The immediate thought/answer to this question, why is Jesus crucified, is “to save us from our sins”. However, there are many more answers to this question depending on who you ask and what their life experiences include. Throughout the years, the cross has become something people are proud of, they have a connection to the cross, they believe in the power of this image and wear it as jewelry despite the cruel history behind it. I’ll admit, I myself wear a cross necklace. Why do we wear something so proudly though when we all know the history and pain behind it? Why don’t we turn our heads and simply not talk about it? What has made people reclaim this part in history unlike others. For example, victims of the Holocaust do not show off their tattoo of their number. The colored community doesn’t feel pride about the history of lynching. So why is the cross different. Historically speaking, the cross was used as a warning to those who “disobey”, same as lynching. Many different communities have suffered through many different kinds of pain. Roberto Goizueta wrote From Calvary to Galilee which discusses the crucifixion. I believe many people know about the love Jesus has for the people of the Earth. However if God loves his people so much, why would he allow his only son to be tortured as harsh as he was, why does he allow pain and suffering in the world. Goizueta writes about the past sufferings from denial or rejection, even suffering. When looking at the death and resurrection, Goizueta states “bodily resurrection involves the realization that past injustices are never erased by future victories. Past suffering remains forever a part of the history of the resurrection… The resurrection of the body does not justify the crucifixion; it justifies the crucified victim—the whole victim, abandoned soul and scarred body”. Christ is globally referred to as a friend and this friend in no way belittles our circumstances. Goizueta explains how we must endure “risky territory” in order to better understand the full meaning of the resurrection. The borderline of this territory is known as “una herida abierta” (“an open wound”) and can be seen in Jesus’ wounds same as the instruction to go to Galilee. To see the tension at the very heart of our human fragility. This can be considered touching the untouchable. Throughout our lives our boundaries will be tested and we are then called to have deeper confidence in His power whatever that may be. Through His power we can overcome tensions and receive a deeper gift which could even be liberation. After reading The cross and the lynching tree by James Cone, boundaries are deeper explored. Poetry, music, and other art forms explore how dark American history of lynching is symbolically connected to the crucifixion. Yet most people are quick to learn and talk about the story behind the cross, people are hesitant to discuss and bring up trauma of lynching. Cone states “In contrast to the lynching tree, the cross is one of the most visible symbols of America’s Christian origin”. Believed to be “a beacon on the hill” and “a righteous empire”, similar to Israel in the Hebrew Bible. As I said before the answer you would mostly hear as to why Jesus died is to save us from the fires of hell. Thousands say “Without Jesus’ death on the cross… we would not be acceptable before God” which would make the cross a symbol of salvation despite the dark history behind it. Some say this is a cheap way of salvation since it removes the mystery and the search for us to understand it. Through time and history the cross has flourished to be a harmless and non-offensive object. The cross holds so many mixed messages that people believe it should be rescue/liberated from the confusion. The meaning of the cross has been shadowed and should be restored to the meaning and history just as lynching isn’t glorified and used as a decorative symbol. Cone states “Unless the cross and the lynching tree are seen together, there can be no genuine understanding of Christian identity in America and no healing of the radical divide in churches and seminaries as well as in the society as a whole”. As long as the cross is glorified, there will still be belittling. The same reason why people got lynched was the same as why people were crucified. The history and understanding is so different between the two why don’t Catholics feel shame just as the colored community feels the shame. Cone then continues “I know the cross and the lynching tree are not comfortable subjects to talk about together” (personally, I don’t think they’re “comfortable” to talk about by themselves let alone together). Who wants to think about lynched black bodies in a church worship, or when doing a theological reflection on Bonhoeffer’s question, “Who is Jesus Christ for us today?” This is exactly what I contend the gospel requires Christians to do, especially preachers and theologians”. It is imperative for preachers and theologians to grasp this concept because people tend to ask these people their own faith questions and look to them for guidance. As Cone has explained many, many times, people do not want to talk about a lynched body especially white Americans because it might be easier to ignore this part in history than acknowledge and talk through it to heal the everlasting pain. Colored artists acknowledge this history however Cone says “not many black theologians and preachers have made an explicit connection between the cross and the lynching tree”. Colored preachers use the gospel to liberate and transform. Preaching about the cross arose an intense, passionate crowd however Cone says there needs to be other ways to get this emotion out of parishioners. This again emphasizing why preachers and theologians need to know these thoughts/concepts, it improves the way the teach and share His love. Despite the pain from history, Cone shares “we should not turn away from the cross because people use it for evil. The cross is the most empowering symbol of God’s loving solidarity with today’s crucified people…” It is said that God uses the weak and low and despised in the world to bring shame to the wise and strong. Just as Goizueta says, any relationship needs to experience vulnerability and even some pain. Unfortunately he also writes how we tend to distance ourselves from the weak and vulnerable, by denying this person we inflict pain. Though we ignore them because we fear ourselves, people should face those parts of ourselves to better create solidarity, and companionship with others despite the fears. Cone also states “to see redemption in the cross, to discover life in death and hope in tragedy” one must have a powerful religious imagination. By understanding how the cross and lynching tree interpret each other, being that the cross was simply just lynching in the first century, so many people can feel redemption and learn many things about their own spiritual journey. Devine judgement, mercy, and forgiveness can all be achieved if both colored and white persons can acknowledge the connection. Christ is a black lynched body. Groups all over the world experience their own cross and lynching experiences. This is why Jesus is globally referred to as a friend, because so many people can relate to his life experiences and they believe they can manage as well. It is important to discuss this history and realize there is still hope for humankind in His will.
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Breann Hill - Perspectives of Christianity 