The Crucifixion of Jesus is quintessential to the New Testament. The New The testament is a canon of sacred writings: Theology Essay, MU, Ireland

The Crucifixion of Jesus is quintessential to the New Testament. The New
The testament is a canon of sacred writings. It contains twenty-seven books based on the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ . The Crucifixion refers to Jesus’ cruel and brutal death. Jesus spent much of his ministry teaching, healing, and performing miracles as well as “preaching of the Kingdom of God.” Many religious authorities opposed him, as they did not agree with his understanding of God.

The Romans crucified Jesus. The New Testament presents us with a unique appreciation of this monumental incident. When reading the New Testament followers understand the importance of the Crucifixion of Jesus. The New
Testament scriptures were written in a time that had its own “patterns of speech, needs and cultural assumptions” making this a complex event to comprehend. (Green and Baker, 2000, p. 88) In order to ensure its universal meaning, the writers of the New Testament constructed a number of crucial metaphors to enhance one’s understanding of the crucifixion of Jesus.

These metaphors come under the titles of redemption, sacrifice, reconciliation, victory over evil powers, revelation, and justification. Each illustration provides us with an innate understanding of the Crucifixion. For the purpose of this essay, I will look at four of these metaphors in detail.

Four I will delve deeper into our redemption, sacrifice, revelation, and reconciliation. I have chosen these metaphors, as I believe they allow us to create a unique appreciation for the crucifixion of Christ. It is through the interpretation of these New Testament metaphors that one can comprehend the crucifixion.

The metaphor of redemption portrays Jesus’ death as a means of release,
providing us with a unique understanding of the crucifixion of Jesus. Through his demise, Jesus is seen as a liberator, emancipator, and redeemer of the people. There are many images created in the New Testament in order to convey Jesus’ death in relation to redemption.

The evangelist Luke believes that Jesus’ death on the cross is carried out in order to free the people from oppression and sin, just like in the Old Testament. Luke links Jesus Christ’s loss of life to the “liberation of God’s people from Egypt.”(Lk.1: 68) In the Old Testament, Moses answered God’s call and released the people from their oppressive forces; similarly in the New Testament, Jesus liberates the people from their oppression and misdemeanors through his bereavement, as elucidated by Heim (2006) when he states – “Christ died in our place to bear the punishment for our sins.” Through his crucifixion, Jesus obeyed God and freed the people, cementing himself as the redeemer of the world and restoring the people to God.

For the evangelists, Mark and Matthew, Jesus’ death displays how he gave up everything for mankind. In making the ultimate sacrifice, that being his life, the crucifixion illustrates how Jesus gave up his future so that his people could enjoy an everlasting one. For the evangelists, the crucifixion indicates “a life lived on behalf of others.”

This understanding and interpretation of the crucifixion is authentic and unique but ultimately limited and self-constrained in its scope. “It is here… that we encounter the limits of the metaphor of redemption.” While the
evangelists believe that Jesus was the bargaining tool for the people’s freedom and release from sin, one wonders to who the ransom was paid. Paul exemplifies this problem as he uses the language of redemption, most noticeably in his letter to the Corinthians – “you have been bought with a price.”

Prose containing words such as ‘ransom’ and ‘purchase’, words which convey
redemption, illustrate this concern. However, the faith, confidence, and devotion in Jesus as a liberator and redeemer overpower the speculation of who received the ransom.

Jesus’ death is seen as an influential moment for the people as he emancipates them from their overbearing shackles. Today one “must turn to the crucified Christ in order to show … the freedom he” empowered in us. The metaphor of redemption illustrated in the New Testament provides one with a crucial understanding of the crucifixion.