“Et tu Brute?”
1 Peter 1:22-25 (22)
Among the republicans who conspired to murder Gaius Caesar on the Ides of March (March 15, 44 BC) was Marcus Junius Brutus, a man whom Caesar had long trusted and treated as a son. Roman historians say that the Caesar resisted the onslaught of the assassins – until he saw Brutus among them, his dagger drawn. Caesar then ceased to struggle and, pulling the top of his robe over his face, he cried, “Et Tu, Brute” latin for “You too, Brutus?”
This historical account is in direct juxtaposition to what took place on Golgatha. A man who had rejected God throughout his life looked over to see that God was sharing the agony of the cross. It was then that he realized that the deceptive love that he had experienced all of his life never allowed itself to be crucified for another. It was then that he could cry out for mercy. This man was not like all of those who had reached out hands that promised only the pleasures of sin and the torments of hell. This man reached out his hands offering hope and compassion.
To “love one another with a pure heart fervently” can only be done through the power of a Christ forgiven life.
