius Pilate (the Roman Governor of Judea) and Herod (the client King of Galilee), each seeking to evade responsibility, sent Jesus back and forth to one another; the final decision on Jesus’ execution rested with Pilate. Pilate and Herod were political enemies who bonded over their collaboration to condemn Jesus. Joseph Caiaphas was the Jewish High Priest. He was a Sadduccee (the wealthy aristocracy), appointed to the political position of High Priest by the Roman Government, worked closely with Pilate, and oversaw the Sanhedrin (A council of 70 or 71 elders, scribes, and priests that functioned as the highest Jewish court). The Sanhedrin didn’t have the legal authority to condemn someone to death. They needed Pilate to do so, and thus they manipulated the political tensions of the time to ensure that the Roman governor would be compelled to pronounce the death sentence, fulfilling the prophecy while also reflecting the depth of human injustice.
1. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent.
“I find no fault in this man.” — Luke 23:4
He repeats this three times (Luke 23:4, 14, 22).
2. Pilate’s wife warned him.
“Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him in a dream today.” — Matthew 27:19
That would’ve rattled any man.
3. Pilate actively tried to release Him.
“Pilate sought to release Him…” — John 19:12
That’s as blunt as it gets. He wanted to let Jesus go.
4. He offered the crowd a way out (Barabbas).
He picked the worst criminal available thinking the people would obviously choose Jesus. They didn’t.
5. He tried to satisfy the crowd with a beating instead of execution.
“So then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged.” — John 19:1 This was a political move—he hoped the crowd would be satisfied and he could release Him.
6. He ultimately feared the crowd and Rome more than doing what was right.
The Jewish leaders said:
“If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar.” — John 19:12 That was a political threat. Pilate folded.
7. He washed his hands to show he didn’t want His blood.
“I am innocent of this man’s blood.” — Matthew 27:24
That’s the move of a man who wants out but has no backbone left.
Ten days into 2026 Lent, we went to war with Iran. I want this to be an essay and not a novel, so I won’t delve into all the reasons this war is unjust. But it’s unjust. And before anyone jumps into my comments stating all the reasons Iran needs a regime change, I don’t want to hear it. War destroyed my family. War turned what had been a home filled with joy and peace into a breeding ground for trauma. Unless you can justify the amount of death and destruction American military families have dealt with fighting foreign wars, please keep your opinions to yourself. I’m not Pilate.
The first time my ex-husband disappeared and turned his phone off was 12 years ago. After he retired from the military and we moved to Florida in 2016, it became a regular occurrence. Somewhere in those years I began a practice of saying, “Thank you God, for shining light in the dark” before my feet hit the floor each morning. Some days it’s followed up with things like, “Expose it ALL!”, “Expose THEM all!”, or “Hold me if what’s hidden is going to hurt!”, but the intent of my little morning prayer is always the same… Let there be light!
Almost every Lenten season in the last fifteen years, there has been a repentance and forgiveness box in my house that gets burned between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. This year, right next to it is my little sign that says, “God Keeps His Promises”. He really does.
In the 30 days between attacking Iran and Palm Sunday, the amount of light that’s shone in the darkness has been hard to keep up with or process. I see so many people who are struggling to wrap their heads around it all and my heart aches for each and every person who is just now seeing the crazy matrix we live in. The comfort in the chaos is that all that is being revealed is indisputable evidence that God does indeed keep his promises to expose EVERYTHING. (Luke 8:17, Mark 4:22) (Luke 12:2-4) (Job 12:22, Daniel 2:22) (John 1:5) (1 Corinthians 4:5) (Ephesians 5:11-14)
The barrage of light shining into all the darkness has led to an extraordinary Holy Weeks! Most conversations I’ve had this week have been filled with stories of breakthrough, healing, both painful and encouraging revelations, deep loss, and monumental gain. Friends, family, world events, neighborhood chatter – nothing about this week has been ordinary. In our house, Holy Week started a day early. On March 28th, my baby girl (who’d been happy all day) burst into tears and said that she was “so sad” and that she “wouldn’t see Gumbo the dog anymore because he died”. I texted my son who was at his Dad’s with Gumbo and asked if Gumbo was okay. He looked for Gumbo and found that he’d drowned in the pool. Gumbo would’ve been 18 on June 1st and he’s been with us since he was 5 weeks old. He was dearly loved! It broke my heart that my son had to find him and I didn’t want him to be alone all weekend, so Sof and I got ready to make the 45min drive to be with him. My ex sent several messages stating that I was not allowed at his house unless he was home. When I asked our oldest son if he would go be with his brother, I learned that my ex had portrayed himself as a victim to our oldest kiddos after his wages were garnished because he was over $20k in arrears on support. I never said anything to any of them. Their parents’ finances and court orders are not things I ever wanted my kids to even think about. But this is the cost of war. It’s the reality of this broken world we live in. What was once a family of six, lost our beloved fur baby, and only Sofija and I were able to grieve our sweet boy together. Everyone else grieved alone. Unjust!
Palm Sunday was spent with Dr. Steven Greer. That’s an essay in itself. Monday through Thursday were filled with long-awaited business opportunities (I’ve been un/self-employed for six months). And then came Good Friday…
Today my baby girl turned 21. TWENTY-ONE!! Unless she lives to be 100, there are only two times in her life that her birthday will fall on Good Friday. What a year to have a birthday on the day that gives every promise of hope, healing, restoration, grace, redemption, and resurrection! This is only the third week she’s been able to spend with her dad this year. He sent a message saying that I could come over while he was out for a couple of hours, but after the directives a few days ago to not be at his house when he’s not there, it felt like a trap. Our daughter was threatened with trespassing charges a couple months ago, so yeah… We’ll wait and have a Resurrection/21st birthday party on Sunday. Considering that Jesus’ crucifixion is estimated to have taken place on April 3rd, it actually seems quite fitting and just to celebrate her April 3rd birthday on the third day.
This week of high-highs, low-lows, mind-boggling global events, and hundreds of post-its dropped in my forgiveness box, has led to study and think deeply about the very first Holy Week. It was all necessary, but it was so damn brutal and extraordinarily unjust!
One of the first verses I ever memorized was John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
“if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
In light of all that has been, and continues to be exposed, there is so much to break down and analyze about every single detail of history that has led the human race to this place and time. There is still so much that’s unknown and every truth revealed leads to a dozen more questions about what hasn’t. I don’t know about you, but I CRAVE absolute truths and some-semblance of certainty more than any time in my life. No matter what I learn, what makes sense in this world, or what doesnt, God has proven to me that He keeps his promises. I was miraculously healed from the cancer I was diagnosed with in 2007. All of my needs have always been met. He’s given me peace that surpasses all understanding, made a way in the wilderness, closed and opened doors to protect me from myself, exposed SO much that was hidden, and shown me time and time again His justice surpasses man’s. Those verses above are the closest thing I’ve found to absolute truth and certainty. Historical and archeological evidence have proven that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, fulfilled over 300 prophecies and an estimated 150 Biblical prophecies have been fulfilled in just the last few years. That’s enough truth and certainty for me!
The hope to get through the extraordinarily brutal and chaotic time we’re living in is really as simple as the path laid out in the verses above.
Do your own research into historical prophecies and fulfillment. Once you believe, say it to someone. Those are really the only requirements, but if you want all the good stuff that comes with believing, the gifts come with strings attached.
Galatians 5:1 Christ set us free so that we could enjoy freedom! So stand firm, and don’t get tied down again by the chains of slavery.
Repentance equals freedom and it literally means, “To turn away from”. Repent. Truly repent. Find a quiet place where you can be alone with God and lay it all out to Him. Write it down and then burn it if you need to. Make your own box if you need to. Accept that God’s grace covers your messes and let it go. Fake repentace will never lead you to the freedom that was promised you.
Forgive. I know it’s hard. I’ve dropped at least 490 post-its into my forgiveness and repentance box that all say, “I forgive him”. It seems like every time I feel like I’ve finally forgiven and let go of something that hurts, there’s a brand new pain to forgive. So I have to start forgiving again. One of my hardest life lessons has been accepting that no matter how many times in life I take responsibility for my crap and apologize to people, I may never get an apology from the people who’ve hurt me. I forgive anyway. Someone told me many years ago that I was a very gracious person. I took ownership of that adjective as soon as she said it. I am a gracious person. I give grace because I need grace. We all do.
Jesus’ Crucifixion involved severe torture, including a brutal scourging, being forced to carry his own cross, being nailed through the wrists and feet to a wooden cross at Golgotha. He was crucified between two thieves, endured mockings, suffered asphyxiation, and died after roughly six hours on what is calculated to have been Friday, April 3, 33 AD, followed by a spear wound to his side was brutal! Jesus was beaten, tortured, mocked, exposed, demoralized, and abused until His death. He did it all, nailed to a cross, so that we don’t have to carry the weight of all the ugliness of this world on our shoulders. How beautifully unjust!
Lux, Libertas 