Jesus Emptied Himself

Homily Good Friday 2014, Christ Church, Bobcaygeon

One of the most troubling impacts of John’s account of the Crucifixion is the misinterpretation throughout the ages of the author’s characterization of “the Jews” being responsible for the death of Jesus, while Rome, reluctantly agreed.

The reason I mention this today is hearing of the most grotesque anti-Semitism found just this week in the Ukraine, where pro-Russians rebels circulated pamphlets remanding Jews register themselves and their belongings or be deported.

Sounds like the ultimate act of anti-Semitism, the Holocaust of Nazi Germany.

The roots of anti-Semitism throughout the ages have rested in a tragic misinterpretations and distortion of the Jews as Christ killers. And sadly even after the Holocaust Anti-Semitism continues—given new life by hate groups who keep popping up on the internet.

John certainly did not mean for this to happen. He meant the Jews to refer to the Jewish leadership who were co-opted by the Romans in a ruthless reign of terror over Palestine and Judea.

Pontius Pilate was a brutal thug, exiled to the most remote part of the empire, not the troubled and vacillating ruler he is portrayed as in John’s Gospel.

Why would John downplay Pilate’s responsibility for the death of Jesus, and put the blame mostly on the Jews.

The answer can be found on who John was writing for—the community of new Christians who had just been kicked out of the synagogue.

The Christians of John’s community were fighting for survival in a difficult religious atmosphere.

At first Christians were a faction within Judaism. They were Jewish in all respects. But their ideas about Jesus Christ meant different Jewish communities responded in different ways towards them.

How should we look at the Crucifixion in a time far removed from the actual historical event.

We believe as Christians it was a turning point in history. Jesus, sent by God as his incarnate son, came among us. He grew up among us, shared our human joys and sorrows, ate, worked, slept, and went on a three year journey of healing, teaching and preaching which built on the wisdom of the Hebrew Scriptures.

But Jesus knew his ministry could not continue indefinitely like this. He knew the power of Rome and the Jewish religious authorities could not tolerate his life changing message, and his growing following.

So he entered Jerusalem, and taught without fear in the temple at the time of the Passover…knowing there would be consequences. He shared a meal with his friends and prepared to be betrayed.

Paul says Christ emptied himself on the cross for our sake. There could not be a resurrection in triumph without the cross and sacrifice.

Rome should shoulder most of the blame for the death of Jesus. Rome was power—both economic and military. Power did not tolerate prophets who questioned the deity of the emperor and the many Gods of Rome, or the legitimacy of their domination system.

So the collision between the love of God for humanity, and the inhumanity and godlessness of Rome was inevitable.

And since that first Good Friday, the sacrifice of Jesus, has always been a reminder that our faith rests on God working in the world, against the forces of evil, sin, injustice and violence.

Our mandate, as Jesus passed on to his disciples at the last supper, is to love one another as Christ loves us, a love he "emptied" in his passion and death on the cross.