Jesus & the Prophets – shouting from the Cross … (10/25/18)
One of the more misunderstood (and also one of the more important) statements Jesus makes in the Bible is the one he utters near the very end of his ministry – when he is hanging from the cross on Golgotha after being crucified and loudly exclaims “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” – the Aramaic equivalent of “My God, my God – Why have you forsaken me?” (see Matthew 27:46 & Mark 15:34) This utterance inspired some of those nearby to errantly wonder whether Jesus was calling for Elijah to come and save him (see Matthew 27:47-49 & Mark 15:35-36),1 and yet shortly thereafter he took a drink of “sour wine” and “breathed his last” (see Matthew 27:48-50 & Mark 15:36-37 – also Luke 23:36-46 & John 19:28-30)2 … And the source of the ubiquitous misreading of this scene is that most believe Jesus’ cry to be one of complainant or anguish, when in reality it is one of gratitude & triumph. For Jesus is not calling out to bemoan his apparent abandonment or whine about his state of suffering, but is rather directly quoting the first verse of Psalm 22 – a Psalm that was very well-known at the time (being quite certainly familiar to all Jews in attendance) – a Psalm that specifically reflected what had led to him being crucified on that hill: the resilient endurance displayed by his ministry (Psalm 22:2), the innate viability of faith-full living (Psalm 22:4-5), the scorn he had experienced from strangers and the indignation he had felt from fellow Jews (Psalm 22:6), the mockery he had received from his accusers (Psalm 22:7), the legend told of his holy birth (Psalm 22:9-10), the fickleness of his weak-willed disciples (Psalm 22:11), his thirst that was then quenched by the drugged wine (Psalm 22:15), the Roman soldiers and other “evildoers” (i.e. those who did not sincerely respect the deepest callings of the Law – for Jesus, the “scribes & the Pharisees”) who surrounded his cross (Psalm 22:16-17), the lots that were cast for his clothing (Psalm 22:18), and the profound thankfulness felt for & humble gratitude professed to God by every true follower of The Way of Christ (and this, especially during times of poverty, pain, trial, or trauma – Psalm 22:23-26). As such, Jesus is not whining about his difficult end during this pivotal moment, nor is he raising himself up as a messianic fulfiller of Davidian prophecy. Rather, he is in this moment quite powerfully reminding his audience one final time of the ultimate message of his ministry – namely, that salvation comes from intentionally sacrificing oneself for others, and from doing so actively, joyfully, humbly, and gratefully.3
“My God, my God – Why have you forsaken me? …
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do …
Into thy hands I commend my spirit … It is accomplished.”
~ Jesus Christ (Matthew 27:46, Luke 23:34, Luke 23:46, & John 19:30)
“Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him, and on the Cross he was utterly alone and surrounded by evildoers and mockers. And yet for this very cause he had come: to bring Love into times of fear, to bring Generosity into times of lack, to bring Peace to all enemies & Forgiveness to all transgressors. So too the Follower of his Way belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but rather in the thick of all foes and wickedness. There is his commission and this is her work. For to reside in the Kingdom is to bring Light to all in darkness – to bring Love to times of conflict & hardship. And those who will not suffer the same want nothing of the Kingdom of Christ; he wanting merely to revel with friends, she to sit solely with roses & lilies. Oh you hollow blasphemers of Christ! For if Jesus had done what you are doing who would ever have been offered his true Salvation?” ~ inspired by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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1 In minor contrast, the Gospel of Luke has both the Temple priests and Roman soldiers in attendance (as well as one of the two revolutionaries being crucified with him) mocking Jesus and telling him to “save yourself” (a la Luke 23:35-39) – something no true adherent of The Way of Christ would ever do (see Matthew 16:24-26, Matthew 20:26, Matthew 24:12-14, Mark 8:34, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:44, Luke 9:23, & Luke 22:26 et al).
2 NOTE that in all four Gospel accounts Jesus drank of a similar seemingly-drugged draught shortly before “breathing his last”, NOTE that the statement made by Jesus in Luke 23:46 is him directly quoting from Psalm 31:5, NOTE that Jesus saying “I am thirsty” in John 19:28 is an open allusion to Psalm 69:3 (& foreshadows Psalm 69:21), and NOTE that the Greek phrasing used in all four Gospel recountings of Jesus’ “death” (the “breathed his last” of Mark 15:37 & Luke 23:46 – exepnseusen, the “gave up his spirit” of Matthew 27:50 – apheken to pneuma, & the “surrendered his spirit” of John 19:30 – paredoken to pneuma) implicitly describe him willingly, intentionally, & purposefully doing so.
3 The spiritual Salvation of this quite radical Gospel (see Matthew 10:7 & Matthew 24:12-14) was offered in stark contrast to the far lesser “salvation” provided by the Law – with the latter being offered only via the fickle grace of the Temple’s priestly authorities, and the former given to all directly from the all-loving Father within (hence the tearing of the Temple’s curtain that separated the “unworthy” common folk from the Holy of Holies after Jesus’ self-orchestrated sacrifice* on the cross – see Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, & Luke 23:45).
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*NOTE that Jesus “[knew] all that was to happen to him” (John 18:4) – namely, that he in all probability pre-planned his own crucifixion. He repeatedly told his disciples ahead of time that he was going to be “handed over to the chief priests” to then “rise again after three days” (Matthew 20:17-19 – see also Mark 9:30-32, Luke 9:22, Luke 9:44, John 12:27 et al), he regularly showed that he had pre-arranged the event (see Matthew 21:1-9, Matthew 21:17, Matthew 26:18, Mark 11:11, Luke 9:52, Luke 10:1, Luke 19:5, John 7:10 et al), and he frequently noted that he was doing everything purposefully “so that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (see Matthew 26:54-56, Luke 24:44, John 12:23-34, John 17:12, & John 18:11 et al).
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