Understanding Crucifixion in a Time of Oppression
It’s Holy Week in the Christian tradition. This week, we remember the days leading up to and including Jesus’ death by crucifixion. We hear about religious people in power collaborating with Roman imperial authorities to silence Jesus and his liberating message. We...
What Did Jesus Ponder on the Cross?
It’s Holy Week for Christians in the Western Church (Eastern Orthodox churches use a different calendar, so Easter for them is much later this year). This year, I thought I would share some reflections about Jesus at his crucifixion. These come from a journal entry...
Why Was Jesus Crucified?
Holy Week is just around the corner. As Christians prepare to remember the week of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem; his Last Supper with his disciples; and his subsequent arrest, trial, and crucifixion, here are some reflections that I first preached during our...
“Violence Is the Only Recourse of the Exhausted Mind”
It’s Holy Week, and I’ve got violence on my mind—not because of any intent to engage in it, but from an overabundance of it around me. The synoptic gospels tell us that during this week before his death, Jesus resorts to violence in overturning the business tables of...
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