Once Jesus has been handed over, he was no longer the active agent in his own story. He was a passive victim, and it is important to note that Christ’s mission was fulfilled by what was done to him.
Most of our lives are about coping and dealing with the things others do to us. We might wish it was different, but it’s not. I might wish everything I had to endure was only the product of my well-reasoned self-assurance, but it’s not. Other people do things—even messy and inconsiderate things—and I have to cope or deal with what they do to me.
When others hurt me, I can passionately refuse to seek revenge. When I am bullied, I can overcome my aggressive impulse to get back at the bullies, to humiliate them, or to one-up them in public. This path would demonstrate my willingness to live in the Way of the Cross.
Isn’t it interesting to note that “passive” and “passion” have the same root word (Latin: pati)? It’s almost like, linguistically, God is trying to remind us that we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be victimized by what others do to us. Instead, he wants us to re-frame our understanding of that victimization and convert it to passion.
Adapted from Why God Died, previously called Dying For A Fix