( Matthew 27:33-54 ) - [ Deutsch ]
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it makes me tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Many were there, Matthew tells us. As if at the end of a play, he brings together all the actors who accompanied Jesus on his way to his crucifixion. Friends and enemies, people who were very close and others who watched from a distance. Some actively involved, others passive and waiting. Politicians and clergy and ordinary people. All gather under the cross, around the cross, sometimes near, sometimes far away.
31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.
Nicole: There they are, torturing him: soldiers, henchmen of those who don't want to get their hands dirty. They debased Jesus, tortured him, and humiliated him. Now they are leading him to execution. And because they want to show HOW powerful they are, they look for another henchman, one whom they force to carry the cross. Unintentionally, he is drawn into their deeds.
Here we see Roman soldiers. But the faces of soldiers of all times are mixed into the picture, some of them familiar from personal experience, others from photos, from television images from Ukraine and the Gaza Strip.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).
34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.
35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.
37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: “THIS IS JESUS, KING OF THE JEWS”.
Nicole: Pontius Pilate, who handed Jesus over to the soldiers, is not there himself. He has done his job. The only evidence of his involvement here on Golgotha is the sign they hang over Jesus' cross. Pilate had his offense against him written on it: this is Jesus, King of the Jews. This is both an accusation and a humiliation. What does this Jesus think he is? And what kind of ridiculous king is he? A king on the cross. A joke.
The image of Pilate is also mixed with the images of other rulers of all times. He is not one of the great and powerful, he is one of the second or third rank, but powerful enough to feel important and important enough to feel powerful. Someone who wants to please everyone, his superiors in Rome, who want peace in the province of Judea, the Judean politicians and clergy and also the people themselves, whom he has to keep happy if they are to have peace. And hasn't he now found the best solution? It was a clever idea to let the people decide. Barabbas or Jesus, the people have decided for themselves. So he can safely wash his hands of the matter. Even if he is not entirely comfortable with it.
There was no committee of inquiry at the time. Once the matter is over, it's back to normal day-to-day business. And all the excitement will soon be forgotten.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads
40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”
Nicole: Of course they come, the curious people who don't want to miss this spectacle. Many of them know Jesus, have heard him, seen him, and experienced him. Some were sceptical, others enthusiastic, some disappointed. Perhaps some of them were there just a few days ago when he entered Jerusalem, cheering and shouting hosanna, having the most courageous hopes. But he disappointed their hopes. He did not become the expected saviour. Now they have turned away. Some scoff: "Come on, now would be the time to prove what you can do."
Those who were sceptical see themselves vindicated: "You see, I always knew it. It couldn't go well.”
And then there are a lot of people who didn't pay much attention to these things anyway - what do I know about politics and all that stuff, they do what they want up there. They just went along for the ride, it was quite interesting every now and then, all the hype about Jesus. But ultimately it wasn't that important. Not that much will change in their lives now! "It's a good thing I've always stayed out of these things!”
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.
42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.
43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
Nicole: The other side of power. Politics and clergy in unfortunate interaction. This group of men sits together contentedly. They have achieved their goal. They are rid of him who wanted to disturb their circles. King of Israel. Son of God. Double arrogance. Double blasphemy. He wanted to dispute their power and competence, to know better than them what God's will is. There you go, that's what he gets for it now. Compassion is not to be expected from them. They are interested in their power. They don't want to lose influence. And those who earn well in the existing system and win even in times of crisis see no reason to change anything. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
Nicole: Jesus, a common criminal among other common criminals. The rulers have also thought this through. All followers of Jesus should see it: this is what happens to those who oppose the rulers. All those who disturb the peace and order.
And the criminals themselves? No, there is no last-minute conversion here as in Luke. Just additional mockery mixed with schadenfreude: you see, you're no better off than we are. You're nothing better. Matthew doesn't sugar-coat anything. Evil remains evil. Goodness remains powerless. Just as we experience it in all the helpless attempts to stop increasing violence, social neglect. Parents against children, young people against each other, locals against foreigners. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.
46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink.
49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
Nicole: Even among the hardened gawkers and hardened soldiers, there are still one or two who show some humanity and compassion. Jesus' agony gets worse and worse, the fear and distress of the dying man gets greater and greater. Someone has compassion. He at least wants to moisten his lips, give him a drink, and provide a little relief. A final act of charity. But the others won't even let him do that. The man himself is to blame for his fate. They are without mercy.
Scenes come to my mind of situations where there are these typical hangers-on who don't dare to help anyone. They might even pull out their cell phone as a sensation and film the humiliating scene and post it online. And often enough, people walk past others because they don't want to get involved.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split
52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.
56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Nicole: the only ones who stand by him to the end are the women. The disciples in their fear have long since dispersed. The women are there, not directly under the cross, but further away, but they have come. They stand at a distance, but they stand by him, they have followed him here too, as they had followed him before. But they are condemned to powerlessness. Powerless and helpless, that's how we feel when we see people suffering. Horrific images from the war zones of this world or after natural disasters. We stand from afar and watch. That is the hardest thing: not being able to do anything. Not being able to do anything anymore. Not being allowed to intervene. Just watching from afar. At the bedside. With a dying person. With grieving people. Even when someone is destroying themselves because they have reached a dead end. Staying there despite this, persevering, not running away, not from the pain and suffering and not from your own powerlessness that takes courage. But above all: Love. Empathy. Compassion.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
This question is posed to us on this Good Friday, posed to us by Matthew in his account of the Passion. Where do I find myself among those gathered at the cross, this mixture of people like you and me, with all our strengths and weaknesses and faults? How do I relate to this man on the cross?
And Matthew tells us who is hanging on this cross. Someone who has compassion for all those who are gathered under his cross. The victims and perpetrators, the followers and mockers, the helpless and powerless.
He himself is helpless and powerless. Nevertheless, he remains there and endures. He does not run away, does not get down from the cross and say, this is enough. He does not run away from the pain and suffering or from his own powerlessness. He even shouts it out: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He goes his way to the end. Out of love. He also goes to the end of our paths with each of us. He shares our pain and suffering, including our suffering from so much evil in the world. He shares our helplessness and powerlessness. Out of love. This love allows us to live. Despite everything!
Amen
