Good Friday – 10th April 2020 – John 18,1-19,42
Death that freed the humanity
Speaking about the death of Jesus, it is important to say that it was not necessary for God to take this path, even though we say that the Son had to fulfill God’s will. Christ’s passion was not to satisfy God’s justice for us, but God’s own way of entry into our world, through the human condition, to show his saving work through the forgiveness of sins, and to carry out his ministry thereafter in and through the church and of its followers. In simple terms, the way of the cross was the way God chose to demonstrate his saving grace.
Today we can ask two questions: “Why was Jesus killed” and “Why did Jesus die?” The answers are quite different. To the first question, the passion narrative of Jesus from the Gospels explains very clearly. In fact, throughout the narratives we have heard of the people’s conspiracy to kill Jesus. The most certain fact about the historical Jesus is that he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, just as we say in the Apostle’s Creed. Even though he had no intentions of being an earthly king, some people wanted him to be so and even accused him of the same. The Roman soldiers through mock coronation and mock homage acclaimed Jesus during his trial with the title, “Hail, King of the Jews” (27,29). The scarlet cloak and the twisted crown of thorns, along with the reed placed in his right hand to imitate a royal sceptre, were the expressions used to ridicule him of the claim to royal status. And finally they placed this inscription on the cross (27,37). As such, his crucifixion was a political act by the Roman government. So Jesus was “handed over”: Judas had handed him over to the chief priests, the priests had handed him over to Pilate, and Pilate handed him over to be crucified (27,26). The disciples, the Jewish leaders, and the Roman authorities all share in the responsibility for Jesus’ death. Even the crowds share responsibility. There are no mere spectators.
The other question is, “Why did Jesus die?” This question is more profound than the other. The perfect answer is “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3,16). The idea is that God sent his Son into this world to reveal what God himself is like. He is a God of love, grace and reconciliation. He is a God who seeks to have fellowship with us. He sent his Son among us, first of all, to live, teach, preach, and gather disciples. But he sent him among us also to give his life for us. Jesus took upon himself the sentence and punishment due to us for our sinfulness. This may sound cruel, but this is how God wanted to work out our redemption. It is either good or bad news, good or bad story, just like life itself. It is bad news, because Jesus died. And it is good news, because Jesus died in our place. We are now set free.
Therefore, the story of Jesus’ passion and death remains central to our understanding of God and of Christ. The cross has become our main symbol. We think of Jesus as the crucified Christ, who gave his life for humanity. Even now He calls us to be his disciples, taking up the cross, dying to our own selves, to our selfishness, in order to serve the world in His name. His death for us and for humanity is sufficient, for it has freed us from the consequences of sin.
