Cicero, the 2nd-century Roman statesman and philosopher, wrote: ‘To bind a Roman citizen is an outrage; to scourge him a crime; it almost amounts to parricide to put him to death; how shall I describe crucifixion? No adequate word can be found to represent so execrable an enormity’.
Jesus was not a Roman citizen but the Romans knew exactly what they were doing when they decided to crucify him; they knew how this crucifixion would be seen by the public and what message it would send about Jesus.
The crucifixion was meant to be an image of shame and fear. It sought to bring shame on the one crucified and fear upon all those who behold it. There is no dignity in a death that is not only slow and painful but is also very public, deprived of final intimate goodbyes, any last comforts and respect for the dead body, which is left there hanging, with broken legs, deformed by its own weight and burned by the afternoon sun. The fear is instilled into the onlookers who can easily imagine the same thing happening to them if they dare to go against the state and its authorities. Humiliation in death was indeed a powerful political tool.
The Jews understood the horror of the crucifixion too. Deuteronomy 21.23 says, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole’. This line is also quoted in the letter to the Galatians and has clearly retained its dreadful significance in the 1400 years that had passed in-between.
To add to this, the ancient Jewish culture distinguished between good and bad modes of death, and the way Jesus died was by far the least desirable.
Dying after only one day or less was considered extremely unjust and brought on more feelings of anger than mourning. The easiest death was ‘by the mouth of the Lord’, as Deuteronomy 34 verse 5 describes the death of Moses. Six persons are known to have died in that way; namely, the three patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, – as well as Moses, his brother Aaron and sister Miriam. Depriving Jesus of a peaceful death in his old age, sanctioned and blessed by the Lord, was tragic in its own right, but it also meant that he could never have the same status and respect that the key Jewish figures had. More shame on Jesus.
Everything about Jesus Christ’s death was tragic, culturally unacceptable and humiliating in the eyes of both the Romans and the Jews. Added to this is the torturous mockery in the hours before his death and the injustice of not being allowed to have a fair trial. None of it could be more wrong.
But in the face of this, John, the Gospel writer, frames the narrative of Christ’s arrest and death with the words about glory. Before he is arrested, Jesus prays that he may be glorified and the Father may be glorified through him. A little earlier, immediately after Judas betrays him, Jesus, knowing exactly what is going to happen, says, ‘Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him’. Indeed, we heard these words at yesterday’s service. Even earlier, in chapter 12, he also speaks of nothing but glory when he predicts his own death.
It turns out that this whole horrific sequence of events is not at all about shame but about its exact opposite – glory! The intention of brining the greatest shame upon Jesus, both by the Jewish leaders and the Roman authorities, was shattered against the glory of God, even in the most brutal of deaths.
This is not the same as glorifying suffering and death, but rather seeing God’s glory even in the suffering and death. It may be difficult or even impossible to comprehend, but speaking of glory in Christ’s death affirms the omnipotence of God, whose glory is in everything and nothing, however wrong or ugly, is beyond or outside it. This glory is honoured by Christ by submitting his will to the will of the Father. In the Gospel of John, Jesus does not ask for this fate to be changed, nor does he let out a cry about being abandoned by the Father.
Shame is swallowed up by dignity and glory, but what about fear? What about those who were meant to watch the crucifixion and fear for their own lives, considering the possibility of a similar punishment?
To answer this question, we ought to turn to another book of the Bible, the first letter of John, written by the same author who wrote the Gospel. In chapter 4 he says, ‘Where there is fear, there is no love’; ‘perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment’. If there is one thing we remember out of all things Jesus taught, it is our obligation to love. In fact, after speaking to the disciples about glory, Jesus carries on speaking to them – at length – about love. ‘As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love’; ‘love one another’. Love has many other benefits and is our charge as Christians, but it also means that if we follow this teaching, we can look even at the cross with love, not fear. Love is where all power is. Those few who stayed with Jesus in the hour of his death did so out of love for him, but those who fled in fear were also brought back into love.
You may remember that following his Resurrection, Jesus appears to Peter, who, in his fear, had denied ever knowing his teacher. Jesus asks him not once but three times if Peter loves him. He doesn’t need to know anything else but he wants to be sure that Peter’s fear has been overcome, because love is his legacy. Love is the language his followers speak, not fear. Love is what Peter and others were meant to pass on to their followers and what we are expected to model still today.
So there we have it. Behold the cross of Christ, an instrument of shame, an agent of fear… No, not at all: an image of glory, an icon of love. Amen.