Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Who done it? Consider some distinctions . . .

With the advent of Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of The Christ” comes a barrage of media coverage to match the hype surrounding the film. The movie explicitly depicts the torture of Jesus Christ in gruesome detail. One reviewer writes, “The agony is graphically and excruciatingly portrayed.”

Even so, all manner of Christians are excited about the film and the chance to bring the topic of Jesus’ death to the forefront. At the same time, the secular media outlets seem eager to cast doubt on not only the accuracy of the Biblical account but the meaning attached to His death.

A recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, (“What Do the Gospels Say?” 02/22/04) not only attacks the historical account of Jesus crucifixion and the theological implications that underscore it, but call the scriptures, the chief source of what we know about Jesus, “anti-Jewish.” This is not a quote, but the writer’s own assessment.

Groups fighting anti-Semitism have denounced the film due to its “unambiguous portrayal of Jews as being responsible for the death of Jesus.” In an attempt to defuse the argument over the blame for Christ’s death, Mel Gibson, when asked who killed Jesus, said, “We all did. I’ll be the first in the culpability stakes here.” So who’s to blame?

The Jewish religious leaders of that time did seek to kill Jesus (Matthew 26:3-5). They plotted against Him and turned Him over to Roman authorities on trumped up charges of blasphemy and rebellion (Luke 23:1-2) because they saw Jesus as a threat to their authority.

But to say that the Jewish people are responsible is to misunderstand the Scriptures. Jesus was Jewish. His disciples were Jewish. The authors of the Bible were overwhelmingly Jewish. To blame the Jews for Christ’s death would be tantamount to blaming all Germans for the Holocaust.

On another level, it was for man’s sake that Christ was crucified (Romans 4:25; 5:6-10; II Corinthians 5:15; 5:21). He bore our punishment (Galatians 3:13), but we did not cause it. His death was for our sins (I Cor. 15:3), but it was not because of our sins. To say that we crucified Jesus places the responsibility (or credit) on us inaccurately.

Neither Jew nor Gentile is ultimately responsible for Jesus’ death. It was by God’s design that Christ was killed. According to Isaiah 53:10, “It pleased the LORD to bruise Him.” From the beginning of history, it was God’s plan that “the seed of the woman” would suffer a severe wound (Gen. 3:15). It was God who laid our iniquity on Him (Is. 53:6). Perhaps a better question is “who brought Him back to life?” God also raised Him from the grave (Romans 6:4) and did not let Him see decay (Ps. 16:10). Jesus, laying his claim to deity, told those who were plotting to kill Him, “I have power to lay it [My life] down, and I have power to take it again.” (John 10:18)

God does not allow man to usurp His power, but uses man to accomplish His purposes. Like the story of Joseph sold into slavery by his own brothers, men meant it for evil, but God meant it for good (Gen. 50:20). Through a horrible, brutal act of violence perpetrated by men, God displays His wrath and His mercy at the same time. God was reconciling the world to Himself through the death and resurrection of His Son (II Cor 5:19).

God’s ultimate aim in all He does is to glorify Himself and to broadcast His glory. His ultimate end in crucifying His Son was to bring glory and honor to Himself. This is not selfishness. Being selfish implies that someone is honoring or preferring himself over someone or something else that is worthy of honor. There is no one outside of God who deserves honor and glory more than God, so God is justified in desiring His own glory!

A more important question is, “Why did it happen?” This is the question that Christians must be ready to answer. Was it a politically expedient execution or a supernatural life preserver thrown around those perishing in their own sin?

The entirety of scripture holds the key to the meaning and the implication of the death and the resurrection of Jesus. It’s not about how bad we are but how good God is. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:35)

Van H. Edwards

Fayetteville, Ga.