Good Friday and Violence

It’s Good Friday. It’s the day Christians remember the Jesus’ sham trial, beating, abuse, crucifixion, and death. Violence is on full display on this day. Violence looks like it has won on this day. Jesus suffers a violent death. He suffered violence in the form of words and physical acts. He suffered violence through mockery and insults. He suffered violence through shame and physical pain. He suffered violence through abandonment of those closest to him. He suffered violence in a variety of ways. Take some time and read any of the Gospel accounts of what took place on this day. Violence is key character in the events of Good Friday.

Violence is present in our current world too. America is addicted to violence. We have more weapons individually than anywhere else in the world. We have the most deadly military force in the world. We have the highest incarceration rate of any population in the world. And we have the distinction of having more mass shootings than anywhere else too. Have trouble keeping up with all the mass shootings — here’s a website that can help you out.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Let’s not kid ourselves, we love violence. We worship it. We worship the instruments of violence. We certainly offer enough blood sacrifices to these idols. We find it more appealing to keep and protect our instruments of violence safe rather than human beings.

Good Friday is a good time to remember that Christ’s way was a rejection of violence. He didn’t respond to the violence inflicted against him with…