11
THE END
_
AND THE BEGTNNING
Jesus' last communal act with h'is disciples shows what he thought of his coming death. lt was not to be a dreadful act to avenge, but a meaniof liberating hii friends. His broken body would be the means to feed and strengthen their f;ith, like the broken bread shared around during the meal. lf at the lait moment, when Jesus could still muster a following and cause rebellion or lie low indefinitely, he winced from the consequences of his teaching and life * the Roman method of death by torture called crucifixion - then how could he say'follow me'? lf he had by example lived amongst the people who were excluded from respectable society, then if this was really his Father's way, it was necessary to be ready to die amongst them and pass on his faith to his disciples.
The strain he felt must have been unbelievabre, and the faith he had that
of it r.emarkable, because he could hardly count on his disciples. Like other Jews of the day he believed that he would rise again soon, at the iime of the last Judgement, but this hardly had a bearing on his agonizing decision to good would come
stand and face his accusers, utterly alone. Even on the cross htscream-ed ,My God, why have you abandoned me?' only because of that moment is Jesus, *^y oi liberation possible for us, too.
_ when Jesus was executed it was as a pretender to the Jewish throne, by the Romans who had full authority in the most serious legal matterskCertainlf the Jewish elites, the high priests, scribes and pharisees *a-nted him out of the way because of the direct way in which he challenged their authority and status. Bui Pilate would have needed,no excuse; he was a biutal ruler who wis paranoid about FIgups meeting together, following new dangerous doctrines. lt didn,t even matter if he was .non-violent; he had roused the rab-ble and that always creates headaches for the rulers. :", . ._Ih.. story of Jesus doesn't end with the crucifixion. His death is a way into the Kingdom. The Kingdom continues and so does Jesus, because he was so completely the way. He emptied himself to be filled wifrr trre compassion of God, and
this compassion is triumphant over evil. The witness to thls is.iust that the disiiples changed from being a frightened scattered bunch to being inspired with amazing strength tocarryontheministryof Jesusinhisnameaslivin!leader.Theywitnessej
to his resurrection.
. Jesus aiso said many things we shall study in this Booklet. But even today, the immense courage and humanity of the man'hits you between ir,..y.r, anu lie can still as^k_thg questions: 'will you join me in the Kingdom? will you drof att anJ follow me? Today there is still time; tomorrow it may bE too late.i' -our business is not to 'drop all','trip out'and ,enter a different world,. [*1.f il il$By-. rhe power to deat with tiberating the captive priron.r, roday in
thrs reat world.r. lhat power is sheer practical, unromantic, love _'with no strings of authority attached. And that love, shining in the life, i.uttl una. iesurrection of .lesus, is the love called God, whom we, too] can call Abta, Uualy;..i'-
DAVID MOWAT
