THE CHALLENGE OF THE CROSS
The events of Good Friday as told in the gospels make for disturbing reading. The New Testament gives us four accounts of the crucifixion, each of which has its distinctive features, but what is remarkable is their similarity. They are clearly talking about the same event and although none of the four gospel-writers is likely to have been an eye-witness it is clear that, directly or indirectly, they had access to accounts by people who were. Today we have heard the crucifixion described by the evangelist known as Mark, and as translated in the 1520s by William Tyndale, who was burned at the stake as a heretic for his pains. Mark was writing about thirty years after the event. Of the four canonical gospels, Mark’s was the first to be written. There were earlier ‘gospels’ but these seem to have been collections of the sayings, parables and teachings of Jesus. They don’t seem to have talked about the death of Jesus. But Mark gives us a narrative, a story about Jesus, which reaches a climax in the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus. Mark has much more to say about this than he does about the Resurrection, but that isn’t my theme for today: Good Friday.
What is so powerful about the crucifixion accounts is their simplicity. They tell the story of a man who, having been either betrayed or deserted by his closest male associates, is then arrested and taken before the religious and secular authorities. He is declared guilty of blasphemy - or heresy - by one but then condemned to death for sedition by the other, namely the Roman governor. The grim tale of his brutal and humiliating treatment followed by his horrific death by crucifixion is a very human one. At the last it is only his closest women disciples who are still with him. Whatever later faith and theology may have made of it, nothing could or should diminish the impact of the crucifixion as an account of undeserved human suffering. And this, for me, is why it is important.
The message of Jesus was love: love as the basis of human relationships, love as the basis of human community, love as the guiding principle of judgement and justice. His purpose was to proclaim the kingdom of God, who he said was a loving father to all humankind without distinction. He condemned the hypocrisy and self-righteousness of those who claimed religious authority for themselves, and he defied the arrogant claims of a great empire. But he also said that forgiveness awaited every repentant sinner, no matter what their offence. And while he showed compassion to the contrite he reserved his harshest words for those who condemned others while supposing themselves to be without fault and better than everyone else.
Jesus set out a model for human behaviour that would deliver a new and better world, but he also knew that there were those who didn’t want it. They wanted to shut him up, and since they couldn’t do that by threats and intimidation, they decided to beat him, torture him and kill him. But, as we know, even that didn’t shut him up. The spiritual truth of his message is timeless and universal, but the determination to try and silence him is still with us. Sometimes this may take the form of religious persecution by people whose ideology or behaviour is challenged by what he taught. Sometimes it simply takes the form of persecution against those campaigning for peace and justice when these are violated and denied. Jesus was on the side of those who suffer. He was on the side of people who care about those who suffer. And he said that God was on their side too. And he showed that standing up for those who suffer can itself bring suffering: that standing up for truth, standing up for peace, standing up for justice, standing up for humanity, standing up for love… All these can bring down hatred, persecution and suffering - and death too. This is what Good Friday is about and it is the challenge of the crucifixion to all who follow Jesus.
Cliff Reed
(CMR290323)