The Crucified Community: Meditation Five

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The artwork  is from Steve Prince 'Urban Stations' 

Transcript

Meditation Five: Triumph over Evil

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.' (1 John 3:8, ESV)

"At the cross, a brutal method of execution that epitomised death, disempowerment, and degradation, Jesus achieved victory over cosmic evil, delivering a decisive blow to malevolent despots.

— Michael F. Bird,

The crucified understand, in their bodies, minds, and hearts, that the world is a perilous place, a war zone. It is a battleground where chaos and evil, through both individual and action, and through the structures and systems of domination, seem intent on killing, stealing, and destroying. Many vulnerable adults feel hunted down and rarely have moments where they are not actively being hurt by poverty, addiction, violence, or chaos. This war has many casualties—the abused, the emotionally scarred, the maimed, the tormented, and the traumatized.

The New Testament shares this perspective, portraying God's once beautiful and blessed world as now under the sway of an evil rebellion. While this may challenge modern sensibilities that favour science over narratives resembling those of Narnia or 'The Lord of the Rings, the New Testament is clear in asserting that this world is under the influence of the evil one, with an array of dark and sinister forces at work. In John's Gospel, Satan is described as the ruler of this world (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11), and Paul identifies Satan as the 'prince of the power of the air' (Ephesians 2:2) and the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan is a tyrant king, a usurper of the reign and rule of God.

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12, ESV)

"We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." (1 John 5:19, ESV)

The world has become a battleground—an enemy-occupied territory where Jesus intervenes to heal, rescue, forgive, and restore those who have suffered harm and wounds in the ongoing conflict.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke underscore that Jesus' kingdom confronts this realm of evil, repeatedly bringing freedom to those oppressed and possessed by malevolent forces (e.g., Mark 1:21-28; 5:1-20,  7:24-30, 9:14-29, 16:9). C.S. Lewis grasped the implications when he said, 'This world is enemy-occupied territory; Christianity narrates how the rightful king has arrived, incognito, and beckons us to partake in a grand campaign of sabotage.'

The crucified poor may find solace in this perspective. Firstly, it aligns with their own experiences. Secondly, this worldview acknowledges that the current state of affairs is not how God intends it to be; the prevailing circumstances do not reflect God's meticulous control, and evil and suffering stand as affront to God's original design. Thirdly, this outlook enables those with a vision of the kingdom to recognize that the prevailing structures and systems of domination, which perpetuate 'business as usual,' stand in opposition to the work of Jesus and the Church.

The Apostle Paul draws together the cross of Jesus into this warfare worldview.

'And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.' (Colossians 2:13–15, ESV)

Paul encourages the Church to recognize that these Gentile believers, despite living in a world of sin and oppression, are now alive and forgiven. Although Paul doesn't explicitly state it in this passage, we can infer that this reconciliation rescues those who were under the influence of the evil one. For Paul, this rescue is accomplished through Jesus' death. Notably, Paul, while highlighting the individual and collective gift of salvation, also portrays Jesus' death as the disarmament and triumph over the rulers and authorities - ‘This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.'

What does Paul mean by this?

The key lies in understanding that when Rome vanquished its foes through violence and brutality, they would parade the defeated enemies, in a Roman Triumph, through the streets of Rome, signifying their shame, defeat, and the victory and prowess of the Empire.

Furthermore, as a Jew, Paul would have been familiar with Jewish traditions, which often depicted an end-time battle between God's covenant people and powers of domination. This battle was conceived as a conflict between physical armies—the Jews and Rome—and had an array of spiritual forces aligned with each side - the holy angels and the demonic host.

Given this, the imperial triumph and the final eschatological battle, Paul offers a powerful theological twist as he maintains that the defeat of Satan and the oppressive forces is not a future event but a past victory, already achieved on the cross. While Roman politics proclaimed the cross as the humiliation of enemies and the triumph of the state, Paul declares that Jesus' death signifies the failure of the state and the triumph of the Messiah and his kingdom.

‘This strange but wondrous act of God turns typical Roman brutality on its head. Whereas Roman military commanders exposed and paraded conquered enemies through Rome on their way (sometimes) to a public crucifixion, here God exposes the hideousness of systemic evil by means of a crucifixion.’

— Scot McKnight

Jesus' death symbolises the victory of God and the public humiliation of demonic, political, and religious evil. Evil, embodied and enacted on the cross, overplayed its hand, crossed a line, and, in killing the eternal Son of God, laid bare its power, intent, and nature. In the resurrection of Jesus, these powers are revealed to be temporary, hideous, and fundamentally opposed to the coming Kingdom.

Francois had been a cobalt miner in Congo since the age of 7. Working long hours for meager wages, he now owned his own shack and was saving up for an electricity generator. A nun at the local convent taught him to read when he was placed in the convent hospital. His body was strong, but the story told by his damaged lungs, due to inhaling mining dust, was a different one.

Francois read the gospels to practise his English and could often be heard  shouting 'Amen' when he pondered the words of Mary's song about 'Bringing down the mighty from their thrones,  and lifting up the Weak.' In God's kingdom, he thought, children wouldn't toil in the mines, fair wages would be the norm, and the elite fat cats could be brought down a peg or two. In contrast to his 'amens,' in moments of lament, Francois realized that this is the way it has always been, is now, and always will be. The world is a war zone, and he is just another poor soul crushed beneath the wheels of injustice.

As Francois continued to read the Gospels, he identified with the suffering of Jesus but also began to see the holy mystery of the cross as the moment when the forces of domination and oppression are given their notice. A new day has dawned, and the power and politics of evil will not have the last word. Francois knows his suffering will continue, but he also knows that one has suffered who has achieved a victory. It is Friday, but Sunday is coming.