Swallowsrest

Good Friday – 2026

Marian Free

In the name of God who gave his back to the whip and his hands to the cross. 

Amen.

At a prayer service in the Pentagon on March 25, United State Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth prayed for American servicemen attacking Iran: “Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation, give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.” He also called on God to: “break the teeth of the ungodly” and concluded: “We ask these things with bold confidence in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ, King over all kings.”

“Overwhelming violence, break the teeth of the ungodly.” It is difficult to reconcile these words and this image of Christ with the one whom we acknowledge today – a crucified Savior who lived and died as one who resisted the temptation to defeat evil with evil, to fight fire with fire, or to defeat hate with hate. The same Jesus who said: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also’” (Matthew 5:38,39).

This does not mean that Jesus was weak, submissive and ineffective, that he allowed himself to be treated as a doormat or that when necessary he didn’t call out evil. When the moment called for it, Jesus spoke out against those things that he perceived were wrong with his world and his church. He called out the hypocrisy among the leaders of the church, he refused to be bound by laws and conventions that excluded and condemned those who did not meet the exacting standards of his faith, and he ignored laws and conventions that would have prevented him from mixing with sinners, tax-collectors, prostitutes and yes even women. He told stories about the first being last and the last being first.

Interestingly, what Jesus did not do was challenge the Empire, he did not raise and train an army, he did not claim the power and authority to rule, he did not impose his will on anyone and he never, ever used his being god to get him out of a tight spot or to strike his enemies down (not even to escape death).

There is so much grief and pain in the world today. The balance of power is shifting and there is more uncertainty than many of us have known in our lifetime. It is tempting to think that the problems that face us can be solved by force, by imposing our will on those who obstruct us, by attacking those who threaten us, or by reinforcing our own security at the expense of others.

Jesus showed a different way – resisting silently and patiently, confident that God would have the final word. In so doing Jesus revealed a different sort of power, a inner strength that cannot be cowed, intimidated or destroyed by threats or cruelty; a power that enables him to stay true to himself and to his values even in the presence of death.

In a world filled with violence and fear, and with the lust for power and resources, may we follow a crucified Saviour, holding fast to Jesus’ teaching and example, resisting  silently, bravely, patiently, confident that these days will end and that we will emerge out on other side showing, as Jesus did, that we cannot be held prisoner to violence, oppression, injustice and greed and that the kingdom will be built on love, freedom, justice and the equal sharing of resources.

Jesus held firm to what he believed to be right and paid the ultimate price, may his example show us how to live, even when the world is shifting beneath our feet and when we want to fight to hold on to what we. have known and loved.

Tags: power, resistance, violence

This entry was posted on April 3, 2026 at 1:28 am and is filed under Good Friday, John's Gospel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.