Another thought on the victimhood of Christ came into mind today even though I was absolutely sure that I was done with the topic when my final analysis concluded that neither God nor Christ was a victim. That was before my last entry discussing Sainte Thérèse de Lisieux's idea of Christ as a victim of love. Nonetheless, the thought spoke and my job is to post it.
Neither the betrayal, the suffering nor the crucifixion of Christ is comedic or tragic; rather, these events taken together, as a whole, are salvific.
What led to the betrayal of Christ was the disbelief of Jesus, the Nazarene, was the Son of God. The Jews believed and probably still believe that Jesus was a sorcerer, and that it was a joke, a cruel joke perhaps, that this man was sent by God, the God of Abraham. I remember a line in a movie (I do not remember the name of the movie) uttered by a member of the Sanhedrin who said something to the effect that nothing ever comes out Galilee [1]. Funny line. I chuckled. As it turned out, the existence of Jesus was no joke. Gradually Jesus became a threat and a nuisance to the Jews who were in power. With their money, they bribed Judas to betray Jesus.
What came next changed the world. [2] The scourging and the crucifixion of Christ Who was guiltless and sinless turned Christ into a victim, a holy, pure and spotless victim, in the minds of certain people. How tragic this must have been was probably in the minds of these well-meaning but very mistaken people, or how wasteful, how meaningless or maybe how pitiful.
Anyone who thinks that Christ is a victim and deserves the crown of victimhood [3] because He is "holy, pure and spotless" [4] ought to review what Christ said at the Last Supper: "Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and
said, "Take and eat; this is my body" (Matthew 26:26).
Then he took the cup of wine and said, "Drink from it all
of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out
for many for the forgiveness of sins." [5]
Christ, unlike any ordinary hapless victim, foresaw His own death. The holy and victimless death of Christ ends the eternal deaths of many by His resurrection by way of His blood from His sufferings which was "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." [6] This is salvific. Therefore the events that led to the outpouring of the salvific blood of Christ do not mark the tragic end of a holy, pure and spotless victim but the salvific beginning for those who continually, better yet, continuously, strive to be holy, pure and spotless like our Savior, Jesus Christ, Who knowingly, willingly and freely died for the redemption of Sin.
[1] Nazareth was "a very small village near the Plain of Esdralon in Galilee." http://www.bible-history.com/geography/ancient-israel/nazareth.html
[2] As an aside, what came next also changed the calender of our lives. See the answer to the question what is Anno Domini at http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100517010846AA3YHRy
[3] Christ is not the King of Victims but the Prince of Peace: "'For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, And the government will rest on His shoulders, And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)'" See http://www.gotquestions.org/Prince-of-Peace.html
[4] http://www.jesuschristpassion.com/last_supper.html
[5] http://www.jesuschristpassion.com/last_supper.html
[6] Ibid.
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