“If you are the Son of God…”: a reflection for Good Friday

“…the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” (Luke 23.35-37)

     As “the day of Unleavened Bread draws near” (Lk. 22.1), the true enemy of the people of God reappears in the Gospel narrative, just in time for the final showdown with the One who had been “anointed” to play a triple role in service to Israel as her King, prophet, and High Priest.  As Jesus takes his place at table with the disciples to eat the Passover meal, he tells them that they are the ones who have stood by him in his “trials” (Gr: peirasmoi: 22.28).  This is the same term used to describe Jesus’ “temptations” in the desert near the beginning of the narrative (cf. Lk. 4.1-13).  At the end of Jesus’ wilderness “trial”, Luke told us that the Devil had “departed from him until an opportune time” (4.13).  Now, that time has come.  Both Jesus and the disciples are about to be “tested” by the forces of darkness.  Before considering the “Passover testing”, let’s take a look back at Jesus’ “wilderness testing”.

     Jesus’ “temptations” concern his messianic identity as the “Son of God”.  In the Hebrew Scriptures, the title of “son of God” refers to either the nation of Israel or the king of Israel.  In the original Exodus story, Yahweh tells Moses that “Israel is my firstborn son” (Ex. 4.22; cf. Hosea 11.1).  The story of the Exodus from Egypt is the tale of God rescuing his “son” from slavery to a pagan king who took himself to be divine (Pharaoh).  Jesus’ 40 days in the desert, following his “crossing” of the River Jordan, are a “reprise” of the 40 years that Israel had spent wandering in the wilderness, following their crossing of the Red Sea, as they made their way to the “Promised Land”.  Whereas Israel had proven herself time and again to be a rebellious “child” (cf. Ps. 95.8-11), will Jesus prove himself to be a faithful “son of God”?  This is one of the ways Luke uses the temptation episode to set up the rest of his Gospel.  In the Scriptures, “son of God” also referred to Israel’s king (cf. Ps. 2.5-7; 2 Samuel 7.12-14).  The “Messiah” (Christ) is Israel’s “anointed” king, the “son of Yahweh” (cf. Ps. 2.7; Jn. 1.49; Mk. 15.32; Lk. 23.35-37).

     So, when Satan approaches Jesus in the desert and suggests – three times – “If you are the Son of God, do such-and-such…”, he is saying in effect “Since you believe yourself to be Israel’s Messiah, demonstrate it by doing such-and-such” (Lk. 4.1-13).  It was during the 40 days in the desert, following his baptism and God’s affirmation of him as his “Son” (Lk. 3.21-22), that Jesus had to decide what kind of Messiah he was and what kind of kingdom he was going to seek to establish.  Satan’s second temptation is a demonic parody of the scriptural description of the worldwide reign of the Messiah (Lk. 4.5-7; cf. Ps. 2.7-8).  It was in the wilderness that Jesus had to resist the “temptation” to be just like the other would-be Messiahs before him who had claimed that they were going to “redeem” Israel by defeating her enemies and thus establishing the kingdom of Yahweh (cf. Lk. 24.21; Ac. 5.36-37).  As far as Luke is concerned, those “messianic” movements of nationalistic revolt against Rome had been nothing less than demonic.  Israel’s hope for rescue and “redemption” (cf. Lk. 2.25, 38; 1 Chronicles 17.21) is itself the epicentre of a spiritual war, a struggle between, on the one hand, Satan – the “Accuser” of the people of God (cf. Job chapters 1 – 2, Zech. 3.1-2), the one who desires to perpetuate endless cycles of violence and suffering – and, on the other, the Son of God who will finally obey the will of his divine Father and thus establish the kingdom of peace and justice (cf. Lk. 22.39-42).  It is in the synagogue of his home-town of Nazareth that Jesus publicly declares how he will demonstrate his messianic identity (Lk. 4.16-21; cf. 7.22-23).

     It is between Peter’s affirmation of his Messiahship and a second heavenly affirmation of his Sonship (Lk. 9.20, 35) that Jesus first predicts his suffering and death (9.21-22).  Jesus knows that the messianic path that he has chosen to walk will lead to the cross.  He also knows that his destiny awaits him in Jerusalem, at Passover time (Lk. 9.31, 51; 13.33-35).  Jesus journeys to Jerusalem, “cleanses” the national shrine and teaches daily in the temple courts until the Eve of Passover.  Then, Israel’s ancient “Adversary” goes on the move.  “Satan enters into Judas” (Lk. 22.3) and inspires him to make a deal to betray Jesus to the temple authorities (22.3-6).  During the Seder meal, Jesus warns Peter that “Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat” (Lk. 22.31; cf. Job 1.9-12).  After supper, as Jesus and the disciples arrive on the Mount of Olives, Jesus exhorts them to “pray that you may not come into the time of ‘trial’” (22.40, 46).  Once Judas arrives with the temple police, Jesus defies them by saying “this is your hour and the power of darkness!” (22.53).  Peter is “tested” when he is “accused” of being an associate of Jesus, and he fails the test miserably (Lk. 22.54-62; cf. 22.31-34).  Jesus’ literal “trials” begin in Lk. 22.66 and conclude in 23.25.  Jesus, though ultimately condemned, refuses to “deny” his identity, even though neither his accusers nor his “judges” want to understand who he is (cf. Lk. 22.67-70).  The passion scenes are full of irony, as Jesus is condemned for being a violent insurrectionist like Barabbas, i.e. a messianic pretender (Lk. 23.1-5, 18-25).  Of course, for Luke, Jesus is indeed the Messiah, albeit a peaceful one, innocent of all violence (cf. Lk. 19.28-40).  As the Passover lamb “without blemish” (cf. Ex. 12.5), Jesus is declared by Pilate three times to be innocent (Lk. 23.4, 13-15, 22; cf. 23.41, 47).

     As he hangs on the cross, Jesus relives the “wilderness testing”.  This time, the “temptations” come from three groups of people who taunt him and invite him to “save himself” if he really is the Messiah, the king of Israel (i.e. the Son of God).  The Jewish leaders scoff at him: “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God” (Lk. 23.35; cf. 9.35; 4.23).  The soldiers who had nailed him to the cross do the same (23.36-37).  One of the criminals crucified along with Jesus derides him and tells him to save himself, as well as the two who “share the same sentence of condemnation” (23.39-40).  In the wilderness, Satan had tempted Jesus to “save himself” by turning stones into bread, by “selling his soul” to obtain universal power and glory and by demonstrating his messiahship by manipulating God into rescuing him from death (Lk. 4.1-13).  Now, the “test” is whether Jesus will save himself from death on the cross or obey the Father’s will by drinking “the cup” (Lk. 22.42) of judgment to the dregs.

     For Jesus, being the Son of God – being the Messiah – could never be a matter of saving himself.  For Jesus, to be the obedient, faithful “Son of God” was to offer himself as the redeeming sacrifice, to warn the people of God as their last prophet and to rule, not from a throne, but rather from a cross (cf. Lk. 23.38; 22.24-27).  After several hours on the cross, Jesus cried “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”, and breathed his last (Lk. 23.46).  The Passover lamb has been sacrificed, the new Exodus is underway (cf. Lk. 12.50), the kingdom has finally come…but no one is aware of the meaning of what has happened.  For the moment, all is dark (Lk. 23.44-45).