Pastor’s Points of Light – February 2004

Who’s Fault is Jesus’ Death?

“You are my friends and the greatest love anyone can have for his friends is to lay his life down for them.”

(John 15:13; see also Jn. 10:11; Jn. 10:17; 1 Jn. 3:16)

 

On Ash Wednesday, February 25th, the beginning of Lent in the Western Church, 3 days following Poon Paregentan, the beginning of Lent in the Armenian Church, the much anticipated film, The Passion of the Christ, produced and directed by Mel Gibson, was released in theaters.  The film, about the Passion of Christ, entails the last 12 hours of His life, beginning in the Garden of Eden and ending with the Crucifixion.

There has already, not at all surprisingly, been much controversy and criticism of the film and the director.  Most of the criticism has come from groups claiming that the film has anti-Semitic connotations, with most of the focus on a line in the movie where the mobs cry out to Pontius Pilate saying “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”  This line, a direct quote from the Gospel of St. Matthew 27:25, was shouted by the mobs in direct reaction to Pilate, who washed his hands and said, "I am innocent of this man's blood…It is your responsibility!"

Does this presume that the “Jews” now are responsible for Jesus’ death?  Are we now to blame the Jews?  Is this what the evangelist Matthew, himself a Jew, desires us to understand?

The age old question, “was it the Romans’ fault or the Jews?” has not only plagued the minds of man for two thousand years, but has been the occasion for much uprising against the Jews throughout time and in various places.  The fact is, that in the time of Jesus, himself a Jew, all of His supporters, apostles, disciples, beneficiaries of his miracles, and those who confessed His holiness and divinity, were in fact Jews!  Those who wanted to have Him crowned and placed on the throne of David as messiah were Jews! 

Those who established and reached out with the message and were eyewitnesses of the Resurrection and recipients of the Pentecost were Jews!  The first Christians were Jews and the first church was a Jewish church.  Conversely, we know also that even Joseph of

Arimathea and Nicodemus were sympathizers of Jesus and were respected elders and members of the Sanhedrin Council.

Yes there were mobs in Jerusalem that shouted for Jesus’ blood, there were many, even a majority among the chief priests that wanted him crucified.  Pilate took the responsibility to enact the heinous verdict and punishment even though he did not see that there was a crime.

Whose fault?  Pilate?  The Jews?  The Romans?  The fact is, that Jesus suffered, was crucified and died not because of the Jews or Pilate, but because of and for me.  I am guilty!

Yes, He gave His precious life freely.  No one took it but he laid it up freely and shed His precious Blood as a sweet and acceptable sacrifice to His Father on my and your behalf.  Let us as thankful and wise Christians, realize where the blame was and see that he did this out of His immense love for His Father, whose will he accomplished, and his love for us, who he purchased form the bond of sin.  Let us who were once enemies with God, dead in our trespasses, now being given a new life in Christ, give glory to him and honor now and always, Amen.

May this season of lent be for us a time of reflection and a season of contemplation so that we might, each of us, recognize the immense sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross, lovingly and freely for our sakes, that through Him and with him we might receive the gift of His eternal life.

In Christ,

Der Shnork