Atonement.
That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings…
~ Phil 3:10
I’m no longer ready to give an answer about everything.
Sometimes I’m not ready because I feel an answer does not
do justice to the seriousness or complexity of the question.
~ Rachel Held Evans
I got a text from a friend last week that read, “I am curious how the cross is pivotal and beautiful if a blood sacrifice is not needed.” Since we’re here in the thick of holy week, wedged between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, it’s timely to consider the meaning of Jesus’ shattering death and spectacular resurrection from a contemplative perspective.
The term most commonly used to describe what happened on the cross is atonement. What does that word actually mean? Oxford defines atonement as “reparation for a wrong or injury.” I think I would rightly represent my evangelical brothers and sisters by saying that, in their view, our sins (both those inherited from Adam as well as our own) constitute the wrong or injury done to the glory of God. As a result, justice requires that this ultimate offense be met with the ultimate payment / reparation / punishment: death. And not just immediate death, but eternal death. The narrative continues in that Jesus, as both human and divine, is uniquely able to satisfy God’s wrath, take the punishment we deserve into his own body and soul, and allow us to go free… if we accept Christ’s death as our substitute through repentance and belief. Or in the words of an old charismatic song, “He paid a debt he did not owe; I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away.”
To need an atonement is to affirm a separation, in this case between God and humans. It is to affirm that God is not only offended by our sin, but God requires a blood sacrifice in order to forgive our sins and come into fellowship with us. This concept is prefigured in the Old Testament sacrificial system and informed Paul and John’s use of the Greek words “hilasterion” and “hilasmos,” usually translated as expiation (to make amends) or propitiation (to make favorable). This idea, however, shows up nowhere in Jesus’ perspective; frankly, this was not his view of God as he demonstrates over and over. Jesus insists repeatedly that God is both able and willing to forgive sin preemptively, gratuitously… and I will explore those passages in my next post.
So if the cross is not about appeasing God’s anger, not about absorbing his wrath, what is it about? Why does the cross occupy the central place in the Christ-story? Some of these things are still taking shape for me, and I appreciate Evan’s quote above that alludes to the inherent mystery of faith, but here’s what makes sense to me so far…
5 Reasons Why the Cross Matters:
The cross is the ultimate act of sacrificial love. No greater love exists, John 15 tells us, than to lay down your life for another. Yes, Jesus did take a bullet for us—but that bullet did not come from the hand of God, it came from a political and religious power-base that was infinitely threatened by a Virtue they could not control. This was God’s plan from the beginning. Sacrifice yes, substitution no.
The cross is the ultimate declaration of Jesus’ triumph over sin and death. This view of the “atonement” dominated church theology for the first 12 centuries, recognizing that humanity was bound by evil. Jesus absorbs and then destroys the power of evil on the cross, paving the way for absolute freedom, even over death itself.
The cross is the ultimate affirmation of nonviolent resistance. Jesus constantly frustrated his disciples because he would not pick up a sword against genuinely evil oppressors. He was strong but not violent, and his epic Sermon on the Mount elucidated a non-violent ethic that Christians have trampled for 2000 years. “I could call twelve legions of angels” Jesus challenges his disciples, but that would betray the values of his kingdom. Instead, the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church, says Tertullian.
The cross is the ultimate demonstration of where transformation comes from. Jesus showed us how conversion actually occurs for us—first death to the false self, then arising to our new self. Over and over again. This is the eternal spiritual pattern forever memorialized in the paschal mystery, which is tragically a “mystery” to most evangelicals.
The cross is our ultimate confidence that death is always followed by resurrection. Always. Redemption is a foregone conclusion for God’s beloved children. Both spiritually and physically, all things shall eventually be resurrected. “All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well” ~Julian of Norwich.
growing the soul
Which of these reasons land truthfully for you? Which would you disagree with? What points would you add to the list? And most importantly, how do these ideas actually shape your relationship with God? Where do these ideas stop being just ideas and practically impact your spiritual journey? Spend some time reflecting on the invitation to be changed by “the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.”
serving the world
How does this contemplative perspective on Jesus’ death and resurrection help you carry a sacrificial, redemptive, and nonviolent presence in your world?
meditation
takeaway
Restoration, not retribution!