The Other Kind of Power
Last week, my middle school bible study class discussed "misunderstandings," specifically, how Jesus was misunderstood
by his own people. You see the Jewish people had lived under military
occupation for centuries - first by the Babylonians (in exile), then the
Persians, then the Greeks, and finally the Romans. As a result, the
desire for liberation permeated every aspect of life, including
religious beliefs. After all, what did God think of this whole
situation? How was the Divine going to set things right?
The answer to these questions came in the form of a Messiah, a divinely appointed savior who would conquer Israel's enemies and rule over the world for eternity. Like the empires of this world, the messiah was expected to rule through violence and intimidation.
You can imagine, then, what people must have been thinking when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, was later arrested, mocked and finally, crucified by the very empire they wished to overthrow.
Rich
Powerful
Loud
Commanding
Violent
Self Interested
Then I asked for characteristics they associate with Jesus. They said:
Humble
Loving
Forgiving
Servant
Kind
Given the major differences between these two lists, we discussed how a messiah like Jesus would have been sorely misunderstood by a group of people who were expecting a King. Finally, someone brought up the most un-kingly aspect of Jesus' story, the cross.
Student: "Why did Jesus die on the cross?"
I asked the group, "What do you think would happen if a King was killed or overthrown by another ruler?" They agreed the King, or his followers, would likely seek revenge. "Exactly," I said, "that's the way our world operates. People respond to violence with violence, which only creates more violence. But Jesus did something no one had done before; Jesus is killed, but instead of coming back to seek revenge, he forgives them. He stops the cycle of violence dead in it's tracks with love."
"Wow," one 6th grader said, "that's a powerful guy."
I couldn't agree more.
The answer to these questions came in the form of a Messiah, a divinely appointed savior who would conquer Israel's enemies and rule over the world for eternity. Like the empires of this world, the messiah was expected to rule through violence and intimidation.
You can imagine, then, what people must have been thinking when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, was later arrested, mocked and finally, crucified by the very empire they wished to overthrow.
What kind of messiah allows himself to be mocked and killed?
Here's how I decided to get at that question with the middle schoolers:
I began by asking the students to name attributes they associate with the word "King"? They said: Here's how I decided to get at that question with the middle schoolers:
Rich
Powerful
Loud
Commanding
Violent
Self Interested
Then I asked for characteristics they associate with Jesus. They said:
Humble
Loving
Forgiving
Servant
Kind
Given the major differences between these two lists, we discussed how a messiah like Jesus would have been sorely misunderstood by a group of people who were expecting a King. Finally, someone brought up the most un-kingly aspect of Jesus' story, the cross.
Student: "Why did Jesus die on the cross?"
I asked the group, "What do you think would happen if a King was killed or overthrown by another ruler?" They agreed the King, or his followers, would likely seek revenge. "Exactly," I said, "that's the way our world operates. People respond to violence with violence, which only creates more violence. But Jesus did something no one had done before; Jesus is killed, but instead of coming back to seek revenge, he forgives them. He stops the cycle of violence dead in it's tracks with love."
"Wow," one 6th grader said, "that's a powerful guy."
I couldn't agree more.
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