JESUS HAD TO SUFFER THAT WE MAY BE HEALED

In the middle of March, we entered the Christian season of Lent. Thus, this month, we the entire Church of Christ all over the world, have our eyes fixed on the Cross of Christ, which represents both defeat and triumph. For the Chief Priests and the crowd that accused Jesus falsely that they had caught him perverting their nation, forbidding people from paying taxes to the emperor and saying that he was the Savior and a king (Luke 23:1-2), the Cross was triumph because Pilate listened and favored their falsehood. Pilate’s listening ear even gave them the chance to say that Jesus’ teaching was causing disaffection among the people all through Judean territory from Galilee, through Jerusalem to the rest of Palestine.

Pilate was such a weak leader that he played in the hands of the crowd and allowed them to dictate the way he was going to transact government business. Again, this was the triumph of evil. He did not stop there. Although he had found Jesus not guilty, he began to negotiate with the rowdy crowd and even proposed letting Jesus off with just public flogging, although he found him not guilty.

The triumph of evil is also seen at the point when the crowd insisted that, instead of releasing the innocent Jesus, Pilate should release Barabbas, a criminal who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and continued to push for his crucifixion. “Crucify him, crucify him, they shouted. Pilate had the power to proclaim Jesus innocent of all the accusations and to release him, but unfortunately, he was not firm enough to insist that Jesus had done nothing to deserve the death penalty. Instead, he had Barabbas released and gave Jesus up to be crucified. By letting the crowd have their way and releasing Barabbas instead of Jesus, Pilate allowed the triumph of evil.

From Pilate’s palace court, Jesus was led away to be crucified. He was blindfolded, beaten, spat on, insulted, mocked, crowned with thorns and eventually killed.  Although Jesus was king, he did not claim equality with God. He made himself nothing, assumed the nature of a slave, bore the human likeness, humbled himself, and in obedience, accepted death on the cross. At his death, all those who hated him and his guts celebrated, thinking that their evil plans had triumphed. Looked at from the surface, the entire Passion story seems to reveal the triumph of evil over the good and the human illusion that evil can overshadow the holiness and grace of God.

For us who believe, the Passion of Christ is not a triumph of evil or frustration and defeat of God’s move to save humanity but rather Jesus’ way of saying “yes” to life. We, who were estranged from God, had become enemies in heart and mind, and whose deeds had become evil began a new journey as reconciled people to God through Jesus’ death on the cross.

The Passion of Christ created a new situation where God’s people were brought back home and put in good relationship with God and with each other. This means that with the Passion came, not only reconciliation, but healing of the human race. Let us hold tight onto the Cross for it means life forever.

I wish you all a very blessed Easter and Springtime.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Dr. Alex K. Musoke