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Who killed Jesus?
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> Who killed Jesus?
Posted July 13 2003
Posted with kind permission of Ranjan Abayasekara
Ranjan's reflections are not new. His closing sentence is a classic
Christian conclusion. What is important about this reflection is that he
takes the traditional homiletics of the Church and applies them to us,
Australia, and our treatment of refugees today. I was chastised by
some of my congregation for a sermon about Jesus the
Refugee and I suspect he has received some criticism for his fine sermon,
for he brings us the truth when we would rather not hear. Jan
WHO KILLED JESUS?
When I was young I had a gnawing question which never received a satisfactory
answer. It was a simple question. Everyone said Jesus was a good man, who led a
blameless life - why then was he put to death? If Jesus had been
assassinated, I could have reconciled myself to a satisfying answer to this
vexing question. He evidently had been hauled before an assembly and the Roman
governor had done an almost 'democratic' act - he'd asked the people 'What
should I do with this man?' And they'd shouted back 'crucify him'! This was on
the record. We read the accounts of Christ's trial in the Gospels each Holy
Week, and during Good Friday services. We seem to concentrate on Pilate's role
in his death...but the people also had played a key role. Why? Weren't they
'normal people', like us?
My grandmother, who lived with us, was well versed in the Scriptures and also
read Christian books. After reading a book, on Christ's life, I can recall her
telling me, that not everyone in the crowd had shouted out "crucify
him". She uttered with some authority, quoting the book she'd read, that
there were people in the crowd who had wanted Jesus' life to be spared. They
knew he was a blameless man, that he was the Saviour, he'd done miracles
........ but sadly in the crowd, these folk were fewer in number, or towards the
back of the crowd, at the time, according to the author. Their view was not
popular at that moment, hence some of them would have kept silent. All of us can
empathize with this, as in school, or at meetings, it is common to check which
way the tide is flowing, before putting our hand up for anything.
This point, of some folk in the crowd actually supporting Jesus, helped somewhat
towards answering my question. It appeared Jesus' death would have not been a
unanimous decision after all - there had been those who wanted Jesus to live!
This was some relief to me, to feel that a good and blameless man had someone to
support him, when it came to the crunch. As a boy, I used to sometimes wonder -
what if those supporters had been in the front of the crowd? What if they'd not
given in to the populist sentiment? What if they'd shouted louder 'Release Him'?
- then the 'fence sitters' may have even joined in! 'Fence sitting' is what most
normal people do well - we stay silent.
The power of populist sentiment was given official sanction in Australia, with
the 'MS Tampa' incident in August 2001, and it's aftermath. Politicians in all
nations take note of polls nowadays, and usually swing with the tide. When
elections are close at hand, the likelihood is even greater, and only strong
leaders having integrity, can resist the temptation to 'take the tide at the
flood, which will lead on to fortune'. It certainly led to fortune in Australia,
in late 2001. By exploiting the fears within people, and using misinformation,
and outright lies
too, an election was won. 'Fear of the unknown' is something that those in power
have very successfully tapped in every country, over the years.
The following incident illustrates this same aspect - prejudice against those
who are 'different' to us. A couple befriended a homeless young man whom they
met in their town one Saturday morning. He stayed one night with them, enjoying
a shower and shave, and the chance of interacting with people after many weeks
of being alone. They took him to Church on Sunday morning, and helped him to
find a place to stay that evening. He stayed a week and then left town. During
the following weeks, the couple found to their surprise, that they were the
target of outright hostility from some senior people in their church. At a
committee meeting, to look into ways of reaching the community, they were
attacked for associating with undesirable types! They received angry telephone
calls. It was told them that homeless people should register with the
Police, and they should have nothing to do with them! The couple, being mature
folk, accepted these outbursts with equanimity, but also a sense of sadness. It
is easy to understand Simon Peter's actions and denials during that first Holy
Week. It was not only Peter, but all of us even today, who would deny him, when
it is too risky, or unpopular, or difficult, to follow Christ's teaching. Not
only do we deny Him, but we would even be hostile towards anyone who tries to
show Christian charity to people we are prejudiced against.
Christ's commandment 'Love your neighbour as yourself' led to another question,
"Who is my neighbour?". His answer to the second question was quite
emphatic. The story of the Good Samaritan is one of the best of his known
parables, but we miss the point of it, when we see the word 'Good' as being
pivotal. What is at the crux of the story is that it was a Samaritan, and the
story was told to a Jewish audience! There must have been pin drop silence! It
is the equivalent of saying "The Good Muslim", in today's climate,
full of misinformation, paranoia and bigotry. "The Good Different" -
that was the point - 'the Different' - he/she is your neighbour! Christ made it
clear - Christian Love has to cross all social and religious barriers, and we
are commanded to see a neighbour in every suffering human being! Wow - get real,
Jesus!
Christ not only spoke of a Samaritan in that one famous story, but actually
encountered these people in his life. In Luke Ch 17 we hear of the ten lepers
being made clean, and only one returning to thank the Lord. There's the word
Samaritan again, dropped like a bombshell, in Verse 16! The 'different', again
being commended by Jesus. The most descriptive encounter described in the
Gospels between Jesus and a woman, is with a.... Samaritan! John Ch 4 Vs 40 says
that Jesus stayed with the Samaritans for two days, as result of that encounter
with her.
Christ's life of example, underscoring the importance of reaching out to those
who are 'different', mixing with the social underclass, and emphasizing Love for
all, would really not have won him many friends. We would take his loaves and
fishes, and be happily fed no doubt, but we would not take kindly to being
instructed on who, and how deeply, we should Love. Christ's instructions are in
fact very difficult to actually practise. Matthew 5 vs. 44 - "Love your
enemies...." being another of them.
Australia has incarcerated indefinitely asylum seeking men, women and young
children for years now. Out of those that were saved from certain death, by the
MS Tampa, 143 Afghanis were sent to New Zealand for processing. All 143 were
found all to be genuine refugees, and are building new lives in New Zealand.
Australia however, has rejected 244 out of the 292 it processed, and offers them
money to go back, to that land of 'peace and tranquillity'. These figures say
much about the two countries, Australia & New Zealand, and the 'normal
people' who live in them.
We are 'normal people' - we pray for those overseas, who are being tyrannized
and persecuted, some of them for the faith they share with us. We even very
generously send money and goods to them. However, if they come to us, we are
like the Priest & Levite, in the Parable, too busy with other 'important
things'. We support military force to liberate people from an oppressive
dictator, but if those desperate oppressed people come to us for help, we
imprison them for years on end. We pray earnestly for all the Prodigal sons in
the world, trying to find their way back to the Father. However if one of them
knocks on our door, we would rather he went somewhere else.
The answer to my childhood question has become quite clear now. It is no wonder
that some of the 'normal people' may have shouted 'crucify him! Most of them
probably did not shout anything - they only stayed silent...... It is not
Pilate, not the Romans, not the High Priests, who ultimately bears
responsibility for Jesus' death. It is us...... the 'normal people'.
(c) Ranjan Abayasekara
Palm Sunday, 2003
Direct Biblical quotations in this
page are taken from
The New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright
1989, Division of Christian Education of the National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the United
States of America. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
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