Matthew 27:47-49
When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”
Tragedy has become spectacle. If there earlier had been any expressions of sympathy or even horror from passers-by, those are gone, having been replaced by exclamations of perverse curiosity. Jesus’ cry of despair to God is misunderstood by some nearby to be an address to Elijah, and that prickles their curiosity. Will Elijah come? Might Jesus of Nazareth be the Chosen One of God after all?
Hoping to see something worthy to tell others about later, they fill a sponge of wine and extend it to him so he can parch his thirst. They do this, of course, not from a desire to ease his suffering but in the hope that he will endure a little longer and they can see if Elijah will come.
I’d love to say that we have matured beyond such unholy fascination. But crowds still gather to watch the misery of others and news programs now name our tragedies, providing distinct borders and background music around their coverage. In many and various ways, the old adage of the newspaper business still holds true: if it bleeds, it leads.
The Germans (naturally) have a word for this. Schadenfreude, literally “harm-joy,” describes the pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. But why? Why, that is, do we take comfort from the pain others endure.
Is it simply that extreme misery is extraordinary and so we watch because we always drawn to spectacle? Is it our own fear of suffering that draws us irresistibly to the pain of others, strangely eager to have our fears confirmed? Or does seeing another person suffer give us a sense of comfort, that somehow no matter what our lot at least we are not as unfortunate as those we watch?
Whatever the reason, it describes the depth of the cup of human feeling, emotion, limitation, and suffering that Jesus did not want to drink, but did for the sake of the world. His tragedy has become a public spectacle, and that spectacle, in time, will become the sure sign of God’s great love for us and all the world.
Prayer: Dear God, when we look at the cross, remind us of your love, and when we see others suffering, propel us to help and comfort them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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