Good Friday Homily
April 21, 2000
Fr. Joseph Neiman
Why was Christ killed?
The traditional answer to that question is that God sent Jesus into the world to suffer and die on the Cross to take away our sins. The theologians since Anselm in the 11th century, Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century and John Calvin in the 16th century, have taught that Jesus died to atone for our sins, to make satisfaction, or to pay the debt owed to the infinite God because of human sin. They taught that only a divine person could repay such a debt, and that Jesus took away all human sin by his death on the cross, not only that of 1st century people, but also yours and mine today. That has led to the teaching: accept Jesus as Lord, welcome him into your heart, and your sins are taken away, you are made right with God.
This approach, which I believe is true in part, leads easily to a Jesus and I understanding of spirituality. Jesus has saved me, and I need to claim that reality and live accordingly.
I believe that is much too narrow a view of the death of Jesus. I would like this evening to expand that view with some historical and sociological information which might help us to develop in this new millennium a more communal spirituality, one that helps us live out our Baptismal promise wherein we promised to "strive for justice and peace among all people, and [to] respect the dignity of every human being" (BCP P. 294).
Let's go back for a moment to 1st century Palestine, and in particular, Jerusalem, the holy city.
Palestine, or what we now call Israel, was always caught between the powers to the north, such as the Persian and Seleucid empires, and the Pharaohs in the South in Egypt. Various armies strode through Palestine in one direction or the other.
When Cyrus of Persian sent the exiles home from Babylon, they rebuilt the Temple and sought to live faithful to the Torah, the teachings of Moses. Cyrus allowed them to use their religious law as the law for Jerusalem, and to offer sacrifices in the restored Temple.
The Temple was where God dwelt, it was the center of the universe, the place where the chaos of broken creation was restored to unity by the living out of the Torah, God's vision for humanity.
It is hard for us, who believe we can encounter the Divine anywhere, to appreciate how important, how central the Temple was for the life of the Jewish people in the centuries before Christ. The temple was composed of there parts. Jewish men could enter the first, the priests could enter the second, and only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and then one on select days of the year.
In 170 BC, Jason, who was the ruler of Jerusalem and the surrounding area, attempted to separate his small kingdom from the dominance of the Seleucid King Antiochus. On what we would now date as December 15th in the year 167 BC, Antiochus marched into Jerusalem and put down the revolt. He also plundered the Temple, entered the Holy of Holies, and removed many of the sacred objects, such as the golden incense altar, and all the vessels and censers.
This was an abomination, a major affront to the Jews in Jerusalem. Antiochus even went so far as to rededicate the Temple to the Greek god, Zeus, and to forbid Sabbath rest, circumcision, sacrifices, and the observance of the purity laws in the Torah.
That abomination led to the Jewish revolt in 164 BC in which Judas Maccabeus took control of Jerusalem once again, and forced Antiochus to reverse his edict against religious practices. On the 25th of December (in our calendar) in 164, the leaders rededicated the Temple and started what we now know as the feast of Chanukah.
Many internal tensions plagued Jerusalem as well as the Seleucid empire. Finally in 64 BC the Roman general Pompey deposed the last of the Seleucid kings and headed to Jerusalem. The leaders in Jerusalem were divided in to factions but most fortified the Temple and parts of the city against the Romans who overcame them, however, in September of 63 BC. Twelve thousand Jews were killed in the slaughter, and to the horror of all once again, Pompey entered the Holy of Holies of the Temple and desecrated it.
When Julius Caesar came to power in Rome, he appointed Herod King of the Jews. Herod was very astute and could shift with the changes in Rome, so when Caesar was assassinated, Herod sided with Mark Anthony. But Herod did not have control of Jerusalem, so with the help of Mark Anthony, in 37 BC they laid siege again to the holy city and overcame resistance four months later. Once again there was a horrible massacre. Thousands of Jews were killed and blood flowed in the Temple area again.
Herod was a master builder, but a cruel and harsh ruler. He built fortresses in which to hide both from his own people and from the Romans. Several of these are famous even today. In 19 BC he decided to expand the Temple area, but he was also very careful not to enter it himself. The restored Temple was a magnificent sight, and pilgrims came from all around the land for the great feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Sukkoth. Passover was an especially popular festival. Each family group would sacrifice a paschal lamb in the Temple and eat it together that evening in a festive supper that recalled the liberation of their people from Egypt.
Herod killed his wife and three of his sons because he believed they were plotting against him - and most likely were. In the year 4 BC (some say this is the year Jesus was born), Herod placed a golden Eagle, the symbol of the pagan god Jupiter and of imperial Rome, over the Temple Gate. Two Jewish leaders climbed up and removed them, and Herod subsequently caught and killed them.
When Herod died, he left two wills concerning who should succeed him. His two sons traveled to Rome to plead their case before Augustus Caesar. Before they left, pilgrims were pouring into Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Passions were high, and because of the martyrdom of the two teachers, a massive demonstration broke out. Herod's son in charge in Jerusalem sent troops again into the Temple courts where three thousand people were killed. Unlike the previous massacres, this time it was Jewish blood shed by Jewish troops.
Rome was not pleased, and Caesar sent Pontius Pilate to take charge over Herod's son. Pilate angered the people of Jerusalem when he sent his troops into the city at night and raised up standards of imperial Rome near the Temple. Pilate himself violated it again by entering the Holy of Holies.
Into this charged atmosphere comes an itinerant Jewish prophet names Jesus. He enters with the loud acclaim of the pilgrims gathered for the Passover. Like the prophets before him, he has sided with the poor, the sick, the outcasts. He has warned his disciples against the seductive power of wealth, and he has taught them not to lord it over others but to humble servants of others.
He marches into the outer courts of Temple and drives out the money changers. He teaches a radical interpretation of the Torah stressing that it what comes out of the mouth of people which can be unclean not what goes into it. He tells them the Temple will be destroyed and it is not needed to worship God. He even speaks of himself as Son of God.
So what killed Jesus? Greed, the lust for power, prejudice, fear of losing wealth - these are the basic human motivations that led to the specific decisions which resulted in the arrest, torture, and death of Jesus.
Remember the parable Jesus taught:
Mat 21:33-41 " There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34 When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35 But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance." 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" 41 They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time."
In reflecting on the religious meaning of Jesus' death, I believe God did not intend Jesus to balance some supernatural scale by atoning or satisfying divine justice, but that God intended that His people would listen to Jesus and become faithful to God's teaching once again.
So what does this mean to us today?
First, some facts to contemplate:
Do we have greed in the world around us? Do we have the quest for power? Do we have the prejudice that leads to violence or death of other people? Do we have massacres? Destruction of the sacred? Do we have grave injustices that need to be made right? Listen:
Statements re greed and power
"Each citizen of Canada and the US emits more that 20 tons of greenhouse gases per year, while each citizen of a third-world country emits less than 2 tons." (Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee Initiative)
"We have about 50% of the world wealth, but only 6.3% of its population…. In this situation we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment…." (George Kennan, 1948)
"Farmable land continues to be converted into residential or industrial property. The rate varies in different parts of the world; in 1998 in Massachusetts, arable land was being converted at the rate of two acres per hour." (CEJI)
"About one fifth of the world's population, over 800 million people, are chronically malnourished because of poverty. 75% of this number are women." (Bread for the World)
"The privatization of significant sections of economic life have meant that ownership and control of major agricultural and production enterprises has been put into the hands of international companies controlled in the West…. Instead of concentrating on the production of food, clothing, and shelter for the local community, economies are having to satisfy the needs of the international markets. This has increased the division between the nations and within nations. (Lambeth 1998)
"Thirty years ago, the richest fifth of humanity received about 75% of world income, and the poorest fifth received 2.3%. Today, the richest fifth receives 85%, and the share for the poorest fifth has shrunk to 1.4%." (CEJI)
"The UN estimates that unpaid work would be worth $16 trillion a year if it had to be paid for ‑ about 40% of the total world work output. Women do about 60% of this unpaid work; about 70% of people who live in poverty are women." (UN)
"If the minimum wage had increased at the same rate as executive salaries since 1980, minimum wage workers would now be earning over $75,000 a year. The average chief executive officer made 44 times what the average worked made in 1965, 144 times in 1994, and 326 times in 1997." (Service Employees International Union)
Teaching of Jesus:
Now here afresh the teaching of Jesus;
Luke 12:15-21 (NRSV) And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." 16 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' 18 Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."
Luke 16:19-31 (NRSV) "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. 24 He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' 25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' 27 He said, 'Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house-- 28 for I have five brothers--that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' 29 Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' 30 He said, 'No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"
Luke 18:18-25 (NRSV) A certain ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 19 Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 20 You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.'" 21 He replied, "I have kept all these since my youth." 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." 23 But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
Listen to what James, the brother of Jesus, derived from Jesus' teaching:
James 2:1-5 (NRSV) My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? 2 For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3 and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat here, please," while to the one who is poor you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet," 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?
James 5:1-6 (NRSV) Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. 2 Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. 4 Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you.
This year we are celebrating a Jubilee year akin to what Jesus proclaimed where he entered the synagogue, as Luke recalls, and proclaimed "the year of the Lord's favor." What does Jubilee 2000 mean for us?
Jubilee serves a universal cause--the cause of a gospel that wants to proclaim "liberty throughout the land"--it is an ideal with a very practical strategy. . .to eat what is out of the field: to ground what we dream in what we do. . .to build what we need with what we have. When we begin to explore all of the resources that Jubilee 2000 has to offer, what we will find is that same expression of the holy in the everyday.
Jubilee 2000 calls us to four of the most pragmatic, basic needs of our human family:
First, to nurture, protect, and celebrate God's creation. Jubilee 2000 is rooted in the common-sense call to a Christian witness in caring for the Earth. If we are to eat what is out of the field, then we must care for that field as the stewards God has commissioned us to be.
Second, to share the wealth of the world equitably and with a true sense of justice. Jubilee 2000 tackles one of the most fundamental issues of our time: the need to solve the growing disparity between rich and poor around the world. If there is to be real peace on earth, then the harvest of the field must be shared.
Third, to release human beings from all forms of captivity. Jubilee 2000 speaks the realistic language of the evening news; it tells of what happens when people are oppressed, denied, and manipulated, it confronts this bondage of the human spirit with pragmatic solutions. In the fields of God's hope, there must be no forced labor.
Fourth, to restore community through reconciliation and respect. Jubilee 2000 grounds the vision of God's justice in everyday acts of our baptismal covenant to uphold human dignity and to serve the cause of healing through Christ. The field is our home, a home where every person stands together to work together in love and compassion.
Finally, Jubilee 2000, like its ancient ancestor, the Book of Leviticus, is an invitation to lead a holy life. Not through minute rules of ritual conduct, but rather through the free-flowing Spirit of joy that is the birthright of justice. Jubilee 2000 offers an opportunity for spiritual renewal to every parish and diocese. It takes the global vision of a transformed world and brings it right into the pews of the corner church. Jubilee 2000 is accessible, honest, meaningful worship, not only for Sundays, but for every day that we awake to the dawn of our common mission in Christ.
In short, Jubilee 2000 is a unique mixture of vision and common sense. It lifts up an ideal--God's purpose for creation--but it does so with challenges that any Christian community can claim for its own, commit to in practical forms of ministry, and live out in a spirit of celebrated hope.
And perhaps that is the greatest opportunity that Jubilee 2000 offers: it is ultimately the call to hope. It tells us that reality is not beyond our control, even if the world seems to be spinning faster than we can comprehend. In an age of anxiety and materialism, when many people feel isolated and lost in the technological circus of information and entertainment, and when so many others live on the fringes of the glittering millennium in hunger, poverty, and struggle, Jubilee 2000 reminds us that we have the authority through God to change our own history. We can, if we choose, preserve this planet as the garden it was intended to be. We can feed those who hunger and lift every human being to dignity. We can free one another from bondage and allow every person to live in safety and peace. We can heal the hurt of centuries and build a home for humanity in the shelter of God's grace. And we can do all of these things as Jubilee envisions: by using what we have, by sharing what we need, by giving what we can to transform the everyday into the sacred.
Is "Jubilee 2000" just another church slogan? Ultimately, the answer to that question is up to you...to you and me and every other Christian who encounters it. We can leave the dream of God's jubilee buried in the back pages of Leviticus, an ideal whose time never seemed to come, or we can take that ideal and with God's grace incarnate it into our own time and history. The choice is ours. In making that decision, consider that Jubilee 2000 is a timely response to real needs. Consider how it draws even the most elevated hope from the Bible down to the most humble need of the human heart. Look to the vision of its idealism, but take hold of the practical actions it embodies. Use the resources, the ideas, the opportunities of Jubilee to put mission to work in the common field of our shared endeavor. Let the dream of an ancient people move through the hard work of this generation to become the inheritance of generations yet unborn. Let your own commitment become your proclamation of a jubilee. Step out into the world with a confidence of faith that sets itself the goal of transforming the Earth one day at a time. Believe that the time has come to renew the church. Believe with such a heart that you must act, and then act with such belief that you must see. See the change. See the hope and the transformation. See justice grow in a field rich with the harvest of peace for all creation.
Jesus walked into Jerusalem faithful to God's call to Him to renew the faith of His people by calling them to faithfulness to the covenant. The religious and political powers in Jerusalem at that time, supported by the consent of the people preferred greed, prejudice, power, wealth, and self centeredness rather than hear the Word of God shared in their midst by the words and deeds of Jesus.
Jesus is being put to death again in the least of the brethren in the world around us. Will we cheer with the crowd: "Crucify Him!" Will we ask for the release Barabbas, rather than identify with Jesus? That's the Good Friday question presented to each of us.
God bless you and keep you, this day and always, and remember, the good Lord loves you more than you can ask for or even imagine. Do you believe it?.