The night after the Passover meal, which brought deliverance for the children of Israel in Egypt, was also the night on which Jesus was captured. He was crucified the following day. Deliverance and crucifixion - are they the same thing? In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul compares the cross with power and wisdom. But is the cross liberation or torment?
To clarify this question, let's look at what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane. This place symbolises the inner crucifixion of Jesus, a struggle in which his human spirit had to reach its limits. Since the problem of man lies within himself, it can only be solved there. In his inner struggle, Jesus had to remove all doubt and be certain that the path proposed by the Father would lead to success. After he had fought this inner battle to the death with his Father and won, he was ready for the outer battle against the forces of evil.
We too must be ready, when injustice comes our way, not to fight it but to let it happen. Because if we fight it, it will destroy us. Like Jesus, we should learn to be free and accept everything that comes our way and not force anything on anyone.
Jesus' outward struggle served to show that he was free from selfishness and pride, free from the compulsion to defend himself against injustice and free to act as he wished - without pressure from outside. He demonstrated this self-control during his arrest and during his presentation before the high council and Pilate.
Despite being mocked and beaten, Jesus only had good emotions because he loved the people around him. His death was necessary to create a new man - a man who can no longer be deceived into believing he is someone he is not. The twelfth part of the series ‘The Gospel of Mark’ deals with what this all means in detail.
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