Viral Spring #8: Passion in a Pandemic

Andrea Mantegna:  The Crucifixion 

-- By Tom Phillips

Why do we call the events leading up to Easter the "Passion" of Jesus Christ?  Many people think “passion” refers to the strong emotions Jesus felt during the last days of his life. But according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word originates in Christian theology, and its first meaning is simply “the suffering of pain.”  Its second definition is “the fact of being acted upon, the being passive.”  It's an idea that takes on new meaning in this Pandemic year, with no defense but distance from a deadly viral foe.
  

The late Catholic teacher Henri Nouwen wrote that the moment of Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane is “a turning point from action to passion. After years of teaching, preaching, healing, and moving to wherever he wanted to go, Jesus is handed over to his enemies. Things are no longer done by him, but to him.  He is flagellated, crowned with thorns, spat at, laughed at, stripped, and nailed naked to a cross… From the moment Jesus is handed over, his passion begins, and through this passion he fulfills his vocation.”

Nouwen wrote that though we tend to think of our lives as what we do, what happens to us is really a much greater determinant. In the case of poor, imprisoned, enslaved or disabled people, what is done to them is nearly all of life. Their only freedom is how they respond.    

If Jesus had not suffered and died on the cross, he might have been remembered as a charismatic rabbi who taught his disciples a radical form of Judaism. The action of his life was not that different from other itinerant religious teachers.  It was in the passion, the “drinking of the cup” that he fulfilled his vocation.  

Thinking about our own lives in terms of passion rather than action puts them in a new light. The test of character is not so much what we've been able to accomplish, but how we respond to what happens to us. And a general crisis tests everyone’s character, now as in biblical times.    

In the gospels, Jesus sweeps into Jerusalem for Passover to a messianic welcome from his followers, then immediately throws the Temple into turmoil, overturning tables, accusing its leaders of greed and hypocrisy. Fearing an insurrection against Roman rule, the high priest Caiaphas decides – it is better that one man die than a whole nation perish.  

Today, a lethal virus spreads across the globe, throwing governments into turmoil and economies into free-fall. The president of the United States meets the threat first with denial, then wishful thinking, then a call to sacrifice lives to revive economic growth. He sets the states against each other to compete for medical supplies.  He admits the US was unprepared for the crisis but says, “I don’t take responsibility at all.”  

In the gospels, Judas betrays Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, then kills himself for shame. Peter vows to stand by his master, then denies him three times.  Roman governor Pontius Pilate sentences Jesus to death, then washes his hands and declares himself innocent.  Jesus agonizes, falls silent, and takes up his cross. His disciples flee. Only the women remain with him, and on the third day discover the empty tomb.

Today, nations, states, and people are being tested by an insidious, infectious disease. It can be managed, but only at the cost of our normal lives.  Presidents and governors can no more escape responsibility than Pilate could wash his hands of Jesus' blood.  Doctors and nurses must weigh their risks against their duties and oaths.  Health commissioners, hospital administrators, business owners and homeowners calculate their needs against those of their neighbors.  Essential workers – police and firefighters, journalists and bus drivers, street cleaners and grocery stockers -- serve the public and try to preserve themselves.

Everyone is called on.  Little sacrifices -- staying home, wearing a mask, keeping social distance -- can save lives.  But then there are times to cross the line, to help someone in need, to do unto others as you would have them do for you. 

Jesus taught his disciples to pray "Save us from the time of trial."  But the time of trial is now.
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-- Copyright 2020 by Tom Phillips