Today is Palm Sunday and the beginning of what we Christians call Holy Week. Today and again on Good Friday we read and hear the Passion Narratives of Jesus. From the beginning, theologians have attempted to understand the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross and what that death means for those who believe he is the Christ. Many believers today may still ponder and seek answers to a long standing question: what does the suffering and death of Jesus Christ mean for humankind?

A close connection between the sufferings and crucifixion of Jesus and eternal salvation has existed since the beginning of Christianity. Theologians have debated for centuries how the death of Jesus Christ on the cross brought about our salvation. Among those who have formulated an answer to this question is Anselm of Canterbury. While the contributions of Anselm to the theology of the cross are undeniable, they are also debatable.

Anselm’s theology of atonement is beyond the limits of this reflection however we will explore it as succinctly as possible. Anselm writes:

“Human beings were created to be in a particular relationship with God and because of sin they are not capable of living as they ought and rendering to God what they owe. Because of this gap created by sin, human beings owed something to God that they could not pay; because they could not pay, they had to be punished. The punishment for these sins was death, and the only way in which humankind could escape that death was to satisfy God, but this was something that human beings could not accomplish on their own… In this state, human beings, must endure punishment… [and] God’s plan for creation remains disrupted.” (See Note 1)

Anselm argued that Jesus Christ is the solution problem of damnation. Because Jesus is both human and divine, he is able to pay humanity’s debt to God, but because Jesus is sinless he does not deserve to be punished. To cut to the chase, Jesus died so that human beings might live.

So from Anselm’s perspective, the cross and salvation emerge as "Atonement." It is a combination of the theologies of satisfaction and suffering, redemptive and substitution. For those who embrace this christology, in order to be saved one must imitate Jesus’ suffering on the cross. Anselm’s theory of atonement can be seen as promoting the thought that salvation is brought about by the following:

Sacrifice
Submission
Surrender
Freely-chosen suffering
Scapegoating
Violence against the innocent

So in other words God sent Jesus to the world to “buy back” our freedom.

However, doesn’t this theology espoused by Anselm make God seem blood-thirsty, sadistic and vengeful?

One time a member of a faith group asked a similar question. She said she had a hard time accepting that a loving God would demand that Jesus, his beloved Son, would have to suffer such a horrible and painful death. It just didn’t sync with her view of God or the God that Jesus talked about. I told her that I too, felt that way and so did other great theological thinkers throughout the centuries.

LET'S LOOK AT IT FROM ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

The Atonement/Substitution theology is the dominant christology of the cross. But it isn't the only one. There are many that are legitimate.

If Jesus didn’t have to die for our sins as the Atonement Substitution theology expresses, how else can we make sense of the Passion Narratives? Returning my friend’s question of how could God demand this sacrifice of Jesus, I told her that the crucifixion of Jesus was not primarily about sacrifice but predominately about love. In every loving relationship there is some measure of sacrifice, the lover is willing to “give of self” or to “sacrifice” for the benefit of the beloved. However sacrifice is not the first word most people equate with love.

One of my all-time favorite drawings of Jesus and the Cross is where an individual (usually a child) is shown facing Jesus with the words, “Jesus, how much do you love me?” Jesus in the drawing has his arms extending into a hug, with a shadow image of the cross in the background. A hug from the cross – wow that sure is a statement. So let us reflection on Jesus’ Passion and Death as a lover rather than victim.

As we begin this reflection I encourage you to imagine Jesus not as the long-haired, bearded male figure we have grown accustomed to seeing but rather as an expectant woman ready to give birth. This might be a stretch for some. However, to imagine Jesus as a woman and one about to give birth is not blasphemous or heretical.

Yes the historical Jesus was male but salvation is not found the maleness of Jesus but in his humanness. St. Paul writes

“For all of you were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ…there is not male and female, for all are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:27-28, NAB translation)

Perhaps the strongest “mother images” of God occur in Isaiah:

“But now, I cry out as women in labor, gasping and panting “(Isaiah 42:14, NAB translation)

ANALOGY 1: PREGNANCY / PASSION

Let us begin to contemplate the Passion Narratives using a pregnant woman in labor about to give birth as an analogy for Christ’s self-giving love on the cross. While some pregnancies occur due to violence, for this analogical reflection we will focus on the conception of the baby within a loving relationship.

The woman and her partner may have planned this pregnancy or had been open to this event happening in their relationship. For the woman even if the pregnancy was deliberate and planned, she knows that there will be pain and suffering many times during the upcoming nine months. However she is willing to endure whatever comes because of LOVE, love for her beloved and love for the child that will be born.

In many pregnancies the first months can be very difficult. Some women suffer from physical discomfort such as morning sickness, nausea, and fatigue. She may be fearful of what the birth will entail, especially if it her first child.

As the baby (fetus) develops with in her womb, she becomes increasingly more uncomfortable. Maybe the nausea and fatigue have lessened, but now she has aches and pains in her back, abdomen and legs. She may also experience heartburn and other gastric problems. The growing baby is putting pressure on her bladder and pelvis. As the months go on, it is harder to find a comfortable way to sit, to sleep and even to walk.

Not only does she experience aches and pains in her muscles, but the baby growing within is beginning to move. While it is an exciting time for the woman and she often revels in the movement of the baby, the movements are forceful. The “little tyke” is running out of room, so the kicking and pounding sometimes is painful.

From about the sixth month on she experiences slight contractions called Braxton-Hicks. These Braxton-Hicks contractions do not signal labor and are not productive. It is almost like her uterus is “in training” mode. There is no turning back now and there is no way she can escape what lies ahead. Soon “her time will come” and the birth process will begin. Especially for women experiencing birth for the first time, the early stages of labor can take place over several days if not weeks.

In our analogy of Christ’s Passion is it possible for us to see in this first stage of the woman’ s journey toward the birth of her child a metaphor to the scourging (flogging/whipping) of Jesus? I am not implying that this stage of her upcoming delivery is on par with Jesus being flogged. However, these jabs of pain constantly remind her that more will be demanded of her soon. The birth of her beloved baby will require more of her. More resolve, more strength, more pain, but she is willing to endure the inevitable agony because of LOVE.

In the Passion Narratives we hear that Jesus receives a crown of thorns. One can only imagine the pain he must have felt in his head, he mostly likely could only focus on his head. In the second stage of the birthing process, known as birth crowning, the baby’s A laboring woman in “crowning” is extremely uncomfortable and usually in great pain especially when each contraction occurs. Many women experience what is known as the “ring of fire”. This happens because the baby’s head is stretching the vaginal tissues. The burning lasts only a few minutes but during this time it is if she feels no other part of her body. It is a time of excruciating pain for the woman.

ANALOGY 2: STAGES OF LABOR / CRUCIFIXION

Back to the Passion Narratives of Jesus. He is made to carry the cross and when he arrives at the place of the skull, his hands and feet are nailed to the cross. Afterward the cross is lifted upright and the weight of his body causes him to gasp for each breath he takes. Theology wants us to contemplate on the seven words from the cross. In reality, those being crucified could hardly breathe much less talk. Each breath was a struggle, another jab of pain much like each contraction that a laboring woman feels during childbirth.

We have already talked about the “crowning” but that is second stage of labor. We need to back up a bit to stage one which is known as active labor. Active labor is when birth process really gets going. As the woman’s labor continues so does the intensity of the contractions. Her uterus is pushing the baby downward toward the world. Her cervix is stretching going from nearly zero to ten centimeters. In the beginning the contractions are not so bad but they increase to very intense.

Not to be crude but remember that a something the size of a watermelon is pushed through what usually accommodates something the size of a lemon. Yes she moans and groans in pain each time she experiences another contraction. She is in agony. Remember she is willing to endure this because of LOVE, love of her baby, love for her partner.

The ending phase of stage two labor is called transition. Her cervix has gone from 7 to 10 centimeter. She can no longer talk through a contraction, they take her breath way. This phase of labor is physically demanding and draining time. This is a time where the laboring woman feels like she is losing control. She may feel overwhelmed. Soon the baby’s head will crown and she will be able to push the baby out.

With the pressure of the baby and final stretching of her vaginal opening this is an intensive and rather painful time. She may experience tearing of her vaginal tissues if she pushes too hard. She may almost feel like she is dying. (Sad to say some women do die in the process of giving birth many times at this stage). Many women let out a scream as the baby presents itself to the world.

ANALOGY 3: BIRTH / DEATH

The baby arrives! The woman’s labor is done. She is exhausted, spent. Remember this process is called “labor” and it is aptly named. It is the hardest work a woman will ever do. Due to the physical changes that her body has just undergone such as the birth of the placenta and the warmth of the baby leaving her body many women experienced extreme chills.

I remember how my body shivered with cold and my teeth chattering uncontrollably after the birth of my daughter. An attending nurse wrapped a warm blanket over me. After spending some precious time bonding with her new baby, many women just want to sleep or rest. It is over. She has endured this agony out of LOVE.

Back to the Passion Narratives. Jesus has just come through his transition. It is an intensive time for him. He is exhausted, he knows that death is imminent. Jesus lets out a scream,

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? (Matthew 27:46, ESV translation)

In the Gospel of Luke we hear,

into your hands I commend my spirit and when he said this he breathed his last (Luke 23:46, NAB translation)

And in Gospel of John we hear,

'It is finished’. And bowing his head he handed over us his spirit (John 19:30, NAB translation)

Jesus is cold as his life-giving spirit leaves. It is over. He endured his agony out of LOVE.

CONCLUSION

While we have been focusing on the Passion Narratives, the story of Jesus’ great love would not be complete if stopped at his death. No, the story is not finished until Easter morning and the resurrection is acknowledged. Jesus is alive again, no more to die. His great love has transformed the world and those who believe in him. We have new life because of he hug from the cross. Each person who has been baptized has been “born again with water and the spirit”.

Yes a woman travailing in labor and giving birth can be used as an analogy for the Passion of Jesus. We have just considered this concept and found the metaphors contained it to be constructive.

NOTES

1. Cited in Amy Chapman, "Suffering Our Way to Salvation: Ivone Gerbara, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, and the Adequacy of the Cross as a Symbol for Women" (published in Lumen et Vita, June 2011).

2. Image: "Childbirth-woman" courtesy of Express.co.uk