Daniel is in year four. “Why did Jesus die?” He asked. “I thought he had to die,” he continued, “that was God’s plan that Jesus had to die on the cross. God wanted that – I don’t understand that”. That is a profound question and one that has been asked by Christians and non-Christians alike since the execution of Jesus of Nazareth around 33 AD.
The view that Jesus had to die, that God wanted him to die to make a point; to appease God’s rage at the sinfulness of humanity; to load all the sinfulness of the world on one man and crucify him in order to remove sin from the world, is a common enough view. It is this view that (in)formed Daniel’s statement. “I thought he had to die.”
Class discussion led to some other possibilities. “He died because people were jealous of him.” “He died because he was killed by people who were annoyed with him.” “He died because people were angry with him for not doing things the way they thought they should be done.” These answers reveal a closer reading of the text. These answers are not based on a theological theory as to why Jesus died but on the children’s reading of the Scriptural text.
I think you’re right, I find myself saying. “Daniel, I don’t think that God wanted Jesus to die at all. I think that God would have been crying and wishing it would not happen.” I think the children have revealed something. Jesus died because of the human anger, jealousy, envy, fear and power games that we human beings engage in. He became the scapegoat for human conflict, he became the one on whom all that growing mob rested their anger, he became the one upon whose death depended their sense of satisfaction, new peace and resolution of their conflict.
His resurrection was (is) God’s forgiveness to that mob. Human communities do not have to find a scapegoat for peace and harmony to be restored.
The drama that is the passion narrative is an invitation to us to examine the drama of our own times; to wonder and reflect on our own human games of power, envy, anger and the search for a scapegoat. Violence, suffering and death unfolded in this passion narrative drama. But we do not have to be condemned to these means to resolve our problems and our differences. Peace could have a go.
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Mary Conlan says:
How blessed are these children to have their pp unpack scripture with them . In days of old?? this happened fairly often. Not so in recent years, sadly. No doubt teachers benefit greatly too. 👏
Ray says:
Congratulations to all those involved in those children’s religious education. Some good work there.