Several years ago, I attended a church of the Anglican tradition. This was more than a few twigs away from the Pentecostal roots of my childhood (and yes, there are still some deep roots there!). I had rarely seen a crucifix...but they are very present in the Anglo/Catholic branch of the Christian family tree. So, when I went to Massage Therapy School in 2011, something in me began to reflect on the significance of the visual impact of the Suffering Servant, Jesus Christ depicted on the cross.
Christianity is the faith tradition that takes our embodiment the most seriously...after all, we believe that God came to Earth IN THE FLESH. This is no small matter. If He came in the flesh--that means he had a heart, skin, blood, and bones like all of us. He experienced life like we do. He enjoyed the sun onhis face, hearing singing birds, a home cooked meal (I wonder what his favorite was), a swim in the Sea of Galilee, etc. But his being one of us also means he suffered. And this is a very important point,because many people wonder if God really cares.
See, many folks picture God as being distant and untouched by life here on earth. Yet the very name given to Jesus at his birth was Immanuel, which means "God With Us." He is not distant. For humans, suffering is excruciating in itself, but if isolated, it is unbearable. On the other hand, if God is with us,then we are not alone in our suffering and pain. I had a history prof in undergrad who stated that the depictions of Jesus have changed throughout the centuries...and that the crucifixion of Christ did not show up in art until relatively late...like the Middle Ages when the Plague hit. Why he asked? Because when all chaos and hell broke loose--we needed to know God was in it with us.
Why had we not wanted to be more aware of this? At the high point of his earthly ministry, right in the middle of Holy Week (during the last supper) Jesus said, "This is my body, broken for you." Pain, suffering, hurt...this is why this Pentecostal girl bought a crucifix for the first time in her life several years ago. To remind herself that He knows about suffering in our broken world.
