The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the most profound event in human history. Yet, it’s also one of the most misunderstood.
The cross unmasks the futility and impotence of violence, human sacrifice, and even death itself. Jesus, the innocent victim of human hatred, doesn’t return violence for violence. Instead, He absorbs humanity’s sin, brutality, and homicidal violence while returning only forgiveness and reconciliation.
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” Jesus prayed from the cross (Luke 23:34). With these words, Jesus both revealed God’s heart and turned mankind’s logic of vengeance and violence on its head.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how the cross reveals God’s character, confronts the violent systems of humanity, and calls each of us to follow the way of Christ’s nonviolent love of friends and enemies.
Keep reading to see how the cross of Jesus changes everything.
The Cross: Humanity’s Ultimate Act of Violence
The crucifixion of Jesus was the darkest moment for humanity.
Before them stood the innocent “Lamb of God,” whom they despised, rejected, and scapegoated for sins He didn’t commit (Isaiah 53:3,7).
The murder of Christ stands as humanity’s ultimate act of violence as it sought to permanently silence the very embodiment of love and truth.
René Girard’s insights into scapegoating help us understand what’s happening here. When fear, anger, or guilt overwhelm us (or in the case of the crucifixion, a community), humans often seek to blame someone else: a scapegoat.
The cross unmasks what Girard refers to as a “single victim mechanism,” which describes humanity’s tragic tendency to unite around violence against an innocent victim.
2,000 years ago, Jesus became that scapegoat.
The religious leaders, desperate to preserve their power, said, “It is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” (John 11:50). This statement, dripping with irony, captures the tragic logic of human violence: sacrifice the innocent to maintain the status quo.
The crowd soon joined in the collective outcry of “Crucify Him!” (Mark 15:13), showing how easily a crowd can be swept into a collective justification of violence.
Finally, the political powers signed off on His execution.
The crucifixion was humanity’s gravest systemic failure. Religion, politics, and society all converged to condemn the One who came to save.
Put simply, the cross exposes the brokenness of human systems, in which violence and scapegoating are deeply embedded.
But fortunately, this isn’t the end of the story.
PODCAST: The Cross Unmasked: How Jesus Overcame Evil With Good
God’s Response to Violence: Forgiveness and Reconciliation
When I was a kid, I used to imagine what it would be like when Christ returned. In particular, I used to imagine Christ violently smiting His enemies and ruling by force over a world that was still largely resistant to Him. As I got older, I came to see these imaginations as unreasonable as “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) The same Jesus that forgave those who crucified Him 2,000 years ago is the same Jesus who forgives today.
We do well to remember that God’s response to humanity’s violence is not vengeance, but forgiveness.
While mankind seeks retribution and power through violence, God in Christ demonstrates a radically different approach.
God Does Not Retaliate
In His final moments, Jesus does not cry out for justice or retaliation against His enemies. Instead, He does something remarkable that few men can understand.
While hanging on the cross after an unjust trial, Jesus prays for all who have turned against Him, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). Who knew that God was so merciful? Who knew that God does not meet violence with violence?
Vengeance Belongs to God
Paul writes in Romans 12:19, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” Again, when I was younger, I thought this passage meant that I needed to love and forgive my enemies not because God does but simply because He wants me to. Instead, I read this verse as saying that even though I shouldn’t seek retribution against my enemies, I can rest in knowing that one day God will.
It was only later in my walk with Christ that I came to see that God’s “vengeance” has nothing to do with inflicting harm upon an individual. To the contrary, God’s vengeance overcomes evil with good. This is a law of the Spirit.
As Paul continues, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21).
The cross is the ultimate display of this truth. Instead of harming his persecutors, God in Christ absorbed humanity’s violence and turned what they intended for evil into good by offering salvation through the crucifixion. This is the kind of “vengeance” that only God can bring. He defeats evil, not by mirroring it, but by transforming it through nonviolent, self-sacrificial love.
The Victory of Love Over Violence
The resurrection is God’s definitive answer to violence and death. As Paul proclaims, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55). By raising Jesus from the dead, God shows that love is stronger than death, that life triumphs over the grave. Death has been robbed of its victory. (Note: While man should not fear death, he should fear living an unexamined life void of love.)
I am indebted to Walter Wink’s insights on the myth of redemptive violence, which I think resonate deeply here. His work helps us see that the cross, perhaps more than anything else, fully exposes the futility of trying to defeat evil through evil. It unmasks the insidious lie that violence can ever bring true peace. Instead, the cross and resurrection demonstrate that true victory comes through nonviolent love.
Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:19, “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.” That is, God’s justice is restorative, not retributive. God is a reconciler rather than a destroyer. At the cross, our God takes humanity’s worst and transforms it into the greatest act of love.
The cross and resurrection call us to a radical way of living that rejects the cycle of violence and embraces the power of forgiveness, love, and reconciliation.
The Cross as the Unmasking of Homicidal Violence
At the cross, Jesus exposes the truth about violence, sacrifice, and death. Far from legitimizing violence, the crucifixion unveils its futility and impotence. It reveals that violence does not create life but only destroys it. The cross lays bare the failure of violence to bring life or lasting peace.
The End of Human Sacrifice
For centuries, humanity has sought to appease the gods through ritual acts of homicidal violence, offering sacrifices to atone for sins or to obtain favor.
But the cross shatters this paradigm. René Girard’s insights on scapegoating illuminate this truth. The crucifixion unmasks the lie of sacred violence by showing that God does not demand blood to forgive. Instead, it is humanity, not God, that requires sacrifice to appease its own guilt and fear. In Christ, God reveals that forgiveness is not bought but freely given. The cross does not legitimize human sacrifice. Instead, the cross exposes the futility of human sacrifice as a way to placate God.
The Defeat of Death Itself
Death was once the ultimate weapon of violence. But death, which is an enemy of both God and man, has been conquered and entirely defeated by the resurrection of Christ. We must allow Jesus to transform our understanding of death. To be sure, those who trust in Christ have no reason to fear death as it is He who holds “the keys of death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:18)
Paul celebrates this triumph, writing, “Death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). Because of the resurrection, we can know that violence and death do not have the final word. Love does.
A Call to See Differently
The cross calls us to reject the myths of redemptive violence and sacred bloodshed. It invites us to see that God’s kingdom is built, not through swords or sacrifices, but through nonviolent, self-sacrificial love — and resurrection life.
Embracing the Way of the Cross
The cross doesn’t just save us. It calls us to die to our old selves and put on Christ, which is our “new man.”
As new creatures in Christ Jesus, we are called to follow the way of Jesus, which is the way of nonviolence, forgiveness, and self-sacrificial love. It’s a simple path, but it is not an easy path. But those that find will discover that it leads to life, healing, and reconciliation in the here and now.
A Call to Nonviolence
Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:44 couldn’t be clearer: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” The cross demonstrates what this looks like in practice. Jesus doesn’t respond to violence with violence. Instead, He absorbs the hatred, mockery, and brutality of the world and returns only love and forgiveness.
As followers of Christ, we’re called to do the same. The way of the cross is the way of self-sacrificial love—a love that seeks the good of even those who oppose us. This is how we reflect the heart of our Father, who “makes His sun rise on the evil and the good” (Matthew 5:45).
Breaking the Cycle of Retaliation
Violence perpetuates violence. Revenge fuels more harm. But Jesus offers a different way: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil” (Romans 12:17). Instead of retaliating, we’re called to forgive. In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus reminds us that forgiveness is central to the Kingdom. Forgiveness doesn’t mean excusing wrongdoing; it means breaking the cycle of vengeance and trusting God to bring ultimate justice.
When we choose forgiveness over retaliation, we mirror the heart of Christ, who forgave even from the cross. This is the radical love that transforms hearts and changes the world.
Practical Applications
Living the way of the cross means choosing nonviolence in every aspect of life. In personal relationships, it means resolving conflict with grace, not aggression. In society and politics, it means advocating for peace over war and policies that reflect the dignity of all people.
It also means rethinking justice. Instead of punitive systems that perpetuate harm, we can work toward restorative justice—solutions that heal relationships and communities.
The Way of Peace
Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). To follow Jesus is to be a peacemaker in a world addicted to conflict. By embracing the way of the cross, we live out God’s love and bring His Kingdom closer to earth.
