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In this blog post, we will continue our mini-series, discussing why we celebrate Easter.
Yesterday was the day when The Lord, Jesus Christ, gave us the Sacrament of The Holy Eucharist and was betrayed by his disciple and close friend, Judas, which led to the arrest and interrogation by Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor.
In the Middle Ages in Europe, the events of that Passover made Christians commit horrific acts called pogroms against their Jewish neighbors. Unfortunately, the accusations made in Medieval Europe are still alive in the Middle East today.
Chi Rho Dating.com wishes to firmly express that we do not believe that the Jewish people are either collectively or individually guilty of any of the fabricated accusations that have their historical roots back then and took their worst form in the Nazi death camps in the 1940s.
They are wrong, anti-semitic, and should be pushed back into the dark chamber in human history where they belong. This is also the reason why we do not explicitly mention them on this blog, as we prefer not to fuel these misconceptions.
Chi Rho Dating.com wishes to express its complete gratitude to the Jewish people for giving us monotheism (Isaiah 44:8, Deuteronomy 6:4), the Hebrew Bible, and, most importantly, Jesus of Nazareth, whom Christians believe to be the Messiah.
For us, it is clear that every one of the disciples (Judas included, no one excluded) and, of course, the first Christian theologian, Saul (better known as St. Paul), was a Jew.
Paul was also taught by the great Rabbi of the Sanhedrin, Rabbi Gamaliel, as well as the great Rabbis of the Talmud and later leaders of the Sanhedrin, Hillel and Shamai.
We also wish to express the unconditional support from our side of the state of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East today, with the eternal and undivided capital of Jerusalem.
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The Way Of The Cross: Jesus Christ And God’s Love For All Humanity
According to the Gospels, Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, during the Passover festival.
However, there is a discrepancy about the time of Jesus’ death on the Cross. According to the Gospel of John, it was at the same time as the Passover lambs were slaughtered but according to Matthew, Mar,k and Luke (dubbed by Biblical scholars as “the Synoptic Gospels” since their views on different events in the works and life of Jesus are mostly the same) it were the day after Passover.
So when did it happen? Here, we suggest going with the three that agree: the day after Passover.
Passover is a Jewish festival that is a celebration of the deliverance by God through Moses from the slavery in Egypt.
This should serve as a reminder for us Christians, not just that everyone mentioned here is a Jew, but also that when things or moments seem to be dark. That evil will prevail, then God turns events around and lets His light shine throughout the World, and the darkness can never put it out, and God will show who is the true God and who reigns in the Heavens supremely.
Remember that this day is called Good Friday in English and that it is for a very good reason. Even though it starts badly, things turn out for the better on Saturday night.
The betrayal of Judas and the trials and torture of Jesus by the Romans were, of course, not any human’s fault, neither collectively nor individually. It was all part of God’s grand plan for His creation, especially for all humanity.
Why? So that God could show us how much he cares for us and so that Jesus, our Eternal High Priest and Savior, could atone for all of our sins and transgressions: for yours as well as for ours, for all humans back then (including Judas) and now and in all eternity.
There are many proofs for this throughout the Bible that come to mind, and we like to share some of them with you:
“It was our sins he bore,” as the Prophet Isaiah writes in chapter 53 (especially verses 4-5) of his prophecy.
In the first Letter of John, we can read that “God is love” (1 John 4:8 and 4:16) and He shows this loving kindness by sending His only Son to the World, but not so it would be condemned, rather saved through Him according to the Gospel of the same disciple (John 3:16-17).
We can also read the 22nd Psalm (verse 9) by King David: “Already in the womb, I was cast upon you”.
This, of course, means that we, all Christians are cast upon the cross of Jesus Christ, and washed free from our transgressions and sins in His blood, the Lamb of God, so that we will become as white as snow, as little children who will call God “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6).
The Love of God always goes through Golgotha (which means “The Skull” in Aramaic). This is why we should always love our enemies, pray for our persecutors (Matthew 5:11), and remember that hate is never good: only God is.
Humanity Cries: God Intervenes And Answers
Whenever we, the crown of God’s beloved creation, cry out to our Father who reigns supremely in the heavens. God always answers us when we pray, when we make pleas for different things that we care about, He listens intently.
Sometimes, however, the answer may not come when we expect it or in a manner we least expect, but God truly hears our prayers and answers them.
The people of Israel suffered during the slavery of Egypt, during the Babylonian captivity, and during the Roman rule of their ancestral country.
They cried out to God, who sent his beloved people, the Israelites’ helpers, who would deliver them from oppression: Moses against Pharaoh, Cyrus against the Babylonians, and, of course, Jesus against the Romans.
What was so different during these three divine answers? The answer God delivered each time: Twice he sent human messengers (Moses and Cyrus), but on the third occasion, He sent His Son, not for judgment as the previous two, but for the deliverance of nations and people throughout the world.
The Son were primarily sent to the Israelites and only secondarily to the rest of humanity but as Paul puts it: “There is neither Jew nor Greek” (Gal. 3:28). This, of course, does not mean that we that are not of Jewish decent should see ourselves as a secondary class citizen in the coming kingdom.
No, because we are of Jesus’ descent and since Jesus is a Jew, we are incorporated in the vine branch that goes all the way back to Abraham, yes, even to Adam.
Jesus is the second Adam who has atoned for the sins of all humanity. On the cross, one thing becomes obviously clear: we are one humanity united under the One God.
No one could foresee the future that Rome, the empire that crucified Jesus, would eventually perish and that the cross would win and unite all nations of Europe. When he returns, no one will know yet. We can only pray and wait.
Today, we stand together with the women at the foot of the cross, where Jesus took his final breath. It is the same breath that God breathed into Adam and Eve at the beginning of human history, in the Garden of Eden.
The breath will be transformed, but we are not there yet. We are leaving them with tears running down their cheeks, in sorrow, and in despair. With the body taken down and placed in a borrowed tomb to keep it away from scavengers, it circumvented the issue of unclaimed bodies.
The death has come, it is a real one, not a shine or show. Everything has become silent, everything is mute. Only animals are out, it is Sabbath, the day of rest.
When we are put to our final rest, we know that it is not the end. The women didn’t know it back then, not the Roman soldiers, not the people who witnessed the execution of Christ, not anybody knew that they had seen God intervene once more in history.
Now we want to wish you a continuous Good Friday and end this blog post with a small prayer:
Blessed are You, Lord our God,
who has sanctified us through the blood of Your only Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Next blog post
Our next blog post in this series will be published on Sunday, March 5.
It will be about the most critical aspect of the Christian faith: The Resurrection.
Until then,
The Chi Rho Dating Group
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