But no event has created more dialogue around the world than the death of Jesus of Nazareth. Why did he die? Who was responsible for his death? Who cares?
This first part of a two part series will give us the basic, plain reading of the text to help us identify and consider who was responsible for Jesus’ death. As you read, keep in mind where we’re headed – if this story is simply an historical account, maybe we’ve missed something. So, let’s get started…
Pilate Killed Jesus? If you hailed from Jesus’ home region – Judea – and had lived very long at all, you would have had a keen awareness of how the Roman authorities treat self-proclaimed messiahs. in short, as soon as a person made such a claim, his days were numbered. Pilate couldn’t have cared less about the people of Judea – a backwater within a backwater part of the world he loathed. He didn’t want to rule there, and he let his genuine anti-Semitism be heard loud and clear. When we who have grown up with the Bible generally think about the scene where Jesus died on the cross on the hill called Golgotha, we picture a hill that maybe had a rock formation that sort of looked like a skull, and the paintings give us three crosses upon it, because that’s apparently how the Gospels depict it. When I visited Israel years ago, one of the popular tourist stops is a spot that has a tomb like the one Jesus used, and a hill that sure seems like Golgotha. But the thing the tourists forget quickly is that the company who created the space in now way suggests that this was the actual setting. The tomb is like the tomb of Jesus. The hill may have been like Golgotha. But they say out loud and in print that this was not the spot. But tourists forget such things. The reality? Pilate was infamous for his use of crucifixion – he was eventually recalled from Jerusalem to answer for his brutality. While we think of three crosses on that hill, those may have simply been the three that day - or even hour – that were put propped up. Three crosses among hundreds that were also there, holding up people barely alive to almost completely decomposed. The place was called Golgotha not because the rock formations resembled a skull, but because there were likely hundreds and hundreds of actual skulls laying around from the hundreds and hundreds of people died there. All of this done at the hand of Pilate to send a clear message to a zealous people with apocalyptic fever: try to rise up against Rome, and this will be your fate. For the vast majority of people who heard the news of Jesus’ death, their immediate guess would be that Pilate made the call without giving it a second thought. Jesus was simply the latest zealot to come along to cause trouble. Pilate is responsible.
The Jews Killed Jesus? If you were Jewish and grew up anywhere in Israel (except Jerusalem) between 150 BCE and 40 CE, you would have likely had a strong opinion of the people at the top of the Jewish food chain. And it would not be a favorable one. The Jewish leaders who ran the work of the Temple were aristocratic Jews. They were given power and prestige from the Roman authorities. So long as they kept the Jewish people from getting out of control, Rome was happy. They had audience with Roman officials, and they had the power of Rome on their side if needed to keep peace. As often happens to this day, they got used to creature comforts, which only led to an increased appetite for luxury. A residence for one of these priests was recently unearthed within Jerusalem’s city walls. It was roughly 2,000 square feet – a nice sized home by contemporary measure, and a palace in the time of Jesus. They were known for wearing Gucci robes and for driving Italian sports-coup camels. They lived large. How did they afford such a lavish lifestyle? By demanding higher and higher Temple taxes from the Jews who depended on them to help them stay in the good graces of God. The people figured out what was going on, and were hardly pleased. It was bad enough that Rome came down hard on them. But then to have the people abuse you who are supposed to represent you before God – as well as your oppressor – well, that was too much. So, when people heard about some of Jesus’ antics – his blatant disregard for the Jewish authorities, disrupting the money changer tables outside the Temple, and making a mockery of them in public – it would have been reasonable for them to assume that while Pilate signed the edict condemning Jesus to death, the High Priest gave him the pen. The Jews are responsible.
Judas Killed Jesus? But, of course, how could the Roman or Jewish authorities find the slippery Jesus – under cover of night, no less! – without help from the inside? Judas Iscariot – a zealot who longed to see Rome get their due along with the High Priest – disappointed in the lack of zeal (by his definition) in Jesus, decided to at least profit before he put his hope in the next messiah to emerge. So, he met with the Temple folks and, for a handsome sum, decided to sell Jesus out. So, even though Pilate signed the edict with the pen given him by the High Priest, if it were not for Judas, there would be no Jesus to indict. Judas, even if indirectly, killed Jesus.
Jesus Killed Jesus? On the other hand, it sure seemed like Jesus knew things were going to end up the way they did. He had in mind the timing of the whole thing, it appears, and even moved in ways to insure that he did not land in court before it was time. He knew the very real risk of publicly challenging Rome with the titles he chose, and his anger toward the Jewish leaders was as obvious as could be. Nobody would call it suicidal, but he certainly knew what he was headed toward – the disciples tried to warn him, even. Jesus is responsible for his own death.
God Killed Jesus? Jesus, however, was called by others the Son of God. Even secular historians note that Jesus was a well known miracle worker in his day – acts that displayed God’s work in and through him. Jesus himself spoke of doing his Father’s will, even pleading for a change of heart the very night he was arrested. The first century Christians began viewing the whole thing as God’s will from the very beginning – Jesus Christ came to die for sinners, for redemption, to do forevermore what the Temple only attempted to do – a final substitutionary sacrifice for all time. Sure, Pilate, the High Priest, Judas, and obviously Jesus were key players, but this was all orchestrated by God from the beginning of time. If God is in control of anything, then you can be sure God controlled this. God sent Jesus to die. God killed Jesus.
Is this still relevant today? You bet it is. The conversation still continues because the life and death of Jesus tells a story that is still unfolding. This is a relevant story because it gives us a picture of ourselves, about human nature. If you are human, there is good news and bad news here…
Bad News. Jesus got killed because he challenged everyone and everything, even if gracefully. He challenged the political system, the religious system, and the personal opinions about each to an individual. And he still does. Jesus was not a Republican or a Democratic or a Libertarian or Green Party or a Socialist or a Communist or whatever other system suits your fancy. But be sure – if you listened to him long enough then, or pay attention to him long enough now, you will be offended by him. Jesus’ message inherently challenges our way of thinking about everything. Including, of course your political preferences. And, of course, your theology and corresponding praxis. As Donald Miller noted in one of his books, there’s about a million-to-one chance we’ve got things figured out right about God. I think we have a better shot at a perfect March Madness bracket than figuring God out – maybe Buffett could create some sort of lottery for that? All I’m saying is that holding on too tightly to our current biblical interpretation and holy cows of various kinds will likely find us frustrated by Jesus. It’s not that we shouldn’t have political or theological ideas. It’s just that we must be aware of our Judas tendencies. If we hold to the traditional rendering of Judas, we discover the very bad news that we have the capacity to kill Jesus out of our lack of following him. We do it with our lips, just like Judas. Any Facebook posts you’d like to retract, for instance? We do it with our wallets, just like Judas – enjoying more than we should for ourselves to the chagrin of those who need help around us. We do it with our hands and feet, just like Judas. His life choices led others to crucify Jesus rather than embrace him with love. Why is it that so many people caricaturize Christians as jerks? Could it be that we’ve collectively earned the reputation, and not because of religious persecution? More bad news: Jesus had a tendency to go places his disciples did not want to go. They were uncomfortable following Jesus. Comfort didn’t seem to be a pressing need for Jesus, and that has not changed. And, of course, the bigger bad news may be about God: God is up to something epic in the world today which is inherently very good, but will be experienced as very bad so long as we have chosen some lesser God to follow – money, comfort, popularity, prestige – the list is endless. So long as THE God is not your God, this is all bad news.
Good News. If, however, you choose God progressively throughout your life, there is very good news to be had. God is bigger than our politics, and offers so much more hope than campaign promises or commentator critique. If you are sick and tired of politics, here’s good news: so is God. In following God you rise above party lines to a higher calling that has no need for character assassination and still values people and fairness. If you choose God fully, you realize that God is bigger than one doctrine and cannot ever be fully figured out by humanity. God’s ways are higher and better. There is no room for us to judge others into religious submission because God’s love is big enough to woo people to wholeness. If you seek God progressively you who see Judas in the mirror even have good news, for God is big enough to forgive even those who blatantly choose to bring God down. Peter and Judas both struggled with tremendous guilt that night. One chose to keep walking away from a God who loved him, while the other trusted in the grace he had heard and seen and was restored. There’s good news for you who choose to follow Jesus, too. His ways may be tough, taking you into regions you might otherwise avoid, but the result is oh so good. Following Jesus will lead you to seeing people’s lives changed from worse to better. You will get a front row seat to view redemption before your eyes. Wounds healed. Freedom from the old chains now loosened. Eyes that see again. Ears that are hearing the beautiful sounds of life that once were deaf. The list is endless. And there is good news, of course, placing our trust – progressively – in God. The One who is the very source of our being and breath does work in mysterious ways, but they are working toward something extraordinarily wonderful and beautiful. We can trust it.
So, who killed Jesus? Well, maybe that’s not the most important question. Maybe the better question is, how are we letting Jesus live today?
Next week: What do we do with serious academic challenges to the historical accuracy of the last days of Jesus’ life? Jesus still gets crucified, but what’s happening beneath the surface that might help us see the Jesus movement with greater clarity and may even challenge us to think differently about our heritage?
No comments:
Post a Comment