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Politics of Jesus’s death

“Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified”
— John 19:16

Logic of sinful structures

Jesus’ death on the cross cannot be understood apart from its political dimension. The events preceding the crucifixion – the plot of the elders in Jerusalem against him, the arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, his arraignment before Annas and Caiphas, the trial before Herod and the final conviction before Pilate - and their true contents reveal that Jesus died according to the logic of the established order. In the language of the Apostle’s Creed, “He died under Pontius Pilate.” 

Had Jesus supported the status quo, the picture would have been different. Had he kept his mouth shut or refrained from criticizing the sinful systems and structures of his world, his life would have been preserved. But without drawing a sword, he shook the foundations of the sinful order. Therefore, the tide of political hatred turned against him.

Throughout history many right-eous people have, for their conviction and love for truth, died according to the logic of sinful structures. They have offered themselves courageously as sacrificial lambs to the gods and deities of contemporary history. Of course, earthly powers can do a lot of maneuverings to justify their acts of aggression, but only at the expense of truth. Hence, if we ask ourselves why such glaring realities prevail in our own world, the answer is that it is basically the logic of sinful structures.

Referring to Pilate, Matthew recounts, “He (Pilate) took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd”(Mt.27:24). Pilate, as representative of the political establishment, had to wash his hands before the public, disowning all responsibilities for the death of an innocent person.

No other story in the Bible is more telling of structural sin than this one. For one thing, it exposes the whole machinery of oppression and deception of the established order. Thus, there is nothing more violent and deadly than the logic of sinful structures.

Violent death

Jesus did not die as an old man. His death was violent and gruesome. Had Jesus paid allegiance to the Roman domination or had he bowed his head before the glory of false gods, he would have died an old man in the care of his own society. His passion for the poor and the oppressed was so deep, however, that he was strongly opposed and rejected by the affluent and the powerful. 

Consequently, Jesus died in the prime of his life and was buried in a borrowed tomb outside the city. He lived his entire life along the fringes of society, completely detached from the center that ran the whole machinery of injustice. He also had to die on a remote hill of real sorrow. What a tragic way to die! 

In a word, Lenten Season names the price one has to pay if he chooses to follow the footsteps of Jesus. It is a paradox that in Christian service those who speak out in the name of truth, and who protest any miscarriage of justice suffer the most grievous deaths. In a world of violence and fear such as ours, people who are working for genuine change cannot afford the luxury of dying in the quietness and comforts of their homes. For when they begin to interpret the meaning of their faith along the margins of society where human pains and true historical questions abound, they would likely die in some unknown places without religious ceremonies.

The cross, however, is a symbol of creative suffering - a suffering that is redemptive and liberating. Death on the cross is truly the most painful and unhappy experience, but it is not the end of everything. It foreshadows the moment of triumph that is yet to come – the resurrection. For the Apostle Paul says, “What we suffer at this present time cannot be compared with the glory that is going to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18).

Creative suffering is like the sufferings of the Overseas Filipino Workers who sacrifice life and limb in order to provide brighter future for their children and save their country from economic collapse. It is like the sufferings of violently murdered Filipino activists who courageously exposed the truth that will set people free, even in the midst of a powerful system of deception and exploitation.

Creative suffering overcomes the power of death. God resurrected Jesus from the dead, clearly indicating to us that God had approved the life that Jesus lived, even if powerful people of this world tried to end that life by crucifying it. It is a living promise that those who live and die like Jesus will not really die in vain. #

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