24. Mark 15:1
As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
We have a tendency to think of Jesus as a religious rebel and Jesus’ opponents as the religious leadership. This is true…to a degree. But we err if we do not recognize the role of the political leaders as well.
Yes, Jesus upends religious conventions. But he disrupts the state as well. He interferes with the Temple revenue which, as it turns out, is a key source of income for the Roman occupiers. He calls out those using the Roman coin when asked whether to pay taxes (Mark 12:13-17) and, even worse, invites those listening to give to Caesar only those things that are not God’s (which would be what, exactly?).
Jesus is a threat not only to the religious establishment but to the political one as well. He comes, after all, announcing a kingdom – that is, a political entity – governed by the justice of God, a justice that expresses itself in caring for the most vulnerable. What does Jesus do in the first chapters of Mark’s gospel? He casts out demons, he heals, he feeds, and in all these ways and more he portrays God’s kingdom as a place where there are no “have nots,” no “undesirables,” no outcasts, no persons who do not deserve a dignified place at the table. And if this kingdom is going to take shape, things have to change. Those with more will have to give to those with less. Those who are strong will need to bear the weak. Those who can will have to help those who can’t.
But neither the religious or political establishments are prepared for change, not on this scale. Lines have been drawn, alliances formed, taxation policy agreed up, urban management enacted. This is what Empires do, you see, they order lives to the benefit of the Emperor and those who support him. And Jesus’ message of equality and dignity and welcome for all threatens all that. And so he must go. This is also what Empires do – they eliminate those who stand against them, those who call their abuse of power into question. And in Jesus’ case, they don’t just get rid of him, they make an example of him. That’s what the cross is, you see, not just a horrific way to kill someone but a public way, as the bodies hanging outside the cities or along the roadsides serve as a vividly disgusting reminder of the Empire’s power. “Don’t mess with us,” the Roman cross says, “or you will suffer the same.”
Jesus has religious opponents, yes; and he has political ones as well.
And he still does.
Prayer: Dear God, when we pray that your kingdom come, make us aware of the sacrifice and demand you make on all of our institutions – religious and political – and on all of us to care for the most vulnerable among us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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