The authors of the four Gospels, and Paul the Apostle, go to great lengths to make it clear that the crucifixion of Jesus was not earned, or deserved, or necessary. Although his preaching about a kingdom appeared to threaten Roman rule, Jesus' kingdom was not of this world. Although he callenged the leadership of the scribes and Pharisees, he was not seeking to replace them, nor to begin a new religion. Yet all the leaders in Jerusalem, political and religious, felt threatedned by him; while many of the ordinary people, as well as the outcasts, were attracted to him.

Two months ago I had a big "Aha" during our Wednesday morning Bible study, about why the leaders felt so threatened and the people so attracted. We were reading a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples, which took place, according to Luke, at the Last Supper just before they all walked out to the Garden of Gethsemane. In the Bible study, we were reading the Gospel of Matthew, which puts the same dialogue just before the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It is the conversation in which the disciples began to argue with each other over which of them was the greatest. It would be fascinating to know what claims they made: perhaps Peter said, "I was the first disciple", and another one said, "I've done the most work finding places to eat and sleep", and yet another might have said, "I've been able to heal people just like the Master", and another could have said, "He sent me out to preach because I understand everything he's taught", and yet another might have claimed, "I'm the one he prays with".

You see, they've begun to think in terms of earthly kingdoms and human institutions. They are seeking status through their competition; each one wants to be Jesus' right-hand-man. When Jesus heard that conversation, he called them together and said, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority are called benefactors. But not so with you: rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves." (Luke 22:25-26) Jesus was certainly right about the kings of the Gentiles, and not only the kings, but the governors and the local officials as well.

The insight that came to me, concerned the Jewish leaders who had held religious and political authority in the past. Even though Abraham and Moses, Joshua and Samuel did not have the absolute authority of a king, they were revered and obeyed in their own day, and their memory was honored. After them came the kings of Israel and Judah, David and Solomon, Jeroboam and Ahab, Hezekiah and Manasseh, who actively wielded their authority, for good and for ill. That is what leaders did, and do; that is why some of them are greatly admired as heros.

Jesus was the opposite of those leaders and kings; to use the literary term, he was an anti-hero. In that dialogue with the disciples, he shocked them with his alternative principle of choosing to be the servant rather than the leader. No doubt they had heard his teaching about forgivenss, about loving one's enemies, and not resisting one who is evil. And they had watched him as he responded to the pleas of ordinary people to help them or to heal them. But the disciples didn't put these things together or see their implications. Now Jesus stated it directly: "I am among you as one who serves." Later that evening he enacted that approach by not resisting arrest, not responding to his accusers, and apparently, subbmitting to the beatings imposed by those guarding him. He did not behave like the great leaders of the past; he did not use such personal power and moral authority as he had, to insist on any claim of innocence or righeousness.

The disciples didn't get it, but the religious leaders and the political leaders did: they saw that he was playing by an entirely different set of rules, so to speak, than they were, and that their set of rules was called into question by his. Even though Pilate and Herod had been enemies, according to Luke, they were both threatened by Jesus and joined forces accordingly. Even though the chief priest and scribes shared a religious heritage with him, they were threatened by Jesus' interpretation of it.

At the heart of the matter is the issue of power and authority. In the world of the Roman empire, in the world of first century Judaism, and also, in our world of presidential politics, and Episcopal Church politics, the big question is how to force other people to do what I and my group want. Jesus turned his back on that question altogether: he wasn't interested in forcing his authority, or his understanding of God, on anyone. He was deliberately choosing another path, another way, which we who follow him, often lose sight of. He emptied himself of power, as St. Paul says, he chose to be a servant, he exhausted himself in healing and in teaching; he grieved over those who turned away from him, and he forgave those who persecuted him. It was a way of living contrary to all cultures, and to our own ego's need to put myself first. We may readily put the well-being of family members before our own, but it is hard work to put the well-being of friends and neighbors and strangers first. We prefer to focus on Jesus himself, rather than follow that way. It is much easier to say, "I believe that Jesus is the only Son of God" because we would rather he were a hero; we want him to be powerful, not power-less.

When we read the Gospels, however, we discover a person who talked daily with his heavenly father, whom he called Abba, Daddy. We discover a person who trusted in Abba's forgiveness, Abba's nearness, Abba's healing power. We see that he was aware that decisions and actions by others would govern his fate, and that he trusted that Abba would be with him. We see him asking for the support of his friends, and forgiving them when they deserted him. We see his faith that Abba would be able to bring good out of evil. We see that a life based on love and non-resistence, results in a kind of heroic strength never seen before.

This is the reason we needed to read the Passion story today, and need to walk with Jesus through Holy Week. With Jesus, we need to practice trusting God instead of insisting on our own way; we need to practice loving our enemies, and forgiving those who have injured us, and helping those who are in need. Above all, we need to practice putting the needs and the care of others first, so that we can re-connect to the way of living that Jesus taught and lived. What we believe about the human and divine nature of Jesus is less important than whether we have chosen to live in the way that he taught: with trust in the nearness and love of God, with forgiveness, with love for our neighbors, with active care for the well-being of one another and of the needy.

After Jesus' arrest, trial and crucifixion, the disciples did come to understand the way that Jesus was teaching and living, and I believe they all chose to become the servants he invited them to be. Therefore, they dropped out of the historical record, mostly, because they did not promote themselves or insist on their authority as disciples, or try to direct the growth of the church. They taught people how to practice the faith of Jesus, and when they were persecuted, they chose not to resist, in order to be like Him. They had the mind of Christ, as St. Paul says in Philippians. May we too have the same mind, the same faith, which Jesus had, and has.

Amen