ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
February 22, 2022
Have you ever been accused of doing something you did not do? I’ve talked before about those who have spent decades in prison for a crime they did not commit. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve heard four different people tell stories of being accused of something they did not do, yet they had no capacity to set things right. Today, I will begin teaching a class (Tuesdays at 1pm and Thursdays at 6:30pm) on Amy-Jill Levine’s book, “Witness At The Cross.” In our first discussion, we will be reminded of how Matthew described the unethical happenings behind the scenes to cast Jesus in a bad light. In the 26th chapter, we read about those who were looking for false testimony against Jesus in hopes of finding a charge that would meet the threshold of execution. Some of the religious leaders of the day might have had theological differences with Jesus, but those would not have been of interest to Rome. Execution, specifically crucifixion, was for sedition against the state. If Rome thought your actions might undermine their authority, then they were interested in getting rid of you. But they also wanted to make a public example of you, and thus the reason for public crucifixion. What does it mean for you that the death was a state sponsored murder based on false accusations? How does that shape the Jesus story in your mind?
Where faithfulness to the work of kindness, justice and love is required, O God, may faithfulness remain strong within me, even if faithfulness might bring discomfort or even painful reprisal. I’m not looking for the cross, yet I hear the invitation for us to carry the cross put before us. Help me do what needs to be done. Amen.
