52. The Crucifixion

The crucifixion is problematic for us.  It should be.  It was violent, it was ugly, it was brutal – our depictions of the crucifixion do not capture how awful and vulgar it would have been.  And we, you and I, are responsible.  Most if not all of our thoughts, theology, philosophy, understanding of the events on Golgotha mitigate our culpability.  But the truth is that you and I would have nailed him to the cross; not only joyfully, but gleefully, .  We would have been teaching that bastard a lesson.

We would have hated him, for he was able to look at us and know our failings and still love us.  We would have had a sense of his divinity and we would have known that deep love and compassion that he has for us.  Such is our belief in the need for punishment that we could not have tolerated that depth of compassion.

What happened on the cross, the whys and wherefores are essential to our faith. For me the importance of how does a loving God reconcile a lost people to himself cannot be over stated.  Each of the theories, has an impact into how we understand the nature of God, his Grace and Love, and how we are to be with each other.  No crucifixion – no Christianity.  The events of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are how we are reconciled to God. 

The classic penal substitution theology states that God was so mad at us and our sin, that he had to seek justice.  Of the people that I have talked to about the theory of penal substitution many have talked about God being an infinite being and thus being infinitely offended by us.  They seem to be mute on this infinite being also being infinitely loving, compassionate and forgiving.  I have not seen a biblical reference to God being offended by us, infinitely or otherwise. But he also loved man so much that he sent his Son Jesus Christ to take the punishment for our sin, thus satisfying God’s love for us while fulfilling God’s need for justice.  I do not believe that!

It seems to clear to me that God did not demand sacrifice.  And I believe that God’s demand of justice was restorative, not retributive.  If, and it is a mighty if, God was the architect of the crucifixion then why would Christ call out, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

I believe, and as all things this is open to being altered, that it was religion that put Christ on the cross.  We know that the religious elite had conspired to kill Christ.  It was not God.  Just as God did not demand sacrifice, God did not put Jesus on the cross. It was the religion of the day, and their belief in the punitive nature of God, that had Jesus killed.

It is our propensity for violence, for punishment, the basis of the religion that we believe that we need to appease an angry God, that would have put Christ on the cross.  Christ’s message was antithetical to what we believe is religion, the garnering of favour with God, of proving our importance.  That message led to the murder of Christ.  And in the midst of that, and I have written of how horrible crucifixion, Christ forgives us.

One of the theories of the cross that I believe has merit, is that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, is the forgiveness that he offers as we are killing him.  It is his dismissing the debt of his murder, even while he is being killed.

The crucifixion of Christ I think in many ways resolved that dichotomy between our need for sacrifice, and the desire of God to bring us into relationship with him. 

In the book of Hebrews it talks about the sacrifice of Christ, the shedding of his blood, as being the “Once for All” sacrifice.  It was the same religion that demanded sacrifice, that put God, through Christ, on the cross.  It was God’s display of love, of his desire to bring us into relationship with him, that had him submit to his own execution. The question posed in the book of Hebrews I believe is – Is that enough?

I know that this is not a complete theology of the cross.  It is a work in progress.  What I do know, is that this side of my own death that I will more than likely not fully understand the events of Golgatha.  How could I?  But I contend that on the day, it was not Wrath of God was being satisfied. 

So my friend, and you know who you are, I hope this answers your question, or rather helps you wrap your head around my denial of the doctrine of Penal Substitution.  In all honesty, I see it as being human nature to demand our pound of flesh, or retribution.  God on the other hand I believe just wants to love us and have us be good to each other.

But go and learn what this means:

'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'

For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Matthew 9:13