The Cross is sometimes not understood by non-Christians. Why should Christians venerate this awful event, and even, to use Paul’s words, glory in the Cross? It seems perverse. The opposite is true. This is where human sin and evil is thrown in the face of God and God’s response is not to leave us in our sin, but to carry our sins in Christ’s body on the cross. It is proactively goodness in action. The Good is there first. There is a deeper truth than the sinfulness we all evidence and it is God’s eternal goodness, and then forgiveness and grace. We get what we do not deserve, God’s love. Even when we are lost in our wretchedness, God’s love reaches out to us, even when we are locked into our human failures, we are welcome, as was the thief on the cross. The words of Jesus on the Cross, “Father forgive them; they know not what they do” shouted through excruciating (sic.) pain show that even though we are locked in failure and the tramlines of sin, the Son of God is with us. By his stripes we are healed. This is the place where the clarity and truth of all human existence is evidenced in God with us and not against us, even though we are usually against God and lost in our own ways. All of this, and more, is true about the universal significance of the cross for human life – for redemption, being saved, being born again, dying to self, taking up the cross, counting all things but loss compared with knowing Christ and knowing him crucified, knowing atonement for our sins. There are many central Christian themes we could open up here, but it has been done by many others you could better read. Here we focus down on our theme of militarism and see what it says to us.
The Cross was the product of militarism. It was the Roman fear machine. Josephus describes the process in Christ’s infancy when revolting men were strung up on crosses in Galilee and elsewhere to eradicate rebellion.
Upon this Varus (the Roman commander) sent a part of his army into the country, to seek out those who had been the authors of the revolt; and when they were discovered, he punished some of them that were most guilty, and some he dismissed; now the number of those that were crucified on this account were two thousand: after which he disbanded his army…
The crucified bodies by the roadside worked. Rebellion was nearly eradicated for a lifetime. Fear is the currency of militarism – “Do our will or we will kill you” is the mantra. All military power hangs on that, and our leaders use fear day in day out to keep the military strong. Crucifixion is the ultimate expression of this militarist drive. When you have seen one, you do not want to fight. This is what We can do to you. We can publicly torture you to death. But people need reminding. We forget that two others were crucified with Christ, petty criminals, to keep the fear in people’s eyes. This will happen to you. This state of fear is epidemic now. Crucifixion was the demonstration of killing, not just the act, so that the people might fear. It is the warning of murder on stage. It is in your face militarism, part of the equipment which spread Roman rule among rebellious peoples around the “known” world.
Christ had already stood against this in his teaching; he insisted, “Do not fear those who can kill you, but fear God. This is not a gratuitous statement, but an attack on the principle of the Roman Empire, inviting the disciples to go beyond death to the God of life and death. It is undermining the whole basis of militarism. It is the key strategic move. It is not foolhardy. Jesus warns his disciples about the coming sacking of Jerusalem and says, “Keep away, because appalling things will happen.” And throughout his ministry he did nothing which would put the lives of his disciples in jeopardy. There is a part of Jesus prayer with his disciples in the Upper Room which reflects this.
“Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me- so they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.”
Jesus’ Name is Son of God and the disciples, as peacemakers, are children of God, and protection is a major motif over them, but on other terms than those of militarism, as of course we now protect through law, inspection, care, mentoring and moral probity. Judas was lost through suicide, but this emphasis on protection is part of the package and in turn devolves on us, as Jesus’ warning about any damage to a child emphasizes – “It were better that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he were thrown in the sea than to cause any one of these little ones to stumble. So, this call not to fear is not arrogant, but addressing the underlying strategic issue of disarming military fear and replacing it with protection and peace. Christ extracts this fear of death from us and lives the truth of peace. For some it has meant martyrdom, not the martyrdom of killing others, but the martyrdom of being killed, but they are the exception, living good in an early death.. As this battle against the fear of militarism comes to a conclusion, Jesus is suffering pain and laceration, yet without revenge.
Many of us now just go about our daily business without the fear of being killed arising, but we do not ask how this situation came about and the earlier courage that millions have had to show in the face of threats of attack and war. More than this, we are not aware of this issue because we, with machine guns, bombs and missiles, have often been the ones dishing out death or threatening to do so, and we cannot put ourselves in the place of those who are continually threatened in “our” colonies and vassal states. We have not even turned up for this issue, except to soak up the messages of fear dished up by our militarists.
The problem of the Cross for the Temple Party was that Christ was fearless. They had to kill the Best, the healer, helper, affirmer, the good man, or else their empire, giving them immense wealth, would be threatened. When Jesus cleared the Temple of moneychangers he made a joke of it. “destroy this Temple and I will rebuild it in three days.” He was destroying the Temple system and they were defending it. Forty six years it took to build. What is he on about? They could not understand God with us or see through to the resurrection. He confronted the Temple system without fear, identifying its hypocrisy, and he had to go. Many evil leaders have tried that route since. To silence the good and the true, they have to die.
Christ had fully set out the way of peace. He warned, “Those who take the sword will perish by the sword.” And “Love your enemies.” And “Don’t retaliate.” And “Blessed are the makers of peace.” And “Sort out your quarrels fast.” He taught his disciples to pass on peace, extending its scope, and required them to forgive others. It was the recipe for good living together. But then, as now, those who want power through might oppose and fear this message. So, Christ had to be killed. He went, after a bogus trial, to the Cross, to be killed on it, and so defeated, the King of the Jews and the Son of God. He knew the other way. He wept over the carnage coming to Jerusalem as he looked down on it. “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes…” and he detailed the coming crisis when the streets near the Temple ran with so much blood that it put the fires out and a million died. He saw it coming and warned. He was no insurrectionist; indeed, Barabbas got off and Christ was sentenced by a manipulated rabble before Pilate.
Jesus was nailed on the Cross, the fear machine and said, “Father forgive them. They know not what they do.” It was the understatement of all time, nailing the fatuity of all militarism, the broken legs and spear in the side arrogance of might. Our stupidity and evil can be forgiven and healed. The Cross was defeated by the One on it. The fear of death was faced and overcome. The bluff of militarism is called.
The Resurrection and the Fear of being killed.
On the first day of the week, with soldiers at the tomb he rose again, and kept reminding the disciples, “Do not fear”. Emboldened by the Resurrection, they did not. They were persecuted for being peacemakers, the great perversity of militarism, hauled in front of rulers. Sometimes, they were martyred to kill their way, but the victory over militarism started, the not quite Holy Roman Empire, peace movements, the gentle spreading of the Good News, and even nation speaking peace to nation and the good sense of God’s peace, sometimes courageous, but usually quite ordinary. Christianity has spread through most nations on earth through word of mouth and word of life, not through the sword and the Good News of the Gospel of peace has spread.
Frequently, we have partly seen though the militarists. We know Hitler has only got one ball. Still the militarists come back, justifying their weapons and controlling political leaders. They try to teach us to fear and make money from weapons. Yet in Christ this system is defeated. The Lamb is on the Throne, not the military dictator. The Good News of peace, far easier than war and armament, can flow across the globe, blessing ordinary people beyond measure. We need learn war no more. The cross, the instrument of military control over conquered populations, was itself conquered to become in part a symbol of the defeat of militarism. We wear it round our necks, jangling as we run, and mark its defeat. Because of God’s greater power, the gentle kingdom still grows, despite Christian failings.
This is only part of the significance of cross and resurrection of Christ, but it is an important part. After the resurrection Jesus insisted more than once on saying, “Peace be with you.” Its meaning is powerful. Peace be with you. Peace be with you. Peace be with you. Peace be with you. May God’s peace indwell you, by faith and obedience. Carry God’s peace with you. Let it be carried person to person. The transmission of peace from ordinary person to person is part of the way the kingdom grows. As Jesus had earlier said to the disciples, “As you enter a home give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest there.” We are all ordinary people with failings and weaknesses, but we can, by faith, carry Christ’s peace and pass it on to others. We are called to peace. We can be thousands, millions, billions of people of peace, who deconstruct this great militarist edifice of evil and destruction, who end the next wars ten years before they might arrive and who find our enemies become our friends. And so, the early Christians come to understand that the Lamb is on the throne, the small, frisky, woolly, cuddly lamb is the Christ, replacing the power of Caesar and the oppressors and militarists down the ages, and the Lamb shall rule us all.
God has said to us. Be still, listen to me.
I forgive your past sins.
Put away your weapons and love your enemies.
My Peace be with you always.