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"And sitting down they watched Him there."
Matthew 27:36.
The Mel Gibson film, "The Passion of the Christ",
makes viewers realize the total repulsiveness of crucifixion.
We have read the Gospels accounts of what happened then in
an economy of words, and by still pictures of "the man
on the cross" with the marks of his sufferings. But imagination
and pictureisation stop short of the reality of Calvary
"We may not know, we cannot tell
What pains he had to bear,
but we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there."
Mrs C.F. Alexander
The film with its realistic recounting of the happenings
of that day adds by characterisation and representation another
dimension to the accounts of what occurred then. However film
goers react to the film we can be sure that those who were
there on the day of crucifixion differed greatly in their
reactions to what was happening before their very eyes. There
were those who wanted Jesus dead for their own religious or
political reasons to others who had cause to be grateful to
this good man, the teacher and healer always kind and gentle.
They saw His death as a travesty of justice, of evil overcoming
good, a wise man dying wrongly and needlessly.
The human emotions were all there, the satisfaction of the
Jewish leaders that a danger to the nation had been removed;
the determination of the Roman authorities to keep the Roman
Peace in occupied zones; the pleasure of sadists who would
not miss a crucifixion; the ingratitude of those who had benefited
from their experiences of Jesus as healer and miracle worker.
There, too, were the grieving disciples horrified at what
was being done to Him, their leader and proven friend in whom
they had declared their faith in Him as their Lord, the son
of the living God. They had deserted Him and were ashamed
of themselves. Their fear of those who had persecuted Him
was less strong than their grief at their loss. It brought
them there.
The crucifixion is a story of injustice, cruelty and treachery.
A story of base inhumanity, the forces raged against Him ensured
His condemnation and death.
This crucifixion was different for the crucified was no ordinary
man, more than an extraordinary man who brought joy and healing
to them and their friends; encouraged them to have faith in
God, to pray to Him and to live for Him. While this tells
us what He said and did, we need to know who He is.
Peter in answer to Jesus' question "who am I?"
said:
"You are the Christ, the son of the living God."
Jesus explained Himself when He said:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish
but have everlasting life." John 3:16.
To see Jesus for who He is, is to better understand the enormity
of the crime of the Cross. He saw it all differently when
He explained that He spoke and acted as He did and that "I
lay down my life of myself" for by the Cross He showed
the extent to which evil will go by emphasising the greater
distance love will travel.
It was said of Him, "He died the just for the unjust
that he might bring us to God." His death was an atonement
(at-one-ment) bringing God and Man together in proper meaningful
relationship.
"The death of the Son of God is a single and most
perfect sacrifice and satisfaction for sins; of infinite value
and price abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the
world." Synod of Dort (1618-19)
Canon Dr. S.E. Long
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