Jesus was one of thousands of people who had been crucified in his time. There is no worse way to die, and yet this heinous torture was a common event. Jesus had probably witnessed many crucifixions before his horrible moment had arrived. He knew what he would suffer, yet, he chose not to defend himself. He didn't run or hide or fight back, not even with words. He accepted his destiny, which he believed was his calling. Although it is not clear whether Jesus believed he was dying for everyone's sins, at least not in anything he himself had said, he did have a last supper in which he demonstrated his hope that his disciples would internalize his teachings and continue his mission to teach others to love everyone, even their enemies, feed the poor, heal the sick, and have faith in that higher power that he called, "Father" to help them to perform miracles.
The pain of crucifixion was so unbearable, even Jesus experienced a crisis of faith, asking why his Father had forsaken him. However, his faith seemed to be restored just before he died, and among his famous last words were, "Father, forgive them; they know not what they do." Of all the miracles Jesus reportedly performed, this is the one that shook me to my core. How could any man forgive his persecutors under these conditions? And how could anyone have faith in a loving higher power, by whatever name, after having suffered so much?
Surely those who loved Jesus must have experienced a crisis of faith as well. How could their God have allowed this? Why did their teacher so willingly abandon them? How would they survive without him? Was all this sufferiing really necessary? I wonder too, even though the story goes on to show Jesus resurrected from the dead. One could argue the resurrection was necessary to restore the faith of his followers, proving death is not eternal; only life is, and their teacher will still be with them, even when he seems to be gone.
The disciples must have felt great joy in that moment, and it is this moment that Christians still celebrate every Easter. However, like the first Christians, they still have a long way to go to fully internalize Jesus's teachings. Like the first Christians, they argue about dogma. Just as the disciples argued about whether or not Christians should be required to follow Jewish laws to be accepted in the church, Christians today quarrel about whether one must follow all their rules and declare Jesus as their Lord and Savior to be a member of their church, all of which Jesus would not have done. Regardless of how one interprets the purpose of the crucifixion and the resurrection, there can be no doubt that Jesus would not have excluded anyone. He was the man who forgave his persecutors and his disciples who had initially betrayed him. Clearly, Jesus can forgive anyone. All he wants us to do is live by his example: love courageously, even in the face of great suffering and death. Life and love are eternal. Although we sometimes suffer, we will experience great joy again in this world and the next.
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