It was time for Jesus to make his entrance into Jerusalem for the final showdown with the leaders of the Jewish temple who had become corrupt, controlling, and self-serving at the expense of those they were supposed to serve. Jesus came to make his stand. He had been prepared for this moment. He was ready for everybody to see, yet again, what he was all about. He prearranged transportation for his arrival. Not a war horse, but a borrowed donkey. Not a sign of bloody, violent conflict, but rather one of humility and peace.
Later in the week he had dinner with his disciples where he reminded them that it is incumbent upon disciples to follow in their leader’s footsteps. He told them this immediately after he lowered himself to the position of a hired servant, washing their filthy feet as they squirmed in discomfort. Around that Last Supper table with whom he broke bread was Peter (who would deny him three times that very night) and Judas (who would soon betray him into his adversaries’ hands). Everything leading up to this moment was consistent with what he had been living and teaching, and everything that was coming for him would be, too.
Jesus knew he was sold out by Judas. It would only be a matter of hours before everything was going to change. For the worse. He was stressed out. He couldn’t sleep. He prayed through the night until the temple guards arrived looking for him. Peter reacted defensively, wielding his sword, whacking off one of the serviceman’s ears. How would Jesus get out of this spot? Would the other disciples do the same? Was this going to be known as the Mount of Olives Showdown? Would Jesus still maintain his peaceful posture when his life was threatened?
Stress can sometimes reveal our strengths and weaknesses that are otherwise not as obvious. The above scene ended with Jesus telling Peter to sheath his sword along with a quip: he who lives by the sword dies by the sword. Jesus then proceeded to heal the guard, reattaching his severed ear to his head. Prince of Peace still…
Things didn’t get any better. During an illegitimate trial, false witnesses were brought in to accuse Jesus of blaspheme. Depending on which Gospel you read, Jesus was either silent or responded with comments designed to focus attention on the veracity of the statements and the trial itself rather than fight back defensively. It didn’t turn into a shouting match. With his attitude and behavior, Jesus kept his side of the street clean. Things would likely continue to devolve, but only because of the religious leaders’ scheming. He would maintain his posture of peace.
Facing Pilate, the Governor of the area including Israel, Jesus was brief in his responses. Yet pointed. When he stated that his kingdom is not of this world, he was making plain that he did not believe Caesar to be the sovereign over the universe, and that the former was far more powerful and would far outlast the latter. Pilate’s call to place the onus of the decision to crucify Jesus with the Jewish leadership suggests a couple of things. First, that he didn’t care all that much who got killed. Secondly, it shows that he really didn’t think Jesus was the criminal he was portrayed to be, which is why he washed his hands of the case. Jesus made very strong statements against Rome in his quiet way, and yet did not insult Pilate – otherwise he would not have excused himself from the process. Once again, Jesus chose to operate in peace, nonviolently challenging the status quo.
We have no record of Jesus spewing insults or threats while he was severely beaten – way more than one headed to crucifixion would deserve. He simply held his head up high as if to direct a spotlight on the injustice of his circumstances. Even at the point of his greatest agony on the cross, he uttered love toward his mother as he asked his disciples to adopt her as their own. Perhaps his most dramatic statement was focused on those who were responsible for putting him on the cross in the first place. Instead of returning the dehumanizing behavior back at his assailants, he chose a nonviolent response that brought with it both accountability and grace: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Obviously, it is a prayer offering grace, a decision to do his part to end the cycle of violence. And yet, at the same time, it carried a sting as it clearly implied that the Jewish leaders were ignorant, or defiant, in their violent actions. This second part of the statement, stated as he was lifted above them on the cross, forced them to look up to him. Like turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and giving the shirt off one’s back, his behavior provided a similar result. The oppressed one who was treated with inequality and inequity chose in his last breath to assert his humanity.
Three days later Jesus appeared in a mysterious resurrected form to the disciples. Having endured death itself and now operating in a resurrected state that was unrecognizable and incomprehensible to his followers, he surely had every right to declare his disdain about how things transpired. More, he could have surely made a lasting impression on the Jewish leaders who put him through hell or even Pilate who allowed it. He could have, at that moment, called that legion of angels to take care of business. But he didn’t, because that’s not the Way that brings peace. In resurrection as in life, he operated from the same center and by the same rule. Humble. A lover of mercy. And in his pastoral conversation with Peter (and eventually Paul), a pursuer of justice.
As we celebrate once again the birth of Jesus, it makes sense to take a step back and not only commemorate the narratives of his birth, but to fully appreciate that narrative in context. All the imagery of one coming in humility and peace provided and allusion to the life that would follow. This Jesus came first for the lowest members of the society to proclaim Good News – God loved them and was really, really with them even though the circumstances and voices around them suggested otherwise. Throughout his life he walked humbly as he promoted justice for all with a merciful, loving presence. He was a man most everybody liked, except for those his truth challenged. He invited all who would hear him to follow the same Way he was on, knowing that it led to life at its best for the most.
Because of the way Jesus began, and lived, and died, we have a richer understanding of the power of love and grace. We have a model of what other-centered living looks like. We have seen the face of God, and it is love and forgiveness and kindness. What began in a humility stayed humble and changed the way we think about everything. This Christmas, may we all think long and deep about the person we are celebrating. May such mindfulness inform how we treat those we know and love as well as those we don’t. May our Christmas gift to ourselves and the world be a decision to follow in his footsteps and discover we have brought love and peace with us because, after all, the one we claim to follow is known as the Prince of Peace.