The Common Criminal

Bread and Wine Reading: "The Common Criminal", Fleming Rutledge

Scripture Reading: Matthew 11: 2-6
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

“Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at Jesus.” Well, of course we wouldn’t. After all, isn’t that the same as offending God? And yet…I think that we Christians in trying to grow our faith, in trying to believe in this whole story that on many levels is unbelievable, in trying to come up with a version of the Gospel that makes sense often miss who Jesus was (and who God is). First of all, Jesus was human because if he wasn’t, that would mean that God was just walking around the earth like some spiritual figment of our imagination. Jesus was also divine, the very embodiment of God here on this earth. And yet this human Jesus, this Christ Divine, died the unthinkable death upon a cross—the death of but a common criminal.

In the big scheme of things, that could be a little embarrassing for us Christians. We identify with old John who was somewhat impatient with Jesus for not “showing his stuff”, for not claiming who he was with all the bells and whistles available. It is hard for us to think of Jesus hanging there. (In fact, we Protestants have “cleaned the act up” altogether, proudly displaying our “empty crosses”, laden with gold or brass or some other precious metal.) The truth is, we’d be more comfortable with the image of some sort of half-human, half-divine superhero that could leap tall Pharisees in a single bound, shower healing and comfort on the world, and later that week break the chains of prison, thereby saving himself from needless death at the last minute so that his work could continue and the next needy soul could be helped. But that is not who Jesus was. That is not who God is. And sadly, that IS who we are.

It was clearly we who hanged Jesus on a cross, a victim of our greed, and our fear, and our basic need to preserve life as we know it. It was clearly we who did not understand that Jesus offered something totally different. It is clearly we who are on some level still looking for a superhero. And yet, God, in God’s infinite and unfathomable love for us, loves us still. In fact, God loves us so much as to come into our world as the lowliest of “lowly’s”, endure rejection by those such as us, be tried and sentenced, hang there like a common criminal alone and in pain, and then raise US up to start again.

In her writing, Fleming Rutledge says that “when you reflect upon Jesus Christ hanging on the cross of shame, you understand the depth and weight of human sin…How do we measure the gravity of sin and the incomparable vastness of God’s love for us? By looking at the magnitude of what God has done for us in Jesus, who became like a common criminal for our sake…And at the very same moment you will come to know the true reality, the true joy and gladness, of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Discussion Questions:
1.) What about the image of the cross is so hard for us to look at?
2.) What images of sin do you hold? How do those images reflect upon your faith in Christ?
3.) What images do you hold onto of Jesus Christ?

So go forth toward the cross, as hard as it might be, for there is true joy and gladness!

Grace and Peace,

Shelli