To many, the Passion of Jesus Christ is a lesson in history where we sympathize with Christ for the sufferings he went through before he died. We find it hard to believe how the people can be so cruel as to inflict the most severe form of pain on a man we know was innocent.
For Christians, the Passion should be more than a lesson in history. It should become a lesson in life. After all, Christ hung upon the cross for us to give what we need: forgiveness, which is the greatest affection of the Father’s love for us and to ultimately attain the gift of everlasting life with him in the heavenly kingdom. The lesson is truth through love.
The lesson here is teaching us how to stand up for truth and justice. The Passion we commemorate is based primarily on biblical accounts of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. From these accounts we know Jesus was falsely accused, convicted and sentenced, not by fine or imprisonment, but to death by crucifixion, the severest form of sentence a man can possibly get.
As if this was not enough, before he was crucified, he was humiliated, severely persecuted, whipped, scourged, crowned with thorns, dragged up a hill carrying a cross, stripped of his clothes and then nailed to a cross, watched by many, like some spectacle to be jeered at.
This brings to mind the movie, “The Passion of the Christ”, by Mel Gibson. I do not know how many of you saw the movie but I can attest that I saw it in Kirkland in a theatre that held over 800 people. When the movie ended and the credits started to scroll on the screen, you could hear a pin drop. Some say that it was too graphic but I believe it was more true to how it actually happened and to what actually took place, what happened to Him due to my sins.
The pain and suffering Christ endured was beyond anything that I could imagine, more graphic and cruel then I could have imagined. The pure sense of torture to a human being-more than I could have imagined. And for what- A true sense that all the suffering, all the pain and anguish was for me, to free me from my sins so that I could have the way to my salvation. How about you?
What crime did Jesus commit that deserved to be punished in that most inhumane way? It was for proclaiming the truth. Jesus was tortured, humiliated and killed not for lying, corruption, or some offer offense against a human life or the basic way of life, but for telling the truth, the truth which caused so much fear among those in positions of power and comfort. He was a threat to their social security and had to be eliminated at all cost.
Throughout the journey of His passion, what was astonishing was the way Jesus humbly accepted his punishment which he knew was unfair and unjust. He did not show any anger or retaliation or malice for those who were responsible for his passion. What did he say upon the cross: “Forgive them Father, for they do not know what they are doing”. Jesus forgave those who accused hi, Pilot who sentenced him and the Roman soldiers who executed him.
Jesus forgave all who took turns to insult, torture and kill him. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and to offer the other cheek when struck on one. He demonstrated that he really meant what he said by accepting his Passion so willingly.
We call ourselves Christians, the followers of Christ, but how Christ-like are we in accepting humiliation and pain for speaking the truth? How Christ-like are we when we are accused of offenses we did not commit? It is funny how gossip changes what really happened in certain situations, isn’t it? However we run across this from time to time. Are we Christ-like then or do we join in the gossip or even ignore what we should do, as Christ would do?
What lesson can we pull from the Passion of Jesus Christ in our own lives? We too in small ways are often accused, humiliated and punished for standing up for truth, by authorities in the government, our work places, our own churches, our families. When we are denied our rights we fight back. We organize protests, demonstrations, hopefully peaceful, but some do get in our way of doing the right thing.
Many behave like those who made false accusations against Jesus and wanted to get rid of him. At times, as humans often do, we make accusations where understanding and forgiveness should be the prescription for healing. Whether we are the head of a congregation or a parishioner in a church, or a deacon, should listen and love as Jesus does. We should forgive and ask for pardon and forgiveness from those actions we took that hurt someone else.
As we make the final way of the cross, as we have heard the Passion of Jesus Christ on this Good Friday, let us reflect on its relevance in our own lives, of Jesus’ action during his agonizing times. Let His passion not be just a lesson in history to commemorate Christ’s suffering at the hands of his own people.
Jesus’ passion is not only something to feel sorrowful about, but a real lesson for us as we encounter the many challenges of our lives. Christ’s humility and forgiveness even towards those who were responsible for putting him through his passion and death is infinite. That is an invitation to us. That kind of love is not just what Christianity is meant to be but what humanity is about.
The cross is a sign of love, freedom and hope, not sorrow and despair as we often make it to be. Let us pick it up on this Good Friday with the one who transforms it into an instrument of transformation and infinite LOVE!