All posts in Death

  • How Did Jesus Understand His Death?

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    How Did Jesus Understand His Own Death?
    Brian Zahnd

    A question for Good Friday:

    How did Jesus understand his own death?
    What meaning did Jesus give to his crucifixion?
    Did Jesus have a “theology of the cross”?

    Jesus repeatedly predicted his own death by crucifixion to his inner-circle of disciples, but did Jesus ever speak about what it meant?

    Yes.

    In Jerusalem a few days before Good Friday Jesus said this in reference to his impending crucifixion:

    Now is the judgment of the world.
    Now will the ruler of the world be cast out.
    And when I am lifted up from the earth—
    I will draw all people to myself.
    –John 12:31, 32

    Jesus says his crucifixion (seen in the light of resurrection) does three things…

    1. Judges the world.
    2. Reorganizes humanity.
    3. Drives out the satan.
    Read more

  • LOST – The Final Episode


    Here is a brief reflection on the final episode of LOST. Read more

  • Humiliation and Dignity

    In his humiliation justice was denied him.
    Who can describe his generation?
    For his life is taken away from the earth.
    -Acts 8:33

    Someone showed me a picture and I just laughed
    Dignity never been photographed
    I went into the red, went into the black
    Into the valley of dry bone dreams
    -Bob Dylan, Dignity

    Life is a struggle. A struggle against humiliation. A struggle to gain dignity. And in the battle against humiliation in the hope of gaining dignity we may experience some triumphs. The dignity of courage. The dignity of wisdom. The dignity of noble gesture. The dignity of rising above base animal instinct and becoming fully human. But in the end its a war we all lose. Death sees to that. Death is the final and ultimate humiliation. In death we are laid low. In death we return to dust. In death we are humiliated. In death we return to the humus. Humiliation and humus are related. We strive for the stars, but we return to the soil. Humus. Humiliation.
    Read more

  • For Whom The Bell Tolls

    June 25, 2009.
    Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.
    Two American-culture icons.
    Dead on the same day.
    The cynic says,
    Why all the news coverage for Jacko and Farrah? There’s more important news than the death of celebrities.
    That’s one way of looking at it. Read more