The Word of Victory
Crucifixion is accomplishment, not failure. Jesus stakes his life for God's future. Faith is conviction that nothing blocks history's movement toward God's promised purpose.
Photo by Jędrzej Koralewski
Jesus in Solidarity with God and God’s Mission
When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished”. (Jn19: 30)
The next two words were spoken after the darkness, and that too, in solidarity with his Father’s mission. Jesus had the comfort of a mission accomplished. Jesus repeatedly made it clear to his friends and disciples that his food (ultimate concern) is to do the will of his heavenly Father (Jn 4:34) and that he has to do the works of Him who sent him while it is day. (Jn. 9: 4) Even as a twelve year old boy, Jesus made it clear to his parents that he has to be in his Father’s business. (Lk. 2: 49) Jesus, in what is known as the high priestly prayer, affirms, “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.” (Jn. 17: 4) Jesus turns what apparently is a moment of total failure into an occasion for proclaiming the accomplishment of the ministry that God had entrusted him; ultimately we find Jesus as the victor and the world and the people who had crucified him as judged and condemned. This is what is reflected in the word from the Cross, “It is finished”.
Crucifixion was not the end of Jesus’ life, but it was the accomplishment of his mission. As some have said, “Now the world is judged; Now the victory won; Now the kingdom established; The world thought it was judging Christ; Pilate thought so and Caiaphas; But as we look back we see him as the judge and them as condemned criminals.” Jesus said, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.” James R Lowell in his famous hymn wrote:
“Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide.In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side.”
Then he goes on,
“Though the cause of evil prosper, yet the truth alone is strong;Though her portion be the scaffold, and upon the throne be wrong;Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown,Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own.”
“Yet that scaffold sways the future.” This is our conviction and hope. The crucifixion was not something that happened to Christ. It was the result of his unflinching determination and decision not to cow down to the pressures and designs of a world that was organized against God and to commit himself to work for the accomplishment of God’s purpose in his life and for the world. If we wish to have this sense of self-fulfilment, self-actualization, we must also be able to make the same kind of decisions and follow the same kind of life-style that we find exemplified on the Cross of Christ. We should find our niche in the larger plan of God for the world, whether it is as an engineer, doctor, teacher, lawyer, business man or woman, social worker, activist or home maker. We must turn our routine and every day chores into vocations, activities to which God has called us.
When we strive to fulfil God’s will and purpose in our respective vocations of life to which God has called us, the Cross would become inevitable. Doing God’s will in a world that is opposed to God and His mission is to invite crucifixion.
Are we ready to take up our cross and follow Jesus? If we do that, we are also promised victory through the cross. Only those who live a cruciform existence in the world can give up their life with this sense of accomplishment and victory.
It is in union with this sort of a life that Paul stated in the second letter to Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness.” (4: 7-8) This sort of a statement can come only from people who have a sense of mission and calling. While we claim to be Christians, do we have this sense of calling and mission? We encourage our children to make use of all available opportunities to make money and climb up the ladder of success in terms of wealth, position and power, then follow a self-serving piety and religiosity that would add to their respectability.
After this cry, we read, “With this Jesus bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”(19: 30) Nobody had taken Jesus’ life, but he gave it up. Jesus had made it clear several times: “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10: 18) Jesus reveals the secret of true aliveness, true fulfilment. “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”(Mark 8: 35) Jesus further observes, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12: 24-25).
This cry of victory demonstrates the true nature and meaning of what we glibly refer to as faith. Faith is not just to affirm that God exists. Nor is it to affirm that God can deliver whatever we ask of God in full conviction. In the Book of James it is stated, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.” (2: 19) The Christian understanding of faith is that God has a purpose in the creation of the world.
God is continually working to move the world and history to that future and that purpose. No force in this world can deter or block the movement of history to that purpose and future promised by God in Jesus Christ. Jesus, his life, crucifixion and resurrection is the down payment, guarantee, the first fruit of this new world, new future. Hence, in Hebrews, we read, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb 11: 1) Pioneers of faith described in Hebrews Chapter 11 are those who “looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
They staked their life for that future and that promise. God wants us to cooperate with Him to work for the realization of His purpose in the world. It is very much a historical project. It is in cooperating with God and working for the realisation of this project of God, this future promised by God that we can actualise our self and find true meaning and fulfilment for our life. Here we see Jesus as our elder brother, the pioneer and perfect example of this faith (12: 1-2); by following him we can find fulfilment for our life and give up our life saying, “It is finished”.
~ Prayer ~
O God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfector of our faith, help us and our successive generations to hear your call and to commit ourselves to accomplishing your purpose in history. Help us to stake our life for the promised city “with foundations whose builder and architect is God” and find our niche in the design of God for the world. Following the example of our Lord, Jesus Christ, enable us to be ready to lose our life for the sake of your kingdom so that we can gain our life and find actualization and fulfilment in our life. And at the end of our life, help us to give up our spirit with a sense of accomplishment and thus meet to be partakers of your heavenly joy. We ask this in the name of the one who suffered and gave himself for us.
Amen