JESUS AND OUR WAY OF THE CROSS–Don Hanley’s blog #84

As a child, I asked why our church had these small statues depicting Jesus carrying His cross and then being crucified. I was told it was because He died for our sins. As I have said before, that did not make sense. Why would God create us and then send His Son to die in such a horrible way because we were sinners? My earlier visits with John and Mary in Nazareth confirmed my belief that the real reason Jesus was executed was that the Roman occupiers of Judea saw him as a threat to their rule by promising the Jews a better way of life. I wanted to learn more, but at the same time, I didn’t want to upset Mary by asking her why Jesus was given such a torturous death sentence. 

It didn’t take long for me to check it out since I sat with Mary, John, and Ruth in the familiar flower garden that evening. After greeting each other and chatting for a while, I asked Mary if she was open to discussing that terrible day when Jesus was captured by the Roman soldiers and taken away from his friends after what is known as the Last Supper. I also wondered why he was treated more harshly than the common criminals of that time. She resignedly replied, “If it’s helpful in some way.”

John jumped in before Mary could say more, “Mary, let me say a word about that before you share your experience, okay?” Mary nodded, and John continued, “Jesus had gathered a large following at that time. I mean, several hundred Jews began to follow him. Some were clamoring for him to reveal himself as the Messiah they had hoped for, for centuries, to be the one who would establish the kingdom of God, that is, Yahweh, on earth. They knew he would need to raise an army that could even defeat the mighty Romans. And while many were drawn to him, I don’t think they were the majority. They were moved by Jesus’s more peaceful message of caring for and loving one another, which was Yahweh's basic intention in creating humans. Most of these folks loved my friend, Jesus's warmth and kindness, and wanted to be near him. Anyway, the Romans and their Jewish muckety-mucks, the weak-kneed cooperators, thought he was causing too much trouble. Then, they found Judas and paid him to lead them to where Jesus and his closest disciples stayed. I’m proud to say I was among them but was not taken away because I was just a nobody.” He kept glancing to see if what he was saying was upsetting Mary. She had been wringing her hands but wasn’t crying. John stopped his narration and turned to her, “Now it’s your turn if you wish. Okay?”

She softly said, “Don, you mentioned that your Christian churches had small picture statues representing my son’s way of the cross. What were some of these images?” I told her about Jesus picking up the wooden cross and dragging it, falling several times, meeting her and some women from Jerusalem who gave him water and wiped his brow, and then being nailed to the cross.” Mary began to cry almost as soon as I started talking.

After hesitating momentarily, I added, “Oh, and there was one with a small sign above Jesus with the initials ‘INRI’ – meaning Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” I’m not sure how long it took to gaze at each one and silently say a prayer; I suppose it depends on how long each person prays.”

“I believe I told you some time ago that I asked one of the soldiers what he could do to shorten the time for my son to die. He then stabbed Jesus on his side., and blood poured out and hastened his death.”

I nodded that she had. By then, John, Ruth, and I were all crying with her. After what felt like a long while, I said, “Some believers say the reason Jesus was crucified was as you, John, said, ‘That he would die rather than stop loving his fellow humans – even the Romans.’ He neither had nor wanted the power to kill or prevent the Roman soldiers from doing what they had been ordered to do. He even prayed, ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.’” 

John said, “Of course, every one of us, believers or not, must realize that we humans must learn to love despite the many big and little ‘deaths’ that we experience in our own lives. Rather than become hateful, angry, revengeful, or sour people, we must learn this. From what you have told us, after many centuries, most Christians still have not learned this. I believe that Jesus did not die in vain, even if only a few have preferred loving rather than being hateful or killers.” I nodded and felt both sad and hopeful as I disappeared. Now . . .

Continue to love and accept your big and little ‘deaths’ and ‘resurrections’ and gaze upon Jesus’s way of the cross and own your own journey.