The fourteenth and fifteenth chapters of Marks gospel have to be one of the most utterly captivating character portrayals in antiquity. This is a historical account of an itinerant preacher who thinks hes the divine Son of God; professes to be the Jewish Messiah before the Jewish authority; who is presented to a Roman prefect, before whom he professes to be King of the Jews, and who orders his death; is crucified as a common criminal with accompanying phenomena of preternatural vigor; who cries out in utter abandonment on the cross, My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so very far? And then his disciples went out and turned the world upside down. Paul is so obsessed with the resurrection that Athens thinks ἀνάστασις is his God. And it is! Christ-God is αναστασις και η ζωη, resurrection and life. This is why the Passion Narrative just of itself, combined with the history of primitive Christianity, implies the resurrection. Why is the crucifixion of a poor Jewish carpenter, who makes enormous claims that end in God, why have you forsaken me? at all interesting? He seems like just another failed Messiah. And yet, look at the depth of his wisdom, of his understanding, of his grasp of humanity; his gentle-severity, and severe gentleness. Look at his unflagging love of this being he called his Father to the bitter end, the obedience; his unremitting awareness of his identity; his gentle compassion. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. Look at how his disciples reacted three days after his crucifixion. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love (θεος αγαπη εστιν) and he who abides in love (agape) abides in God, and God in him. Mystery of mysteries. Its compelling enough to make a Christian out of even a doubting Thomas like me.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 06:20:45 +0000
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