By the author: "In writing this final commentary on Luke, I began to recognise the paradoxical notion of praising God for Jesus’ death. Many churches promote the belief that Jesus died for our sins and worship God for this. In fact, a whole theology of atonement has been developed around the notion that Jesus needed to die to satisfy God’s wrath. While a traditional reading of Scripture recognises that without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin, that's not entirely true. In the story of the "Lost Son," the son returns and is simply welcomed by the father, who is said to represent God. The father's forgiveness required no sacrifice; it was a direct experience of being welcomed and grace. 

How is it possible for those who claim to follow Christ to be responsible for horrendous acts of violence, war, and even genocide? How can entire armies be raised to battle others in the belief that they are doing this in the name of Jesus? I believe the answer lies in this final section of Luke, where the temple's theology of atonement is shown to require bloodshed, a process that also normalises violence. It is why Jesus aligned his death with the Passover lamb, which was not a sacrifice for sin but one of deliverance and protection. Looking at the Lamb’s blood resulted in the angel passing over the homes of the Israelites, and not killing their firstborn sons. 

I experienced the circumstances around Jesus’ death as the tragic outcome of people committed to the path of violence, and this led me to look at the blood that has been shed throughout history in the name of religion differently. It needs to lead us to commit to acts of forgiveness, not violence. If we acknowledge Jesus’ death as necessary, it endorses violence, and that will inevitably spill over into how we treat others. 

Jesus had become a social and religious problem for the temple elite, and they thought they were doing nothing wrong in wanting him killed. This is because bloodshed and violence were entirely normal for them in the sacred space they operated. It was the way God had endorsed them to deal with sin. Yet once you look at God’s story differently, the cross takes on a new perspective. God’s Love is not at work there. With this, I had to confront the painful reality that throughout my life, I have metaphorically put many people on the cross, either through angry words or validating the harm others have inflicted on them. Nothing of this aligns with the way of Jesus, who brought us into resurrection life rather than death and with this, I commit to repenting of my many sins." 

Published: October 11, 2025