There are several ways to understand the complex set of texts that goes under the name of the New Testament. One such way is to divide them into two portions: a recollection of the things that Jesus said and did, and a meditation about the facts surrounding his violent death.
Matthew Fox has often warned about an excess of focus on the suffering and death of Jesus to the detriment of a real and deep listening to his teachings. We indeed see today people in power who claim to be “Christian” and care absolutely nothing about what Jesus taught — they don’t even seem to know about it. Yet they call Jesus their “Savior” and connect in one way or another the “salvation” they claim for themselves to the death of Jesus — not understanding very much about such a connection either.
Some have proposed letting go of the cross of Jesus and keeping his ethical teachings. It is a proposal advanced in the 18th century by the deists and still sailing strong. It maintains that Jesus’ violent death is just an historical accident which does not have, and should not be given, the same atemporal and perennial meaning rightly ascribed to his words.
To this, my principal objection is that Christianity probably would not have existed if some of the first followers of Jesus had not put their minds and souls to work, searching for meaning, after his inglorious death. In other words, I see the writings of the New Testament — all of them — as the written testimony of a profound elaboration of a tragic collective trauma.
But I have deeper reasons not to let go of the cross of Jesus. It is not because I am attached to pain — at least I hope not to be — and it is not because I subscribe to some version of the doctrine of atonement which tries to make sense of the violence that was poured on Jesus himself — at the great risk of glorifying violence itself.
St. Paul himself has been greatly misunderstood — because of his attachment to the cross — precisely in these two ways. He has been categorized either as a sick individual obsessed with suffering and death (psychoanalytic interpretation) or as the initiator of the atonement doctrine (classic theological interpretation). None of which makes sense to me.
Paul asked his communities to keep Christ crucified at the center of their vision — and indeed he did the same as an individual — because in his own meditation upon the violent death of Jesus, derived from his mystical experience, he came to see it as a cosmic event. Why? How? What “cosmicity” may there possibly be in the torture and execution of a prophet?
Clearly, it is not the naked fact of the crucifixion that counts, but the trauma elaboration of the community. Choosing to recognize and name Jesus as Messiah/Christ was to be one thing if he was to live a long life, but it became a completely different thing with his tragic end. And Paul insists to no end on this: “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2)
The community was not destroyed by the death of Jesus, but was almost born in it, that is, by musing about it and living it vicariously with him, as he was very much loved. In other words, they learned that passing through death and destruction is the necessary step to rise on the other side. They found out that if this one, the slaughtered one, but now experienced as a living spirit, is the Messiah, there are several important consequences, which constitute the very bones of the wisdom of the community:
- No matter how despised you are, or how disposable you seem to be, your value is eternal; it has cosmic importance;
- Encountering defeat, failing one’s aims, even being enfulfed by pain and death, is paradoxically a step forward;
- Letting go has supreme mystical value, and the daily death of your ego, of your habitual mind, must be celebrated as the mirroring of a much larger, indeed cosmic truth, that of the triumph of life.
I don’t know completely and fully the reasons why I cannot let go of the cross of Jesus. I will keep investigating for deeper reasons, and I reserve for myself the right to change my mind. But my hard-won new understanding of St.Paul has given me much to think about, and some good answers.
Banner Image: Roman mosaic containing a Christian cross surrounded by symbols of Christ: the Lamb of God, peacocks, and fish. Preserved in the archaeological museum of Lamta, Tunisia. Photo credit: Habib Mhenni / Wikimedia Commons
Queries for Contemplation
Does the cross of Christ have a role in your spirituality? You may also want to re-read the first two chapters of 1 Corinthians on the basis of this DM and find out if anything rings different.
Related Readings by Matthew Fox
Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality
The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance
Sheer Joy: Conversations with Thomas Aquinas on Creation Spirituality
A Spirituality Named Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice
Charles Burack, ed., Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality
Passion for Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart
11 thoughts on “Why I Cannot Let Go of the Cross of Jesus”
The cross and Resurrection of Christ symbolizes to me the Eternal Presence and Rebirth of the Spirit of Divine Love~Wisdom~Creativity with-in and among Us in Our Loving Diverse Oneness of Our Evolving Sacred multidimensional/multiverse Co-Creation~Cosmos….
Thank you Gianluigi for bringing up this theme during the Holy Week. The symbolism of the cross as a spatial (horizontal and vertical) deployment of a center is universal. As such, the cross is equivalent to a circle; Kreis and Kreuz, circle and cross, are etymologically related in German and the Celtic cross clearly displays that equivalence. Jesus’s Cross amplifies that symbolic power by adding to it the symbolism of death and rebirth. The dominant Christian interpretation of Jesus’s cross has been to believe in a future resurrection in another world at the end of times, and to pay the ticket for that rebirth in suffering and dying in this “valley of tears.” Fortunately, there are other ways to read the symbolism of Jesus’s Cross. Symeon the New Theologian sees resurrection as a re-connection with the center of our being here and now: “When the mortal attitude has been eliminated by the immortal spirit and mortality has been driven out by life, then, as though it had risen from the dead, the soul manifestly sees itself, just as those who rise from sleep see themselves.” Raimon Panikkar shares this interpretation in his writings and the four paths of Creation Spirituality trace another cross of death and rebirth here and now. “Though Christ a thousand times/In Bethlehem be born,/If He’s not born in thee,/Thy soul is still forlorn. The cross on Golgotha/Will never save thy soul,/The cross in thine own heart,/Alone can make thee whole.” (Angelus Silesius)
Wonderful article. thank you. It resonated deeply and is synchronistic for me as the last few days I’ve been meditating on the paradox of one’s purpose being revealed through what most would deem as “the end.” I’ve been thinking especially of Alex Pretti and Renee Good and how their seemingly untimely deaths have become transformative events for the world. Even their names “Pretti Good,” seem to be a cosmic message. Whenever my younger self envisioned changing the world, I imagined myself to be in it! But what if it’s meant to be changed by my departure? Even on a personal level, the death of my father precipitated the career he worried I would never have. I would have preferred he had been here to witness it but the possibility exists that his presence could have have changed the trajectory of my life in a different way. I see that in the life of my son too, and wonder if my passing will ease his way forward in some ways. I’m also reminded of Joseph in Genesis 50:20 “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. . ” (NRSV) Thus, coming back to the cross, as Jesus in the NT said many times, it was pre-ordained as the reason of His coming here. And since we’re still talking about His death and resurrection, and hopefully being changed by it daily, I’d have to agree that He was onto something! Peace & blessings.
I am currently involved in a “Bible study” which posits that Paul is the real author of the Christianity we experience today. In doing that it uses recent studies on the historical Jesus. Based on those studies, Paul, having been the first New Testament writer, influences the other writers in the text. Apparently Paul has his own agenda, shifting from a focus on the early Jewish Jesus-followers on a Jewish understanding, to an interposition of the Christ, a cosmic understanding.
Basically I am left with a disarmed Ssecond Testament text. I’m not sure how to respond to the study since the entire text is brought into question.
The whole thing has bothered me intensely. I root my faith at the foot of the cross, where I believe all of the character and intention of the creator God for humanity is found.
It seems to me that the “Bible study” you are involved with is too simplistic. Yes, Paul wrote his letters before any other writings on the New Testament. However, there is not proof whatsoever that the writers of the Gospels knew any of Paul’s letters. Actually is more likely that they did not than they did. The Gospels, on the other hand, have at their root the recollection of Jesus’ actions and words, which Paul does not seem to know very much (or at least he does not care to talk about very much).
I so appreciate you sharing your reflections on this topic, as it’s something I have wanted to but have been hesitant to explore myself. Admittedly, I have discarded (albeit maybe temporarily) many aspects of my christian upbringing (most notably reading the bible at all in general). The three bullet points you ended with are particularly powerful, deep spiritual truths that are giving me a starting point for exploring the cross more.
Interesting perspective on the cross. I wonder how that theme plays out in your daily life.
Dear GG,
This is really compelling to me. I see what you are saying and wondering. I think the cross makes it easier to relate to that mystery and transcendence. You don’t have to be a philosopher, you can be someone who sees and feels the pain. You can understand the sacrificial lamb metaphor, the innocent victim, who does not lash out at the persecutors. The scandal, and unfairness. You can be 5 years old, and get it. Jesus is a really loveable person. And he is consistently loving, without being sacchariney. We can each feel truly loved and understood, and not threatened, not betrayed, by Jesus. And so, the crucifixion DOES become personal for us; we have the feeling of true loss of a dearly loved one. The meaning is deepened, and it carries all other losses, and gives us comfort for the feeling that Jesus carries that for us, also. He models a fully merciful God, whose love is everlasting. There is coherence, comfort, and sustained support in the faith we have, with these archetypes, the sacred heart, the crucifixion, the bad guys, the good guys, the madonna, the way God moves in the universe and in our lives.
Thank you to Gianluigi for an insightful reflection on the significance of the Cross. Already it is Good Friday here in Aotearoa (New Zealand), a day remembering how Jesus was bound to a dead tree, and that this image has become central to Christianity. However, it seems to me that by perpetuating the myth of Christ the Redeemer, Christians have created a dead religion. The significance of death and resurrection points to a dying to outmoded beliefs and behaviours and rising to a new and expanding consciousness, rather than the endless recycling of the fixed beliefs of rigid and outdated Christian doctrines.
The cross and Resurrection of Christ symbolizes to me the Eternal Presence and Rebirth of the Spirit of Divine Love~Wisdom~Healing~Transformation~Creativity with-in and among Us in Our Loving Diverse Oneness of Our Evolving Sacred multidimensional/multiverse Co-Creation~Cosmos….
Thank you Gianluigi for your open, generous sharing of your own struggles with faith—as we all experience them. For me, there are two aspects to Jesus’ ministry—his words and his actions. They are two sides of the same coin of his message of the imminent reign of God—the world as God made it to be. Jesus preaches healing, wholeness, love and liberation. And Jesus’ actions model those teachings: he heals, he feeds, he forgives, he loves. The cross is inevitable for those who live and work for love, the thriving of life, and justice. But by itself it isn’t the whole message—without the resurrection, which is the natural completion of the pattern of life as we see it in the natural world and in everything around us. Hatred, greed, injustice, violence are all defeated by those who see, hear, and love as God loves. And we see this drama play out in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. We don’t need theology to understand that. We only need to “follow” Jesus: do as Jesus does, see as Jesus sees, love as Jesus loves, die with compassion, forgiveness, and love, and surrender to the will of the God of life and love who brings us to resurrection, who makes all things new.