If a nasty, brutish and short life is all there is, it follows that we must make the most of it now. Let us grab what we can and push others away. Let us crush those who oppose us.

Torture and testing can serve as judge. "Surely God will deliver the innocent from the hands of their adversaries," this line of reasoning goes.

But we know that God does not save us from the evil intent of those who would do us physical harm. Nor does God prevent us from choosing to do violence to others.
God does not deliver the innocent from the hands of adversity.

Instead we are delivered from far greater powers, but at a terrible cost.
We are not asked to pay this cost - we could not, even if we were willing.

A world that revolves around victims and violence is a benighted planet circling a darkling sun. The Book of Wisdom claims that the citizens of such a place are blind in their wickedness. They do not know the secret purposes of God. They cannot hope for the wages of holiness, nor discern the prize for blameless souls. Death is the final end for such as these. Sin stamps the life out of those under its dominion.

But the Book of Wisdom also claims "God created human beings for incorruption and made them in the image of his own eternity". So how do we move from the sorry state of unsound reasoning and seemingly insurmountable circumstance portrayed in the Book of Wisdom?

Will the sacrifice of sheep or goats wash away the blood of innocent victims?
Can we raise our dead by taking the lives of those who harmed them?
Can some act of contrition on our part save us? No. None of these are efficacious.

We need something more, but what-- a suitably elegant philosophy?
Mere words are not sufficient. When the breath stops they have no life in them.
Shall we stir up the passions of the crowd and raise an army to do battle against the powers of this world?
What would this accomplish- are we stronger than death?

We are not. We are caught up in it. We are constantly being invited to forget the divine alternative and to step into the ranks of those marching unconsciously into the cycle of destruction.

Gil Bailie,in a lecture series on the the Gospel of John, points out that the Passion narrative shows the compelling power of this sweeping tide.

Even Peter gets caught up in the melodrama, and then, with the help of the Christian revelation, is able to pull out of it. ".. Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear." Peter has become scandalized and responds in kind to the violence. We might be tempted to think that he is showing bravery in defending his teacher.

But that's not the viewpoint of the Gospels. In the middle of the violent mob, it's not bravery, it's simply drawing on the … energy of the crowd. When he gets to the margins of the crowd at the high priest's house, he's not so brave… The point that this is all leading to is that Peter discovered the truth when he heard the cock crow. It's not a concept; it's a revelation under the circumstances. He is caught in the act of acquiescing … Waking up from that is the truth..¹

Jesus breaks the cycle of violence - by becoming the Passover lamb, becoming the bread which will be broken, assuming the role of the innocent and forsaking the power of angels who might avenge him. Jesus stands in front of Pilate as the Way, the Truth and the Life. Truth drew breath and spoke to him, yet Pilate asks, "What is truth"? Pilate is blind in his wickedness. He cannot see the prize of blameless souls.

There is plenty of blindness to go around. Romans and temple police, cowering disciples and crowds who watch the crucifixion drawn simply by the cruel spectacle of it all.

All are drawn into a similar orbit by the horrible gravity of the planet of death. It would crush us all if left unchecked. This horrible darkness does not dwell only in the distant past - it exerts its dominion wherever it is permitted.

Listen to this e-mail which I received this evening from Ross Jones, the Dean of St. Georges College in Jerusalem: "The Liturgy at St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem has just ended. I listened to the lessons as they were read and tried to picture myself in the places and with the people that were mentioned. At one level it was a wonderful feeling to be so familiar with the places, but another feeling quickly dominated as I thought about the people.

Those disciples surely felt the same kind of despair that I feel today. They had put their hope in Jesus and risked their lives that they were right. That is not an unusual observation to hear, but it has a completely different power in the context of today's events.

Three weeks of demolition and carnage in West Bank towns by Israel… Then there were two or three suicide bombers culminating with twenty-one deaths in Netanya. My own hopes had been put in a combination of the Saudi Peace Initiative and General Zinni's presence, hopes that the United States was applying more pressure than the public would know. Yesterday the Arab Summit passed the Peace Initiative even as Israel began a fresh occupation of West Bank towns. The hotels around us are now at capacity with expatriates who have been evacuated from Ramallah. Tanks have surrounded Arafat's compound and breached its walls. Arafat is going to be "isolated". Most of us here are helplessly waiting on the massacre to begin. That is Israel's answer to the Peace!

Initiative: retaliation is more important. Zinni has failed. The United States has failed. Reason has failed. What hope is there? Will the blood of another two or three hundred Palestinians atone for the twenty-one Israelis? Did the twenty-one Israelis atone for the hundreds of Palestinians in the previous three weeks? Will the certain suicide bombers after this military offensive solve anything?

There is no hope. Our hope has been crucified. When reason and international pressure fail, there is nothing left. Perhaps we are looking in the wrong direction for hope. Certainly I do not want to look to either Arafat or Sharon, and apparently I cannot look to the United States either.

Surely I can look to God, but God has to work through people. Has God forsaken us all? Is there some way somewhere that all this can be redeemed? We are surrounded by death, and not simply by bodies. Is God able to bring new life? Will there be Easter this year? , Dean Ross asks.

I am saddened, and angered by this word from Jerusalem this night. There is part of me that wants to strike at something. But Jesus transmutes the spiritual physics of the world. He buys our lives with his. He trades his death for the death of others - a ransom for many.

Do we see what this truly means?
We have been set free to live in Christ, because he is willing to die for us.
We are now incorruptible in the image of his own eternity.

We are in the world. But we are not of it.
We do not have to ascribe to the precepts of a miserable existence on a benighted planet.

We belong to Christ, the redeemer of the world.

If we believe this and act out of this understanding
we will be in conflict with the ways of the world.
Can we sit silent and inactive as death magnifies its dominion in Jerusalem?

More violence is not the right response to Christ's gift or to the troubles of the Middle East. Sending more guns and bombs will not help.What are we to do?
Pray for Jerusalem. Pray for discernment. Pray for the power of life.

Christ has gone before us to prepare a place for us.
Are we willing to make a place for him within ourselves?
Will anyone be able to discern his outline in the shape of our daily life?

If choose this road, there will be a real price for us to pay.
But it is but a paltry shadow compared with the offering Christ has made this night

Gil Bailie says that "The Gospels are very realistic. They say, 'Everything depends not on whether or not you feel this is a nice story or Jesus was a wise person or anything like that. The real fruits of this revelation depend on an unshakable identity with Christ.'…"

And what is the nature of that identity?
Listen to Gregory of Nazianzus, a fourth century Father of the church

Who was Jesus? He began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life.
Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the Living Water.
Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest.
Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King.
Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons.
Jesus wept, yet He wipes away our tears.
Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world.
Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd.
Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death.

Pray for Jerusalem. Pray for discernment. Pray for the power of life.
AMEN