Ecce Homo

By Reverend José Macías Flores

Painting by Antonio Ciseri Ecce Homo! Public Domain PD-1923

The sun began to shine, the crowd was gathering and everyone wanted to see the fate of this man. His life was in the balance. From here he could go free or he could be sentenced. Pontius considered the evidence, the false witnesses shouting against him and the people demanding to crucify him, his wife asking him not to have anything to do with his sentence, and his political interests at stake. Unable to make a decision, he took Jesus and presented him to the crowd raising his voice and saying: “Behold the man!” People turned to see Jesus. The Scribes and Pharisees shouted, celebrating their victory; at last their staunch enemy had been defeated. Countless times they had been exposed, they had lost their reputation as spiritual leaders. They carried a heavy load of shame. When Pilate apparently left him in the hands of the crowd, the joy and expectation of the Scribes and Pharisees was enormous, they were looking at a defeated man, a fi nished enemy. With his death, they looked to victory and possible reinstatement to their leadership. Their arrogance knew no bounds. What a joy it was to see him on his feet, bloody, beaten and in shame. Also a group of pious women turned to see him and saw the compassionate man, full of love and concern for the sick and needy. Older women looked at him as their son and the love of mothers overfl owed in them. Unable to do anything, they raised their cries to the sky begging for him. They looked at the innocent, who would never harm anyone. Another group, hiding and watching in the distance, was confused. They watched the hope of a new kingdom fading before their eyes. What had happened? They had everything ready… who would sit on the right and who would sit on the left. When faced with such confusion, the only thing they managed to do was escape, hide, because of the dangerous closeness they had had with that man. His whole world was in tatters. Their possibilities of being important, of having power and authority, and why not- of having riches. Three years of dangers, threats and suffering, all for what? There was their leader, a very brave man, who never showed fear of anyone, and there he was beaten, humiliated like a criminal. Another group turned to see him, those who were full of curiosity, to see with their own eyes someone being tortured and killed. They were the indifferent who neither knew him nor had any interest except to see him die. And among all of them, they also turned to see those who, despite everything, still believed in him. With heavy hearts, and with a faint glimmer of hope, they waited for one last miracle; that suddenly, at the last moment, he would come down from the cross and defeat all his enemies. All hope was ended when he expired, giving up the spirit. The declaration of Pontius Pilate still stands: “Behold the man!” Even to this day, the men keep turning to see him. The indifferent who pass by. Those who rejoice every time they see him defeated in the life and testimony of one of his followers. The pious who see him as a great moral teacher but who is dead after all. Those who are hungry for power and authority or seeking to enrich themselves turn to see it. And turn to see him those who in spite of everything continue to believe in him. When you see him, what do you see? The humbled, defeated Christ? Or do you see the Son of God paying the price of redemption?

Reverend José Macías Flores currently pastors unreached tribal groups in Sonora, Mexico.