Connection Through the Cross

The gospels show us that most of Jesus’ disciples really didn’t understand what he was trying to teach them about the kingdom of God and his methods (love, forgiveness, service, humility) for bringing it about on earth. However, we also can see that Jesus’ core message did sink in, for what did the disciples do after Jesus died? They gathered together. They maintained their connection to Jesus through each other. Although they didn’t understand the implications of what they were doing, they broke bread and shared it because Jesus told them to do that in memory of him.

The world has myriad ways to try to keep us from staying connected, be it a pandemic, a culture of busyness, institutional and societal policies that sow division among races and religions and support unfair labor practices, or the promotion of competition in every aspect of life. And yet the death of Jesus on a cross shows us that, as Tracey Horan says, “hate and division will not have the last word.” It is not just Jesus’ resurrection that assures us of that; we have it in our power to overcome hate and division through acts of love, forgiveness, and service, as Jesus did. Jimi Hendrix put it this way: “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

Jesus may have seemed passive during his betrayal, arrest, trial, and execution, but that is far from the case. He could have stopped Judas from going to meet with the Temple authorities; he could have evaded arrest; he could have defended himself during his trial and during his interrogation by Pilate. Choosing not to act is not passive and takes a great deal of strength. Jesus actively made the choice to suffer to teach us how to implement God’s kingdom of love and mercy. We honor his sacrifice when we stay connected to God through prayer and when we stay connected to each other through presence and service.