8. Why was Christ Crucified?

Ananda: This is certainly amazing. Now, could you tell me how people responded to this great message?

John: You can imagine how hard it would be for people to break an existing image of God, and place another one there. The image of the judge-like God was too hard to be broken easily. Even the image projected by John was difficult for them to understand, let alone the one by Jesus. Even we, his close companions, couldn’t understand his ideas of God in the way he expected. It took a long time for us to understand what was in his mind. But he was very patient and sympathetic with us. The religious leaders, being afraid of losing their position and power, saw an enemy in Jesus. It is true that the common people flocked around Jesus, but it is not because they understood him. There was something in him that attracted them. They felt the presence of God in his presence. They felt the love and compassion of God in his presence. They also felt the power of God in his words and deeds. Jesus used a very down-to-earth language to teach his ideas of God. He used similes and parables that anybody could understand. At one level, his stories were so simple that even a child could understand them, but at another level, they were of such depth that even scholars of great reputation couldn’t understand their meaning.

When the critical moment came, there was not a single person to stand with him, even from among his closest friends. The image of the judge-like God was still in our minds, too hard to be broken. We all thought that Jesus was going to establish a Jewish empire. I admit how foolish I was when one day my brother, James, and I asked Jesus to make us his prime ministers when he would become the king.  

I remember the day when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem at the time of Passover, the greatest Jewish festival. The people greeted him waving palm branches. They shouted: "Blessed is the king of Israel!" How dearly they wanted Jesus to become their king! They all expected Jesus to be their king to take over the political power and to establish the long-awaited Kingdom of God. Rumors that people wanted to make Jesus their king reached even the ears of the rulers. They knew that they could not retain their position and power if anything like that happened. They took immediate action. Soldiers were sent to arrest Jesus. It was on that Thursday night, after we had our Passover supper with Jesus.  

What happened when soldiers approached Jesus was shocking to us. I have seen with my own eyes the miraculous deeds of Jesus like raising the dead and healing the sick. But he didn't do anything to save himself. When he knew that the soldiers where looking for him, he walked toward them, introduced himself as Jesus, and allowed them to bind him. It was such a shock to us that none of us could stand it. We were utterly confused, and ran away to hide ourselves from the soldiers. Though I am ashamed now to tell this about me and the other close friends of Jesus, this is what really happened.

Jesus was questioned before the high priests. They arranged false witnesses to say that Jesus talked against the Jewish tradition and the temple. Then they brought him before the Roman governor and accused him for organizing a mutiny against the Roman emperor.

A lot of people who greeted him as the "blessed king of Israel" were eagerly waiting to see him as their king. But, what did they see on Friday morning? A criminal with a crown of thorns standing before Pilate to be judged, and they heard the high priests and other leaders shouting to crucify him. The people felt that they were deceived by Jesus. They thought that they had been too foolish to trust such a powerless man. They joined the high priests and shouted: "Crucify him!" When the governor saw that there was not even a single person to stand with Jesus, he gave Jesus to be crucified. His crime was written on the cross: "Jesus of Nazareth, the king of Jews."   

When I heard that Jesus was crucified, I couldn't bear it. I knew how much he loved me, and I ran frantically to see him once again. I saw him on the cross, still alive. I saw another heart-breaking sight-- his mother, Mary, standing there. I went near her to console her, but I couldn't utter even a single word. She embraced me and cried aloud.  Seeing me with his mother, Jesus asked me to take care of her. Even when struggling with pain, he was concerned about his mother. Also, I realized that he still loved me though I ran away from him when he was arrested. I was overwhelmed with joy when he asked me to take his place as Mary's son.

Ananda: It is a very touching story. By the way, there is something I am not very sure about. Could you explain to me why Jesus allowed himself to be crucified like that?

John: None of us could understand the reason when it happened. But later, we understood it. We all had the image of a judge-like God in our minds, and so we all expected Jesus to become a Jewish king who would establish a Jewish empire. But Jesus had the image of a father-like God in his mind. It is true that Jesus thought of himself as the Christ, that is, the king of God's Kingdom. Just as he had a different image of God in his mind, he had a different image of Christ, too. God, like a loving father, doesn't force his children to accept his authority. Similarly, Christ doesn't force anybody to accept his kingship. In our view, God was a powerful king and Judge. But in Jesus' view, God was a loving father, and God’s anointed one was a loving brother. He was, of course, powerful, but it was the power of love. And, it made him stand there, not to judge his brothers and sisters, but to be judged by them. Thus, in Jesus’ view, the crucifixion was his enthronement as the king of God’s kingdom. Cross was his throne, and on it was written the inscription the king of the Jews.

We, in our ignorance, judged Jesus, God’s anointed one. We gave him up and ran away from him. Still, Jesus didn’t have the slightest resentment against us. He prayed to God, like a loving brother, to forgive us. Thus, Jesus allowed himself to be crucified according to the images of God and Christ in his mind. There was perfect harmony between what he believed and what he did. In the crucified Jesus I see the crucified God. But, once we know God in that way, how on earth can we reject God’s love? It is ignorance that makes us crucify God.  

In the story of the father and the two sons, the older son expected his father to act like a judge. So we see him acting like a judge in the story. He judges not only his brother but also his father. But what his father did was shocking to him. In spite of all the mistakes his younger son had done, he held him close to his heart. Because he took such a stand, he was crucified by his older son. He had to hear all the harsh words from his son. Jesus taught us that God, our heavenly father, does not judge us. He only holds us close to his heart. We are the ones who judge and crucify God. Jesus knew this about God. That is why he gave himself to be judged and crucified along with God.   

In the crucified Jesus, we see the crucified God, which is an expression of the unconditional love of God. Thus, in addition to setting a standard of goodness as unconditional love and setting a model of goodness in the father-like God, Jesus set a visible model of goodness in his own life. 

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