Tone death: Gerald Drewett on Jesus’ crucifixion

‘The Jesus story speaks to God’s standard of moral conduct.’

Last month Elizabeth Coleman asked what Friends made of Jesus’ crucifixion (‘A big ask’, 19 January). Here’s my answer.

As early hunter-gatherer societies developed, they asked fundamental questions of themselves. These were passed down as stories. In the Old Testament, for example, we have the story of Adam and Eve. Adam, representing humankind, ate from the tree of knowledge in defiance of God, and thereby assumed responsibility for maintaining the garden. God expelled Adam from the garden (paradise) until he proved he was capable of exercising that responsibility. Life was then understood to be a struggle to return to paradise (the kingdom of heaven).

Subsequent societies understood themselves as sinners, born of Adam’s line, and they offered sacrifices to appease God. They understood God in terms of the moral standards of their day, and it was left to the prophets to declare that God wanted righteousness, not burnt offerings. But the traditional idea of sacrifice was still applied to Jesus’ death by crucifixion: he died to appease God, so that our sins might be forgiven. This was taken literally, not metaphorically, so this attempted reconciliation – atonement – had to be given a logical reasoning. Anselm provided one, but, like the Protestant teaching of 500 years later, it was based on the moral standards of the day.  Those standards demanded that: wrongdoing (sin) should be punished; God cannot forgive sin without inflicting punishment; Jesus took the punishment on himself by being crucified; those who believe in Jesus are then freed from the consequences of their sin, and accepted by God. Inevitably, being based on contemporary moral standards, the reasoning was imperfect. God does not require sacrifices. God is unconditional love, and everybody is freely forgiven.

So what of crucifixion? Let’s begin with the context.Passover was a very sensitive time in Jerusalem. Even without the petition from the Temple authorities, Pilate could see that Jesus was creating a stir. Meanwhile the Jesus story speaks to God’s standard of moral conduct. And here is that standard: God forgives everybody unconditionally. Jesus lived God’s standard, and holding to this line at that time resulted in crucifixion, physical death. But it was followed by the continuation of spiritual life (resurrection). Life/love never dies. We are spiritually safe in the palm of God’s hand. Evil or violence has to be absorbed by love until it is finally transformed. 

In international politics, this may take many generations, with many lives lost. In an individual life, however, it might be instantaneous. Transformation back to the garden of Eden (atonement) can only be accomplished by God’s grace, a gift of unconditional love. Humankind has to live by that love in order to gain that gift. Jesus of Nazareth, the human being, died physically because, in living by that love, he antagonised the authorities. But resurrection shows that we remain spiritually alive, safe in God’s hand. Physical death is not to be feared; our Peace Testimony is worth dying for; our spiritual life continues its journey with God.

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