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The power of the powerless

“He saved others, but he cannot save himself! Isn’t he the king of Israel? If he will come down from the cross now, we will believe in him! He trusts in God and claims to be God’s Son. Well, then, let us see if God wants to save him now” - Matthew 27:42-43

These were the words of the chief priests, the teachers of the Law or Scribes, and the elders in Jerusalem, as they made fun of Jesus dying on the cross. These were words of hypocrisy, of mockery, of unbelief and hatred. This was their response to the crucifixion of Jesus.

Why Jesus was killed

The chief priests, teachers of the Law, and elders were the religious leaders of Jesus’ time. According to the Gospels, the religious leaders were the ones who plotted to kill Jesus in collaboration with the Roman authorities (Mt. 26:3-4). They misused people’s power by inciting the people to demand for Jesus’ death by crucifixion (Mt. 27:20).

We might be wondering why in the world the religious leaders responded to Jesus’ crucifixion in this manner. Why they hated Jesus so much to the point that they even worked out his execution. Even by just having a cursory reading of the Gospel story, we would find out that the religious leaders perceived Jesus as a very dangerous person. They regarded him as public enemy number one.

Jesus was seen as a dangerous threat to the Jewish religion and society as a whole. He was viewed as a blasphemer and usurper of God, because he forgave sinners (Mt. 9:1-8). He was seen as a violator of Jewish law, because he cured the sick on a Sabbath day (Mt.12: 9-12). He had caught the ire of the religious leaders, because he called them hypocrites and told them that while they are paying their tithes, yet they are not observing the more important aspects of the Law, which is justice, honesty, and mercy (Mt. 23:23). He was perceived as disturber of peace, because he drove away the money- changers in the Temple and accused them of making the house of God a hideout for thieves (Mt. 21:13).

Obviously, the religious leaders of Jesus’ time had become so legalistic and moralistic to the point that they would even put to death a suspected innocent person, and yet they would think that they were doing this in the service of God. Indeed, how many people have already been killed in the name of religion! How many people have been victimized by religion, simply because religion has become a religion of LAW, and not a religion of LOVE?

When Jesus was asked about the most important commandment, he did not mention the Ten Commandments at all, but rather he pointed out to the LOVE commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Mk.12: 29-31).

For Jesus, fulfilling the Ten Commandments without love is incomplete. That’s why to the Rich Young Ruler, who claimed that he already fulfilled the Ten Commandments, Jesus said, “You still lack one thing. Go and sell everything that you have. Give it to the poor. Come and follow me” (Lk. 18:22).

Apostle Paul was right when he said, “I may have all the faith needed to move mountains – but if I have no love, I am nothing. I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned – but if I have no love, this does me no good” (I Cor. 13:2).

The words of the religious leaders

And so, let us try to examine the words of the religious leaders in response to Jesus’ crucifixion. Generally, their words would show to us how different were their point of views from that of Jesus.

First of all, for the religious leaders, to save oneself is the most important thing in life; but for Jesus, to save others is the very purpose of life.

The religious leaders say, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself!” (v.42). But Jesus says, “He who saves his life shall lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake shall find it” (Mt.10: 39).

For Jesus, the purpose of life is not to live for our selves, but to live for others. All the great men and women in history are considered great not because they lived their lives selfishly for their own selves, but because they gave up their lives in the service of other people; they spent their lives not for their own salvation, but for the salvation of other people. This is what Jesus wanted to teach to the people of his day through his life and ministry.

Indeed, this is a very important message for us today, especially to us religious leaders of our time. In our world of rugged individualism and selfishness, we really need women and men whose lives are dedicated in the service of others. I do believe that our salvation from the cross of corruption, that we are carrying as a nation and as a people, lies in the radical change of our attitude and way of life – from a life of self-saving to a life of self-giving.

Secondly, for the religious leaders, to be a king is to conquer by force and to lord it over other people; but for Jesus, to be a king is to serve or even to give one’s life for the sake of the people.

The religious leaders say, “Isn’t he the king of Israel? If he will come down from the cross now, we will believe in him!”(v.42). I’m sure it’s not only the religious leaders who had this kind of sentiment. Even the disciples themselves were actually expecting Jesus to lead the people in their fight against the Romans.

But Jesus says, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the heathen have power over them, and the leaders have complete authority. This, however, is not the way it is among you. If one of you wants to be great, you must be the servant of the rest; and if one of you wants to be first, you must be the slave of all” (Mk.10: 42-44).

Essentially, the words of the religious leaders are like the words of the Devil when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Mt.4: 1-11). The Devil said to Jesus, “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down…(and) not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.” But Jesus answered, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

There is a beautiful novel entitled, Quo Vadis?, which means “Where Are You Going?” This is about the burning of the City of Rome. There is a section in that novel, wherein Peter asked Jesus why he did not come down from the cross. And Jesus responded to him saying, “I did not come down from the cross, because I would like people to believe in me, not because they are forced to do so, or because of miraculous sensations, but because they truly love me.”

Do we believe in Jesus, because we truly love him? Or, do we believe in him only because of the terror of hell and the lure of miraculous sensations?

And thirdly, for the religious leaders, to trust God and be a Son of God is to be exempted from suffering; but for Jesus to trust God and be a Son of God would also mean suffering.

The religious leaders say, “He trusts in God and claims to be God’s Son. Well, then, let us see if God wants to save him now!”(v.43). But Jesus says, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk.10: 45).

To be faithful to God does not exempt us from suffering. The Story of Job in the Old Testament would illustrate to us this point. Job was a very righteous person; he was a very faithful servant of God. Yet, he experienced unspeakable suffering; he lost everything he had in life, including his health.

But nevertheless, he remained faithful to God to the very end. Until God restored to him everything that he had lost in life. Through all his experiences, Job realized that suffering is very much part of our faithfulness to God. We should not think that if we are faithful to God, then it is all bed of roses. Faithfulness to God would also mean suffering.

The suffering of the righteous is a vicarious suffering; it is a suffering for the sake of others. This kind of suffering is a suffering that redeems; it is a suffering that saves. It is like the suffering of a mother, who works day and night to provide a brighter future for her children. It is like the suffering of a father who denies himself with all the amenities in life in order to earn a living for his family. It is like the suffering of a missionary who crosses rivers and mountain ranges in order to bring God’s Word to people in the hinterlands. It is like the suffering of media people who are killed in cold blood for exposing the truth.

The suffering of Jesus on the cross is a vicarious suffering. It is the consequence of the life that he lived. If Jesus did not give his life in the service of the people; if he did not cure the sick, forgave the sinners, fed the hungry, gave good news to the poor; perhaps, he would not have been accused of being a blasphemer and disturber of peace; he would not have been crucified.

But, on the other hand, if Jesus did not do all these things, perhaps, he would not have been our redeemer; he would not have shown to us the way to the Father.

Death is not the end

However, the cross is not the end; death is not the end. For on the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead. By raising him from death, God had given His stamp of approval on Jesus’ life. God had vindicated Jesus’ life. By raising Jesus from the dead, God is saying to us that Jesus’ life should be the life that we should live; this is the kind of life that redeems the world.

The religious leaders, who plotted Jesus’ death, were in the end proven wrong. Their hypocrisy, unbelief, and hatred were exposed. Jesus was not after all a criminal as they accused him to be; instead, he was and is the savior of the world.

And so Jesus, indeed, appeared to be powerless in the eyes of the religious leaders. His death on the cross for them was a sign of defeat. But then, there was power in the powerlessness of Jesus. By being powerless in the eyes of the world, Jesus was able to conquer the power of sin and death. By dying on the cross and being raised from death to life; Jesus was able to remove the terror of the cross and made the cross a symbol of love and redemption.

Hence, the challenge for us today is to see to it that never again an innocent person would be falsely accused, be made to suffer, or even be put to death simply because of our own religious hypocrisy, unbelief, and hatred. Amen. #

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