Crucifixion

Tuesday, August 1, 2006 -- Week of Proper 12 (Joseph of Arimathaea)

"Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this link -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html


Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 977)
Psalm 61, 62 (morning) // 68:1-20 (21-23) 24-36 (evening)
Judges 2:1-5, 11-23
Romans 16:17-27
Matthew 27:32-44

We're reading of the crucifixion in Matthew's gospel. The leader of Jesus' disciples Simon Peter has denied him and run away in fear. Another Simon, a stranger, is conscripted to carry Jesus cross for a while.

Several clues mark this as a Roman political execution. The charge which publicly announces the reason for this execution is posted on the cross. "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." A few years later Herod Agrippa would be named in Rome as "the King of the Jews." Jesus is killed as a revolutionary. His actions have been seen by the Roman authorities as a form of rebellion. Several of his acts had corresponded to Jewish Messianic hopes. He taught of an alternative "kingdom of God." Roman temper was very short. There were no alternative kingdoms or kings. Jewish messianic hopes were confronted with swift violence, publicly displayed.

From the Roman perspective, Jesus is crucified with others like him, other bandits. Bandits is the word that was used for an assortment of crimes, but particularly for those who fought an underground war against Roman interests. The Jews referred to some of them as "zealots." Today they might be known as terrorists, at least from the perspective of the empire. It is not unfair to say that Jesus was numbered among the terrorists. He was arrested, tortured and killed for being a threat to the empire.

Although it is historically unlikely that the chief priests would have been present at the cross as Matthew pictures them (it would have rendered them ritually unclean), doubtless they too were implicated in Jesus' arrest, trial and execution. Jesus directly attacked the Temple interests. Those interests were powerful and economically lucrative. The Jewish authorities who collaborated with the Romans wanted no interference with their business. They saw that their interests to keep Jesus from challenging their authority corresponded with Rome's interests to broke no rivals.

In a way the story is thoroughly familiar. Today our world, particularly in the Middle East, is torn apart by religious rivalries, by terrorism and alternative claims of political authority. Today people will be killed for some of the the same reasons Jesus was. Part of the power of the cross is to say that even in those sordid and tragic places, God is present, working with the power of resurrection. God suffers with us. God brings new life out of evil, violence and death. We pray that God will do so quickly.

Lowell
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The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR