Speak Truth to Power and Seek Justice for All

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
(Mark 15:34; cf. Psalm 22:2)

The Roman execution of Jesus of Nazareth by crucifixion was not unique. This form of execution was used by the Babylonians, Persians, Alexander the Great, the Romans, and other powers of domination for centuries, both before and after the time of Jesus. It is conservatively estimated that the Romans alone crucified tens of thousands of people, until crucifixion was finally abolished by Rome in the fourth century.

One of the purposes of execution by crucifixion was to publicly and dramatically demonstrate what happens to people who oppose or challenge the powers and systems of domination. Jesus was condemned for being the "King of the Jews," who witnessed to the the Kingdom of God, which placed him directly in opposition to the Emperor and the Roman Empire. Jesus's fate was thus sealed.

Movies, such as the Passion of Christ,^* sought to visually portray and emphasize the brutality of the physical, psychological, and emotional pain, suffering, and ultimately death imposed on individuals through this form of execution. However, no movie could ever begin to adequately portray the agony and suffering of those who experienced it.

There are many persons, like Jesus, who have also challenged the powers and systems of domination of their time and who, like Jesus, also believed that proclaiming truth to power and seeking justice for all were more important than the brutal punishment, even death, that awaited them as a result their actions.  One only need look at what happened to the martys throughout history, and more recently to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Martin Luther King, Bishop Oscar Romero, Alexei Novalny, and many others who opposed the domination systems of their time.

Scripture teaches that Jesus was concerned with meeting the material and spiritual needs of people who he encountered day-to-day: leading them towards a different way of thinking, seeing, and living; inviting them to grow in loving relationships with God, others, themselves, and creation; healing and "saving" those in need; feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and welcoming the stranger; inviting, welcoming, and restoring sinners, the marginalized, the outcast, the rejected, and the excluded into communion with all people of God; providing us nourishment through his body and blood; and promising to remain with us until the end of time.

Jesus calls us to reject the powers and systems of domination and to proclaim, witness and live according to God's Way—guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit—of love, truth, justice, peace, freedom, humility, non-violence, goodness, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, healing, selfless service to others, and salvation.

Of course, there continue to be people, groups, and systems in the world who reject or oppose God's Way and who continue to seek ways to exercise power, control, and dominion over others. Perhaps, when we look at the Crucifix of Jesus during this Holy Week, let us ask ourselves are we ready, like Jesus and others, to follow God's Way and to challenge these powers and systems of domination and their ways through speaking truth to power and seeking justice for all.

* When used in regard to Jesus, the word "Passion," from the Latin word patior, means "to suffer, endure, or tolerate." Strangely, in a different context, the same English word can also mean "a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything," such as someone having a "passion" for music or for dancing.