Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” John 19:1-6

I never considered myself a pacifist even though it is appealing. I do not know much about its arguments except for the obvious. I find it strange to consider myself part of a movement or an idea without knowing anything about the details. However, one thing is for sure. In the world, people believe and act as if violence is the best way forward. It is not just because of the recent war. This is just a symptom. We have grown accustomed to violence. Most of time we willingly welcome its devious presence into our homes without any qualms. We allow our children to be discipled by it. In most movies, the so-called good personality often commits mass murders and we end up rooting for him or her. We are expected to admire these so-called heroes. Of course, there are the apologists. They argue that violence is necessary in some situations. They are right according to the values of the world. However, today we stand at the foot of the Cross. The person hanging on it refused to listen to the values of the world. He resisted His final temptation on the Cross. He refused to act in violence even though He would have been justified to do so. Jesus was not a pacifist. He is the New Creation. Therefore, we reflect on this sacred day whether new wine can be stored in an old wineskin. Jesus made a stand against violence and we need to consider our attitude towards it. We can not be neutral neither can we have the best of both worlds. The Cross demands a decision.

Jesus had opportunities. Peter drew his sword and inflicted pain. Jesus had to remind Him that He came to heal and not to destroy. Jesus refused the weapon of death. His disciples felt lost and impotent. They were by no means cowards. Furthermore, they would not have been with Him at this moment if they were. They were confused. Jesus rejected the use of violence and they just did not know how to defend someone without it. It was the only language they knew. It was the language which had been taught to them their whole lives. On the Cross, a new language is given to this world. For those who have ears, it is heard clearly.

I am no stranger to violence. I am not naive. I do not live in a fantasy world. I had a strange relationship with it. I was once fascinated with it and then I witnessed many unpleasant scenes. Now they haunt me in a repulsive manner. I also sensed an anger rising within me each time I see an innocent person suffer. Sometimes the victim is one of the children and some times it is our children committing acts of violence against an innocent person. Immediately, in my soul, there is a sense of hatred for the perpetrator. I desire revenge and punishment. Then I realize that I am not any different from the one committing acts of violence. I am still engaging the demon. I am just perpetuating its presence in this world. The Cross challenges me to abandon it altogether. It is an unsettling thought. It means giving up feeling secure albeit with a false security. Violence generates more violence and never peace and security.

I am challenged at the foot of the Cross to rethink everything. I used to think that violence was necessary in some circumstances. I heard it said and used it myself, “a necessary evil”. However, Jesus calls us to walk in the Light. Therefore, can Light have kinship with darkness? If we think that we need the tools of darkness to survive in this world, then are we not succumbing to its will? Jesus remained silent on the matter. It was not an omission on His part. It was an outright rejection. He refused to participate. He paved the way for a new way of thinking. However, apologists of violence still argue that in some circumstances, violence is justified. This is exactly what the High Priest believed. He thought that Jesus was going to cause the demise of the nation. Consequently, violence was the only way to eliminate Him. What about the tyrants of this world? Something needs to be done to stop them. Well, Jesus told someone who wanted to be his disciple these wise words,

“Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:60

Some thought that Jesus deserved it; He had it coming. This is another attitude which violence fosters within us. We blame the victim for the violence they have suffered. When someone gets robbed, people say that the victim should have been more careful. If a young girl gets raped… Recently a Congolese refugee in Rio was brutally beaten and murdered in broad daylight. He worked in a kiosk at a popular beach for three days and asked the owner to pay him. He was refused his pay and the owner set his security guards on him. He was killed for asking for what was due to him. One person told me that the victim did not even have a criminal record, meaning that if he had one, then he had deserved this violence.

At the Cross, we see what a culture of violence is capable of doing. It blinds people and hardens their hearts. There are some that might still insist that some good comes out of violence. Well, “good” and “bad” are relative terms. If we judge them by the standard of the world, then this argument works. However, at the foot of the Cross, we are confronted with another reality. The New Creation manifests itself in the person of Jesus. You will never find any words He uttered to justify violence or promote it. In the Old Testament, we are given ample examples to construct a convincing argument. However, our faith begins at the foot of the Cross. He sets the example for us to follow. He was struck in the face and he never retaliated. He was humiliated but he never said anything to subject Himself to the standards of his tormentors. We are asked to be like our Master and Lord.

Those who crucified Him truly believed that they were doing something right. Yes, the world has good arguments for violence. However, it is not the ways of the world which concern us. It is the person of Jesus. We can stand this Good Friday at the foot of the Cross and suffer with Christ or take the side of those who think sometimes people should suffer. We can not be on both sides. Jesus beckons us to see the world from the point of the suffering, regardless of the circumstances or situations which provoked it. Therefore, should a Christian consider violence as a legitimate form of action? When we allow violence to come into our homes through entertainment, do we not become accomplices of those who stood and mocked Jesus as He suffered all kinds of tortures? If we think violence can produce good in this world, then we are in agreement with the High Priest who persecuted Jesus and eventually the disciples.

We are salt of the world, but if salt loses it saltiness, then it serves no purpose at all.