Crucify him!
by Dianne Eckermann
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But they shouted, ‘Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!’ (John 19:15a)
Read John 18:1–19:42
By the time we read of Jesus’ body being laid to rest in a tomb in a garden, so much has happened in this extended reading that it is a bit of a surprise to realise this time of chaos, treachery, and brutality also began in a garden. If we think of a garden as a place of sanctuary, neither of these gardens meets that criterion. One is a place of arrest, and the other is a place of burial. In the short space of a night and day, Jesus is led from one garden to the next, and many characters emerge in the story of his arrest and eventual crucifixion. They may have different motives for their behaviour, but their combined efforts lead to death inexorably.
It is easy to blame the chief priests who had been plotting ways of getting rid of Jesus as they realised he was a threat to their power and their control of the religious lives of the Jewish people. We can all recognise their desire to maintain their privileged position in their community, even if we don’t approve.
As the representative of Caesar, Pilate had considerable power and could have released Jesus. He could find no reason to condemn him under Roman law. But when faced with the ongoing persistence of the high priests and possibly fear of the mob outside, he handed Jesus over to the Jews. Today, we might say he handballed the problem to someone else. We can also recognise his desire to avoid the responsibility of a decision that would not please the crowd.
The mob outside the palace were swept up in a wave of mass hysteria. They were not rational, preferring the release of a real criminal instead of Jesus. They were certainly not the first mob of people to behave in this way, nor would they be the last. They were certain they were right and reinforced this certainty in their mob behaviour.
Having seen Jesus arrested, Peter was afraid, which led to his denial of Jesus. The other disciples, also out of fear, were nowhere to be seen. They had every right to be afraid of the anger in their community and their powerlessness to intervene.
All of us will recognise these behaviours. It is likely we have all tried to protect our sense of privilege like the high priests; we have passed on responsibility when we have not wanted to make a hard decision like Pilate; we have been caught up in the certainty that we are right and behaved like the mob; we all know what it is to be afraid and to protect ourselves, regardless of the truth.
Jesus knows these all-too-human behaviours. Jesus understands us better than we understand ourselves, but he still loves us to the very end.
Dear Jesus, there is nothing we can ever say to thank you enough for the sacrifice you made for us on the cross. Help us to look to you and to keep your sacrifice in mind on this Good Friday. Forgive us when we give in to our human nature, and help us to know you better. Amen.
Dianne has served in Lutheran education as a teacher, school leader and system leader at Lutheran Education Australia. Now retired from full-time work, she continues to volunteer on several committees and as a school board member. She lives in the Adelaide Hills with her husband, Robert, and is in strong demand as a babysitter for her three grandchildren.
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