The Cruxifixion Scene
Act I, Scene II
Arresting Circumstances

Introduction

There was a contemporary passion play written by teenagers in the mid-60’s titled A Man Dies.  The young people attended evening services at St. James Presbyterian Church in Bristol, England.  They wrote the play to attract other teens, but they also wanted to show how the Bible had everyday meaning.  The drama was played out in modern dress.  Some wondered if the kids were saving for costumes.  It was filled with satire, humor, and social comment interwoven with the accounts of the crucifixion.  It resembled a medieval morality play performed for audiences unable to read, but in this case, the producers wrote,  “A Man Dies is for people who can read their Bibles, but see no reason why they should.”  All four accounts of the gospel came from oral tradition attempting to provide followers with understandings of the drama unfolding in their churches and their lives as events mirrored the world of Jesus.  The timelessness of scripture is reflected in how much changes in life, yet how much stays the same.

Mark 14:43-52

Jesus was speaking with his closest friends when Judas arrived with a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests, teachers of the law, and the elders.  The traitor had given the mob a signal, "The person I kiss is the one you want!  Arrest him and haul him away under guard."  As soon as Judas arrived, he went straight to Jesus saying "teacher!”  Then he kissed him warmly and they arrested Jesus holding him tight.  But one of them standing there drew his sword and struck the high priest’s slave cutting off his ear.  Jesus spoke up,” Did you have to bring clubs, and swords to capture me like some outlaw?  Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple and you didn’t arrest me then.  But scripture has come true."  A certain young man, dressed only in linen cloth, was following Jesus.  They tried to arrest him too, but he ran away naked leaving the cloth behind.

Sermon

Passion: a state of being in serious trouble or in mental or physical anguish; a longing for something that promises satisfaction; subjective reaction to a person; an outbreak or display of anger; the affection and tenderness felt by lovers; intense, high wrought emotion that compels action; strong unreasonable but transitory attachment; – passion.

It was all of that!  Jesus was in serious trouble–later to be in physical anguish.  The folks in charge wanted satisfaction in one way; the disciples in another.  The early Christians who heard the story had struggles of their own that they hoped Jesus could solve.  And what about us?

From a stage director’s perspective there would be three action moves in this little scene.  A large crowd had gathered; it was ugly.  A lynch mob with clubs and swords, but these were mostly officialdom, not vigilantes.  It was the power of the status quo.

Who arrested Jesus?  The leaders of the temple and the leaders of government.  But who were they really?  The Romans are now part of the sands of time and lest we fall into anti-Semitism, who really were the Christ killers?  They were the secure practitioners of religion–any religion–feeling so threatened they entered into collusion with the civil powers.

This brief vignette is a microscopic version of our human condition in any age.  Power putting down all that threatens its place in the sun..  Nero with his lions, the crusaders killing Muslims, the Inquisition, the church of Nazi Germany preaching under the state flag, and let us not dodge complicity.  It can easily be religious intolerance in our time wedded to law and order and matters of security.

"He who would be the angel becomes the beast.”  (1) Throughout history crowds have gathered to crush faith in the name of religion.  In recent years former moderator of the Presbyterian Church, John Fife had his worship services infiltrated by border police trying to end the sanctuary movement.  And what about the "minute men" and the "patriot pastors" of Ohio’s "restoration" movement.  On the surface a seemingly genuine effort so long as it’s the "movement’s" understanding of religion, but then there is the propertied monitoring of congregations to see if the Bible is being correctly preached.  What about our nations immigration filters placed on Imams to the point Mosques can’t find leadership?  And what about the Presbyterian lay committee watchdogs that look for opportunities to engage congregations in judicial suit because, in their opinion, those congregations tolerate sermons that are unbiblical or because they ordain persons labeled unacceptable?  All of this in the name of "the purity of faith."  It happens whenever fear, religion, government, and power have a sleepover together.  It has been the case whenever status quo is in collaborative protection of self-interest.  Here is the passion thread woven throughout the long ribbon of history.

There was an innocent kiss, a standard greeting, but then come the director’s notes, "a warm kiss," maybe on the mouth, a "lover’s kiss"–passionate–making it all the more ugly because it was from within the ranks.

We need to be very clear; the two groups gathered to get rid of Jesus were not bad people.  They were mostly individuals doing their job.  Listen to the charges brought by Caiaphas to Pilate.  He claimed he would destroy the sanctuary, (not unlike the recent mosque bombing.)

He claimed to be the Son of God, violating the most sacred of teaching–the Messianic Code.  He promised he would inaugurate a new government–it was sedition!  He celebrated the highest of holy days in an illegal manner and at an illegal time.  All the offenses were punishable by death.  The soldiers gathered to get rid of Jesus thought they were doing their job.  The religious leaders and the civil authorities were doing what they thought best for the security of their society.  Judas, evil as we might paint him, was only trying to force Jesus’ hand.  A warm kiss said to the early Christians, “betrayal comes oh so easy.”

There’s a lot of betrayal these days.  We see it in the daily news when passion for God is turned to anger and channeled at those who believe differently.  Yet, fundamentalism has only fear as its altar, lifting religious slogans to codify hatred and quantify control.

The focus of the God of Jesus Christ; the God of the prophets, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Ishmael and Cain, Abel and Ester, is a God that holds all societies responsible for doing what is just on behalf of those in need.  All the great faith teachings handed down from the beginning point to a God, who calls followers to accept all who are rejected, excluded.  We believe that was the whole point in God’s exposure in the person-hood of Jesus, which means we who are part of government, but also part of a greater empire, can never allow suffering!  When our tax breaks take food from the least, when our hospitals charge more for health care for those who can least afford it, when our consumption robs our children of a future, when education leaves those most in need of it behind, and when we allow our ballot box to cater to crooks or religious bigots, we are engaging in that well intentioned "warm kiss" of betrayal.

H. Richard Niebuhr observed,

“We are radical people; we internalize the slogans, images, attitudes, advertisements around us, and then we build a social world.  We are children of our age easily co-opted.  But scripture points to the social realism of the battle; we must somehow wedge the word of God into our lives edgewise.”

Judas, one of the faithful, came with a warm kiss and they took Jesus away.  Betrayal is ever so easy.

Then, according to Mark, there was a streaker.  Hollywood says violence and sex sell; Mark has it all.  Did it happen?  If so, then why is the naked event found only in Mark?  If it didn’t happen, then what is Mark’s point?

It’s a mystery and maybe it should stay that way.  But the fact that Mark, more harsh than the other accounts, includes it, probably as pointing to a damning accusation of Christians, he exposes the naked truth that we do run away.

Yet, that’s not all of the story.  One other piece of business occurred, almost lost in the skirmish.  There is the bit about the severed ear.  Luke adds that Jesus healed the wound.  The thought that cuts and blows were inflicted is probable; that a healing took place is conjecture.  Still the facts are violence was not one of the accusations against Jesus, which argues in favor of a healing if the wound was inflicted.  Furthermore, when Jesus healed someone it was never just the infliction.  He always healed the whole person.  So, whether he healed the chief priest’s slave or not, the message is clear; in spite of violence Jesus is the perpetrator of love and wholeness.

Martin Niemoller, prisoner of war, preacher, and theologian wrote, "How to Get Rid of Jesus?”  Caiaphas and his collaborators were convinced they could do it, but it was self-deception.  Let me tell you about the gallows.  (He said)

“... In front of my cell window in Dachau was a gallows.  I often had occasion to pray for the poor soul hanged.  Those gallows put a question to me, ‘what will happen when they bring me to that test and slip the rope around my neck?  In my last breath, will I curse them?’  But then came the second question, ‘What would have happened if Jesus died cursing his murders?  The world would be rid of him: no gospel, no great joy, no salvation, and no hope, not for anyone, not for you, not for me.  But Jesus said, ‘Father forgive them.’  Jesus was the healer of the world so they couldn’t get rid of him.  They didn’t take his life.  He gave it.  He brought healing to the very center of the storm, violence and betrayal swirling all around, and that too is our story.”

A recent survey of a hundred members of various churches asked, "Would it make any difference in your life if Christ hadn’t died on the cross?"  Forty-five said they didn’t think so.  Twenty-five thought it made a difference, but couldn’t say just what.  Twenty said it made all the difference in the world.  Ten said they didn’t know because they didn’t understand the cross.

It made all the difference in the world!  The Passion of Christ was not about the violence that occurred.  It was about magnifying God’s healing love.  It laid out in real life the events, the struggles we have, and the love that God offers.  This account is about the arresting circumstances of our lives and how we face them.

Its been said; "Somewhere in the world there should be a society deliberately devoted to the task of seeing how love can be made real, demonstrating love in its practice.  Unfortunately, there is only one candidate.  If God, as we believe, is truly revealed in the life of Jesus Christ, the most important thing is the creation of centers of loving fellowship, which in turn reflect what the world should be like.  Whether the world can be redeemed in this way we don’t know, but it is clear, there is no other way.”  (2)

It is we who have heard God’s call; it is we, and no other, who must bring this healing power to a violent, often well intentioned, but betraying world.  Our passion can be nothing less.

(1) Pascal
(2) Elton, True Blood

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