Standing with the victims - Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 23:1-49 - Living by the Word - Column

Christian Century, March 22, 1995 by Darrell Jodock

THE IMPRESSION created by the Gospel text is that Jesus is the victim of conflicting purposes that are exacerbated by the personalities and fears of the main actors. The person whose life is at stake seems to be ignored. He "falls through the cracks," while others press their own advantage. Justice also falls through the cracks.

I wonder if the same kind of thing does not happen today. The poor or the powerless person is often a victim of conflicting political or economic interests. if "welfare reform" is the issue, the attention of lawmakers is likely to focus on the reaction of middle-class constituents rather than the needs of the aid recipients. In the debate on the legislative floor, the persons most affected by the legislation are virtually invisible. Candidates for political office promise to. "get tough on crime," then pass legislation without regard for those affected; regulatory agencies and corporations struggle for power while ignoring the citizen who is supposed to be protected.

In Jesus' day, the chief priests were appointed by the Roman officials. If they were to stay in office, they had to get along with the Romans. Apparently Caiaphas managed very well, because he was reappointed for 18 years. As events unfold in Luke, the main issue for the chief priests appears to be their own prestige, their standing with the crowds and with the Roman authorities. Although that status is uppermost in their minds, they try to alarm Pilate by appealing to his concerns. They charge Jesus with wanting to be a king and with stirring up the people. Both charges are likely to worry the person responsible for maintaining order and upholding Roman rule.

Pilate, however, seems more amused than worried. Maybe he sees through their stratagem. With wry humor he sends Jesus to Herod, knowing that Herod has used the title "king of the Jews" for himself and that his sons wanted to claim the same title but were forbidden by the Romans to use it. Herod and Pilate are not friendly, so this action is not intended as a courtesy. Does Pilate expect Herod to be offended by this itinerant preacher accused of claiming the title that Herod himself wants? We don't know. But Herod plays along with the joke and sends Jesus back dressed in an elegant, kingly robe. Moreover, he shrewdly avoids challenging Pilate's authority by returning the accused without any comment about his guilt.

Pilate then toys with the chief priests, telling them that neither he nor Herod has found Jesus guilty of anything. We can almost see him waiting with curiosity for their reaction. The "chief priests, the leaders and the people" cry out for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate tries to change their minds, since this is not the reaction he expected; but apparently things get out of hand, and they call again for Jesus' crucifixion.

We should not be surprised at the leaders. Their precarious position, balancing Jewish and Roman interests, is threatened by a principled, popular leader. But we are surprised that the people join in. One would have expected them to rally around Jesus. What was on their minds? How many were involved? Because of the pilgrims in Jerusalem, "the people" could have included quite a throng or merely a handful. We are not informed of their motives or numbers. Were they also drawn into a contest with Pilate, where the stakes had more to do with besting a hated tyrant than with Jesus? If so, Jesus is again being ignored while the other actors in the drama struggle with each other.

Pilate is known to have been a cruel and ineffective leader; eventually the Romans themselves removed him from office. On several occasions he provoked the Jews by challenging their religious sensibilities, then had them beaten or killed when they rose up in rebellion. In the case of Jesus the actions of Pilate seem merely cynical. Having lost control of the situation and not caring about the life of one man, he allows Jesus to be put to death. In the process he makes a charade of the Roman justice he is supposed to uphold.

Amid it all, no one is concerned about the victim. Not until after the deed is done do the crowds, who had come to see the spectacle, return home "beating their breasts."

The implications for Christian living are spelled out by the Philippians passage. The point is clearest if one includes the two verses that precede it. "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.... Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others. " Our task, Paul is saying, is to have the mind of Christ, not the mentality of all those who helped sentence him to death. They were grasping after power; he was not. The task of Christians is to keep our attention firmly fixed on those "falling through the cracks" so that there is someone present to watch out for their interests.

Jesus stood alone amid the power plays that surrounded him. He stood alone so that no one should ever have to do so again. In Luke's eyes the Lord anointed Jesus "to bring good news to the poor. . . to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free." The good news of what God has done in Jesus is to benefit those falling through the cracks. When Jesus read these words from Isaiah, he said to the people in the synagogue, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Whether Luke's words continue to be fulfilled in our hearing depends on us. Will we watch out for persons who stand alone while those in power give their attention to other things? For Luke and Paul, that is the question. The author is Darrell Jodock, professor of religion at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and author of The Church's Bible: Its Contemporary Authority (Fortress).