Chora Church/Museum, Istanbul,fresco,Anastasis, Harrowing of Hell and Resurrection – Public Domain

Easter, recently passed, is not a holiday I have ever celebrated in any way beyond the long-ago dyeing of eggs and covert disposal of sub-par milk chocolate rabbits. My mother had a mystical streak and, it being the early ‘60s in the US, she found camaraderie at the local Friends’ Meeting. She took us kids with her most Sundays. As I recall, we learned a lot more about the civil rights movement than we did about Jesus at Quaker Sunday School.

Which is to say: I have arrived at a venerable age carrying a very slim portfolio of Christian lore. Of course, I absorbed the basic stories because I grew up in an overwhelmingly Christian country, where Biblical references were made casually, seemingly with the understanding that everyone was well versed.

Here is my take on Easter: Jesus celebrates Passover with his mates, one of whom has betrayed him for the proverbial 30 pieces of silver, he is picked up by Roman soldiers, whip-marched up Calvary with a big wooden cross on his back and a mocking crown of thorns piercing his forehead. He is then nailed to the cross and left to die sandwiched between two common criminals. The women who love him mourn, and he is at length buried in a cave, a heavy boulder rolled across the entrance, guarded by soldiers. Three days later, the boulder has mysteriously moved and the body of Jesus is gone, proving that miraculously, he died for the salvation of mankind and yet, still lives.

I’m sure I am missing both a great deal of depth and mistaking much as well, but I think I have gotten close on the rudiments. A friend sent me an intriguing version of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion last night and as I listened, I gave more thought to the story of the Passion, to the time of Jesus’ betrayal, execution and resurrection, than I ever had previously. It dawned on me that this is a story as old as time and as current as this very moment. There is nothing miraculous, extraordinary or even unusual in terms of human behavior to see here, despite all the religious gloss.

A guy who gets some traction telling people to love one another–above all else–can cause a lot of trouble. Nothing threatens the status quo like the specter of no one caring much about money or power. People who have the capacity to conjure in others a longing for a life lived from the heart need to be stopped before they incite their listeners to abandon the very structure that allows the rich and famous to continue to be just that. What happens when no one even wants to be rich and powerful anymore? When all that accumulated wealth becomes an obstacle to happiness instead of its fulfillment? (And yes, I did encounter that rich man/camel/eye of the needle thing somewhere along the line.)

So, not only did Jesus have to quickly be made dead, but he had to be made an example of as well. After witnessing his fate, anyone who might be tempted to continue spreading his teachings—the really scary part for those money-lenders and priests– would think at least thrice before opening their mouth. Jesus had to be discredited, crucified smack dab in between two common criminals, an invented association with people whose mere existence would presumably undermine the testament of his life’s work. Not only did Jesus the man have to be killed, but the flames of his message had to be extinguished. Love and forgiveness had to be stamped out before they became a real threat to greed and domination.

In short, defiance of the hierarchy, based on love and........

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