Feeling Sorry For Jesus

Sermon on Luke 23:26-31

Brothers and sisters, I have a confession to make. I know that as a pastor, sometimes there are expectations from others – some things you ought to do, some things you ought not to do. Brace yourselves in case you find this shocking. This is my confession: I have not seen the movie The Passion of Christ. [1] Yes, I’m referring to the one directed by Mel Gibson almost 10 years ago, and still the highest grossing R-rated film of all time. I do understand that it was a very popular movie among many Christians when it was screened. I still remember some church members telling me: “The Passion of Christ, have you watched it? It’s so good right? I’ve watched it so many times, and every time I’ve cried. Have you watched it yet?” Well, brothers and sisters, I have not. To be fair, I should not be commenting on the movie since I have not watched it for myself. However, I wish to explain my reluctance. First and foremost, I prefer comedy over drama. You can tell I’m the gentle and sensitive romantic comedy type of guy. And so a story about some guy getting horribly tortured till death really isn’t my cup of tea. You might say: “But this isn’t any guy. This is Jesus. You are a pastor. How can you not experience the cinematic witnessing of his suffering and pain?” So let me be clear: I am a fan of Jesus. I’m just not a fan of the whipping and the nailing, especially one that is explicitly and extensively portrayed. And allow me to counter the argument, what makes the movie a good depiction of the passion of Christ? Some might say that well, all these whipping, beating and the pain of the crucifixion, weren’t they all recorded in the bible? Perhaps it is so. But my contention is that the physical pain of the process was never emphasized in the gospels. Never. In fact, it is barely a few lines in Luke. In this period of Lent, maybe it is time to ask why. Why was the suffering so understated, especially in Luke?

When we are asked to reflect on the suffering and death of Jesus in Lent, we might assume that the focus should be on the pain and the hardships. That might be instinctive for us and that’s normal. The gory details might stick in our memory and fester in our imagination. The degree of the suffering seems to be the compelling factor of the entire story. That is always the case when we want to describe the death of a great hero. “He was so brave. He endured the pain. The torture was brutal. But he suffered through it, for us.” In some years, we use the Stations of the Cross [2] as a reflection for Lent in Jubilee. It is a traditional devotional method, based on a route in Jerusalem, meditating upon the chief scenes of Christ's sufferings and death. In the scenes, Jesus falls down, not once but 3 times. This is clearly a way to reminiscence on the difficulty of the journey to Golgotha. Jesus was so weak he could barely move. He could not carry his own cross. A women named Veronica pitied Jesus and wiped his face. So poor thing, so pitiful. It may be instinctive for us either to be shocked by the horror, or to be moved by the pain. There’s nothing wrong in feeling this way. But beyond emotions, we have to ask, is that really the message of the passion of Christ? Is it the point of our reflections in Lent? When these emotions become dominant, it may be easy to use them as a form of persuasion; when we are feeling sorry for Jesus, that this sacrifice must mean so much. In the event of a tragedy, we can choose to dwell on the emotions of the loss, because we can already feel our hearts aching. It may be easy to manipulate these feelings, either for preaching or evangelism. It may be easy. But is it right? We ask again, is that really the message of the passion of Christ? Is it the point of our reflections in Lent?

What comes to your mind what we talk about crucifixion? I suspect that for most of us, it might be the imagery of nailing. Even in other movies about Jesus where it is less graphic and violent, I still vividly remember the scenes of the hammering. But when I revisit the bible, again it is understated. Only once it is mentioned in the gospels. Thomas said, ““Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:24) But Jesus went on to say: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) Paul said: “He forgave us all our sin, … ; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14) But Paul went on to say: “15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Paul mentioned the nails, but only as a sign of defiance, it is an act of victory. Forget about the nails then. What about the afflictions and the wounds? Quoting from Isaiah 53 about the suffering servant, 1 Peter 2: 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” This is true. The pain and suffering are connected to the salvific work of Jesus. But Peter went on to say: “25 For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” It may be just thorns on Jesus’ head. But to us, it is a crown.

Allow me to sum up my point thus far. The horror and pain of the suffering of Jesus, the passion of Christ, often leads us towards sympathy for Jesus. Whether it is in worship or in evangelism, we declare, “Jesus died for you.” It may be said with the best of intentions, and it is theologically sound. But it may end up being interpreted as a form of emotional blackmail. Another person might say: “So what? I didn’t ask for him to die. It is very sad. But it means nothing to me.” I sometimes wonder how Jesus would respond to the way we dramatize his suffering to score emotional points. “Please, I do not need any sympathy votes.” [3]

In our passage today, 28 Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.” Luke seemed to have described a Jesus who was totally insensitive to the sorrow of his sympathizers. Whatever sympathy you have, save it for yourselves. We often sympathize with a person who is worse off than us; rarely do we sympathize with someone who is better off than us. On the surface, the crowd appeared to be better off than Jesus. Jesus was on his way to die. They felt sorry for him. They were blessed with children. They had years ahead of them. They had a future. But Jesus told them to weep for themselves. A time will come when they would wish they had no children. Then they wouldn’t suffer the pain of children dying or their children becoming orphans. A time will come when they wished they were dead. Then they wouldn’t suffer the pain of living. This time probably refers to the Jewish war in AD70. That was when Jerusalem was destroyed and its inhabitants slaughtered. However, “a time will come” is also a common phrase for judgment time. And so this prophecy takes on a greater meaning than just a territorial war in the outskirts of the Roman Empire. It is divine action upon unrepentance and sin. The crowd felt sorry for Jesus, but Jesus saw that they should be feeling sorry for their won future. This was why Jesus told them not to weep for him; weep for yourselves and for your children.

One day, a wealthy family man took his son on a trip to the country so he could have his son see how poor country people were. They stayed one day and one night at the farm of a very humble farm family.
When they got back home the father asked the son, "What did you think of the trip"?
The son replied, "Very nice Dad."
Dad said, "Did you notice how poor they were?"
"Yes".
"So, what did you learn from this trip?"
"I've learned that we have one dog in the house, and they have four. We have a fountain and imported lamps in our garden, they have a stream with no end and the stars in the sky. Our garden goes to the edge of our property, they have the entire horizon as their back yard." At the end of the son's reply the father was speechless and then his son said, "Thank you Dad, for showing me how poor we really are." [4]

Christianity has always been a religion of paradoxical values. We have our own unique perspectives of wealth and poverty; true fortune and misery. And an opposite discernment of strength and weakness. What is seemingly suffering and shame becomes our power and glory. This is why Paul says “I’m not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16). This is why we sing the hymn “in the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever.” (十字架，十字架，永是我的荣耀) And what is seemingly a blessing may become a reason for sorrow. By conventional wisdom, children are a blessing. Life is a blessing. Childlessness was considered a shame and a disgrace in Israel. Yet, when judgment comes, barrenness now becomes a blessing. Death becomes a blessing. Strange isn’t it? I think the key lies again in “interpreting the times.” (Luke 12:56) Jesus used this as a metaphor: “31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” He was again using fire as a metaphor for judgment. If they were feeling sorry for him – the burning of a fresh green tree – how much more would they lament, when they themselves burnt as dry firewood? The metaphor is clear, the impending judgment would be far worse than the crucifixion of just a few men. Yet, do they recognize it? Are they feeling the heat? There is a legend on how to boil a frog. [5] If you put a frog in hot water, it would escape after feeling the heat. But if you put it in cold water and very slowly turn up the heat, it would stay inside and be boiled eventually. Brothers and sisters, are you feeling the heat? If judgment comes, would it catch you unaware?

In an earlier sermon, I’ve asked for repentance in the face of coming judgment. [6] Today, let’s go a little further. Repentance must be followed by an act and will to follow Jesus. Lent is a time where we reflect on the suffering and death of Jesus. But what is the objective of our reflection? To feel sorry for Jesus? No. Absolutely not. It is good to have compassion and sympathy, but only when you really recognize who is the one in real danger. I think that one of the objectives of Lent is for us to recognise that this cross is for us. Jesus was judged when he was innocent. It is sad. But the burning of green wood would be tame compared to the burning of dry firewood. “If God has not spared Jesus, how much more will the impenitent nation not be spared when divine judgment comes?” [7] Our judgment as sinners would be unbearable. Matthew 16: 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. First, be moved by our repentance, then let us carry our own cross and follow Jesus. The full meaning of the verse in Matthew cannot be easily explained in a few words. But it definitely involves a recognition of who Jesus is, and who we are. So you see the suffering of Jesus? That is Jesus. But how about you? Are you feeling the heat? Repent and follow Jesus.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Passion_of_the_Christ
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stations_of_the_Cross
[3] http://sg.news.yahoo.com/pap-candidate-koh-poh-koon--i-m-my-own-man-054442949.html
[4] http://www.naute.com/jokes/howpoor.phtml
[5] This legend is now proven false. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog
[6] http://www.jubilee.org.sg/sermons/id/440/
[7] NIV Application Commentary, p1847