Dissociation or Participation

I wrote this paper for a philosophy course I am taking about suffering and belief in God. In this paper, I use the movie The Passion of the Christ as my primary source for philosophizing about the following question.

Does God suffer alongside of humanity?

Jesus Christ suffered in the flesh. Words cannot elucidate the magnitude of this suffering. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is undoubtedly the greatest injustice ever documented in history. The philosopher Alvin Plantinga presents the notion that all creatures are plagued by Transworld Depravity; a state of being, which, if absolute, would maintain that perfection is unattainable. However, the life of Jesus is mutually exclusive to this notion. Jesus Christ is historically recorded as having lived a perfect life. The only man to obtain this state. Jesus Christ suffered and was crucified despite a bountiful display of his altruistic benevolence in acts such as healing, exorcism, mercy, forgiveness and miraculous miracles. Crucifixion, in the face of absolute benevolence is absolute injustice. Jesus Christ declared himself to be God incarnate here on earth. Now, philosopher Paul Draper, in his work on pain and pleasure, presents the hypothesis of indifference as a valid explanation to the pain and pleasure we observe in our world. Draper proposes that there is no benevolent or malevolent being outside of mankind who is responsible for any form of pain or pleasure. Draper’s argument suggests, that, even if there were a God, he is indifferent and dissociated from the state of affairs of humanity here on earth. The following argument rejects the notion that God is indifferent and dissociated from humanity.

1) If God suffered in the flesh to redeem humanity, then he cannot be indifferent to the pleasure and pain of humanity.

2) Jesus Christ is God incarnate who suffered and was crucified to redeem humanity.

3) Therefore, God is not indifferent to the pain and pleasure of humanity.

The word indifference is defined as having a lack of interest, concern or sympathy. Now, if God were to take on the form of human flesh, and experience pain and pleasure in the flesh in the same way that all of humanity does, then he cannot be indifferent to the sufferings of humanity. Sympathy is rooted in understanding what someone else is going through. In associating with someone else’s misfortune, sympathy is experienced. So, if God took on the form of human flesh, and suffered in the flesh, he would no longer be indifferent or unable to sympathize with humanity since he himself would have a first-person experience of pain and pleasure. Also, if God’s suffering in the flesh exceeds the suffering that any other human has ever experienced, then there is no human being who God cannot sympathize with in understanding the extent of their suffering. In “the Hypothesis of Indifference”, Draper states the following,

“What makes the Hypothesis of Indifference inconsistent with theism is that it entails that, if supernatural beings do exist, then no action performed by them is motivated by a direct concern for our well-being.” (Rowe, 181)

So, Draper’s argument states that God, if he exists is not concerned for the well being of humanity. Now an argument could be made that even if God suffered; that suffering does not prove that he is concerned for humanity unless that suffering serves to benefit humanity as a whole.

Now, if God’s suffering serves as a mode of redemption for humanity as a whole, then God is in actuality very concerned about the pain and pleasure of sentient beings.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

This is a prophetic passage from the prophet Isaiah in the Bible. If it is true that God was pierced, crushed, chastised and wounded for mankind to receive forgiveness, peace and healing; then God is in fact actually very concerned for the well-being of sentient creatures and Draper’s argument has no validity.

The Passion of the Christ is a movie that cinematically portrays the crucifixion of Jesus. This film follows the biblical narrative of Jesus death and crucifixion. It provides evidence that Jesus is God incarnate, that he suffered the most horrifically unjust death of any sentient being, and that this death served as the sacrifice that redeemed humanity from impending destruction. The following summary of The Passion of the Christ is supportive of premises one and two.

The movie opens with Jesus in the garden of gethsemane. Jesus is in anguish. Through his divine understanding of the prophetic scriptures, he understands that the time for his death is drawing near. In his anguish, the humanity of Jesus, and his humble obedience to his heavenly Father is vividly depicted. Jesus, sweating drops of blood and existing in severe anguish, prays.

“Father, all things are possible to You. If it is possible let this chalice pass from me. But only if it is your will. May your will be done.” (Gibson, 6:39)

Such a simple request, yet it reveals that even God in the flesh was fearful when facing the punishment of the cross. Jesus asked for another way, revealing the fear in his heart. However, in the midst of this anguish and fear, his obedience and confidence in God the Father is manifested as Jesus verbally surrenders his will to his Father’s will. This scene is so very important, as it shows that Jesus, although God, did not choose to take advantage of his divine powers to make enduring the cross any easier than it would have been for a regular human being. He was fully God, and also fully human, which makes the magnitude of his suffering so much greater. The emptying of Jesus divine nature for the duration of his time on earth is also confirmed by the following verse.

“Though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:6-7)

So, Jesus was fully God, but also fully man. He had to suffer physically in the same way any other human being with nociceptors would suffer. He had to suffer emotionally in the same way any human being would suffer when facing betrayal, abandonment and injustice.

Betrayal came by the hands of Judas, one of Jesus followers. Jesus had just previously washed Judas’ feet at the last supper. After receiving this humble act of love, Judas slips away to a meeting with the pharisees and elders where he agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. In the betrayal, Judas gives Jesus a kiss as a sign to the entourage of soldiers accompanying him that this is the man they are to arrest. This moment alone must have caused such pain in the heart of Jesus.

In the chaos of Jesus being seized, Peter, one of Jesus disciples, cuts off the ear of a roman soldier. Jesus’ reaction is truly amazing. He rebukes Peter, telling him to drop his sword and then proceeds to heal the ear of the roman soldier. This healing is a remarkable act of love and compassion by Jesus in the presence of his enemies. In this moment, and all throughout the crucifixion process, Jesus was manifesting one of his teachings from the sermon on the mount.

“I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. For if you love only those who love you, what reward is there in that?” (Gibson, 1:29:51)

This is a hard teaching but Jesus embodies and fulfills these words beautifully throughout his crucifixion. This is a wonderful example that Jesus was so much more than simply an ordinary man. In order to love when faced with absolute injustice, one must be absolute love. Only God could love in such absoluteness.

Once Jesus has been captured by the roman entourage led by Judas, he is beaten and then brought to Caiaphas, the high priest of the Jews. Around Caiphas are a large number of pharisees and elders of the people. They conjure up false testimonies against Jesus with the intent of having him sentenced to death. This whole proceeding was completely illegitimate from the way a court case should have been handled. It was done at night, and in secrecy. All throughout the proceeding Jesus is being beaten, mocked, and spat on which is completely inappropriate treatment of a man who has yet to be found guilty. The proceeding was manipulated by the pharisees to ensure that Jesus was sentenced. Eventually, Caiaphas storms right up to Jesus, and demands to know whether or not he is the son of God. Jesus responds in this way,

“I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Gibson, 27:55)

As Jesus finishes saying these things, Caiaphas tears his garment and calls Jesus a blasphemer and delivers a verdict of death.

Now, if Jesus knew that this response to Caiaphas’ question would result in him receiving a death sentence, why didn’t he answer the question differently? I believe that Jesus responding to Caiaphas’ question with this response is a wonderful proof that he is indeed the son of God.

This proof serves as a defense to a very plausible objection to both premises one and two, which is that Jesus was not actually God incarnate.

Let us create a hypothetical study. In this study, every creature who has ever suffered from Transworld Depravity is given a choice within the same scenario. Transworld Depravity is a state of being which makes perfection impossible. Now, there is only one creature in the study who has overcome Transworld Depravity by living a perfect life. This creature is God incarnate. Now, every participant in this study is placed in the same scenario that Jesus finds himself in when he is asked if he is the son of God. In this study, each participant is allowed to know what the consequences of their response will be. If they answer “yes” then they will be sentenced to death by crucifixion. If they answer “no”, then they will be set free without facing any punishment. My hypothesis is that every creature who suffers from Transworld Depravity will answer “no” to this question. Now, the only creature who could answer “yes” to this question will be the creature who has overcome Transworld Depravity, which is also God incarnate. Therefore, since Jesus answers “yes” to Caiaphas’ question, he must be God incarnate. Jesus is God incarnate.

Continuing on with the crucifixion narrative, Jesus is condemned by the pharisees, he is then brought before Pilate because the pharisees did not have the authority to sentence a man to death without Roman permission. Pilate finds no fault in Jesus and so he sends him to his superior Herod to be judged. Herod finds no fault in Jesus and so he sends him back to Pilate. Neither Pilate, nor Herod found Jesus guilty. However, a riot was starting as Jesus was brought back to Pilate the second time. In an attempt to allow for the release of Jesus and quelch the riot, Pilate announces that he will release to the Jews one prisoner of their choice. This was custom during the Passover feast. The people are given the choice of releasing Barabbas, who is a notorious murder, or Jesus. In this moment, the scene changes to just a few days prior, when the Jews were welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem with celebration, laying their cloaks and palm branches out in front of him. The scriptures say they were chanting the following praise.

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9)

Fast forward a couple days, and this is the cry of the people when given the choice of having Jesus or Barabbas released.

“Barabbas! Barabbas! Barabbas!” (Gibson, 50:30)

Such injustice. A murder is released instead Jesus.

To this response, Herod gives a command to have Jesus punished. He orders him to be scourged, but not killed. The scourging process is painful to watch. The roman soldiers select sturdy wooden sticks that they use to beat Jesus repetitively. The allotted punishment was to be forty lashes. Jesus had fallen to his knees in pain and exhaustion after the first forty lashes. Then, in a powerful moment, Jesus stands after his punishment is complete, asking for more. Once again, similar to when Jesus professed himself as the son of God, he must have known that this action would invoke further punishment. However, Jesus embraced the punishment, he embraced more suffering. Something no ordinary man would do. It was almost as though Jesus knew he was receiving the punishment for all the sins of humanity, instead of avoiding it, he embraced it. The second forty lashes were much worse than the first. The romans grabbed leather whips with metal bits attached to the ends of the leather. Each lash dug deeply into Jesus’ skin and then ripped the flesh as the whip was pulled away. This must have been excruciatingly painful.

After the scourging process, a crown of thorns is twisted and placed on Jesus’ head, they then press the thorns deeply into the flesh causing for blood to flow freely from Jesus’ temple. They then give him a reed in his right hand and a place a robe on his back and mock him as being the king of the Jews, continually striking and spitting on Jesus. Such long, drawn out pain and suffering.

Jesus is then once again brought before Pilate, where the crowd once again calls for crucifixion. Pilate relents, washing his hands of whatever is about to happen, he hands Jesus over to the Jews and allows them to do whatever they wish. Jesus is sentenced to death by crucifixion.

The crowds follow Jesus as he attempts to carry his cross through the city and up to the hill of Golgotha where he is to be crucified. Jesus, severely depleted of sleep, and suffering from extensive blood loss is too exhausted to carry his cross. All throughout the journey to the crucifixion site, Jesus is being spat on, mocked and beaten.

With the help of a bystander whose name was Simon of Cyrene, Jesus is barely able to make it up to the hill of Golgotha. When they reach the crucifixion site, Jesus is laid down on his cross, and the crucifixion process begins. In a gruesome scene, the nails are hammered through the hands of Jesus, a couple inches at a time, the face of Jesus manifesting excruciating, searing pain. Then the feet are placed one over another, and a nail is driven through both feet into the wood of the cross. He is then raised up on his cross for all to see. Jesus is crucified.

As he hangs on the cross, suffering in excruciating agony, Jesus shows no bitterness in his heart. No malice towards his enemies. Rather, he shows incomprehensible love and forgiveness. In a powerful moment, as Jesus is hanging on the cross, the high priest Caiaphas walks up to Jesus, mocking him once more.

“You said you could destroy the temple and rebuilt it in three days, and yet you cannot come down from that cross. If he is the Messiah, I say let him come down from the cross so that we may see and believe.” (Gibson, 1:44:15)

Jesus incurs incredible physical suffering, he incurs psychological suffering, and he is publicly humiliated. The high priest Caiaphas has been the chief perpetrator of Jesus death. Jesus had every reason to curse Caiaphas and hate him in his heart. However, Jesus responds to Caiaphas’ insults in a truly miraculous way. Jesus says,

“Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” (Gibson, 1:44:38)

Once again, if any man other than God incarnate were placed in this situation, the probability that they should respond to the perpetrator of their unlawful scourging and crucifixion with forgiveness and compassion is certainly zero. It takes absolute love to respond to absolute injustice with forgiveness and compassion. This response further reveals the reason for Jesus being on the cross in the first place. To fulfill what was prophesied in the scriptures.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Jesus was being pierced and crushed on the cross, and his response to the insults of Caiaphas reveals that the real intention of Jesus hanging there is so that mankind might receive forgiveness for their sin.

Jesus dies on the cross. As he breathes his last, darkness begins to cover the city, and earthquakes shake the land. The temple quakes and the veil that previously separated the holiest of holies from the people is wrenched in two. Since the veil was meant to keep man apart from the presence of God, the wrenching of the veil in two is symbolic of how Jesus had completed the work needed to redeem mankind back to God. The response of the roman soldiers who witnessed these events testifies that Jesus’ death was extraordinary and that his identity was much more than that of an ordinary human.

“When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54)

This is the response of battle seasoned, roman soldiers. These soldiers would have performed multiple crucifixions as their role required. For them to make this declaration after the death of Jesus is proof that the death of Jesus was unlike any other the world has ever seen.

The final scene in the movie is of Jesus being raised from the dead on the third day. The empty tomb is portrayed cinematically, and Jesus is sitting in his tomb having just come back to life. He then stands with scarred hands and walks out of the grave.

It is clear that Jesus was not deserving of death. He certainly was not deserving of the intense suffering that he was put through. He was wrongly convicted, and maliciously crucified. Jesus could have easily avoided this punishment; any ordinary man would have. The Passion of the Christ provides visual confirmation of the biblical narrative that Jesus Christ is God incarnate and that he suffered more than any other human being who has ever lived.

There can be no doubt that Jesus suffered on the cross. There is also strong evidence to support the idea that Jesus was God incarnate. Jesus testifying that he is the son of God when facing death by crucifixion supports this notion. The testimony of the roman soldiers confessing Jesus as the son of God after his death is also strong evidence to support this claim. This whole narrative also fulfills the prophecy given in Isaiah 53, which supports both premises with regards to the notion that Jesus’ death brought about the redemption of humanity. If this evidence obtains, then God does sympathize with humanity in their sufferings. This reveals that God carries a very innate concern for the well being of humanity to the extent that he became proactive in reconciling and redeeming mankind to himself.

If premise one and two obtains, then God is not indifferent to the sufferings of sentient beings.

Why is this significant?

If God suffers alongside of humanity and is actively involved in their redemption, then the hypothesis of indifference is completely invalid. Not only is this a strong proof for the existence of God, but it also exemplifies how the character of God is one that can sympathize with humanity, This reality is confirmed in the book of Hebrews in the Bible.

“Since then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:14-15)

Jesus, God incarnate, can sympathize with the weakness of mankind because he was fully human and suffered. Not only did he suffer; he suffered more than any other human has ever suffered. Therefore, if any human seeks to make a complaint about the extent of suffering in his/her life, they are complaining to a being who has suffered far beyond whatever they are experiencing. This minimizes the validity of arguments that would suggest that there is too much suffering in our world.

A good analogy to support this idea is basic training in the military. Those who are in charge of the training cause the trainees to suffer in many different ways. The trainees are put through arduous physical and mental challenges. In the midst of this suffering, if a trainee were to complain about the extent of his/her suffering, the trainer would simply laugh at their complaint. Why? The trainer has already endured the same suffering the trainee is going through. That’s how they become a trainer. Since the trainer has already suffered what the trainee is going through, the complaint of the trainee is not valid since the trainer has already endured that same suffering and overcome.

In the same way, complaints about the extent of suffering in our world possess little strength because God has suffered more than any human being. However, despite this truth, God still shows his sympathy and compassion to those who are suffering and hurting. This can be observed in God’s choice to suffer to redeem humanity. God has provided a mode of salvation and a beacon of hope in the person of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering.

God suffered to redeem humanity. The crucifixion of Jesus serves as proof that God is not indifferent or dissociated from the pain and pleasure experienced by humanity. Instead, God participates in the suffering of humanity, sympathizes with its weakness, and has been proactive in providing a mode of redemption for all humanity.

References

Gibson, Mel, director. The Passion of the Christ. 2004.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (ESV), Containing the Old and New Testaments. Crossway Books, 2011.

Rowe, William L. God and the Problem of Evil. Blackwell, 2007.