No victories in the attaining of final victory. Christ’s passion centers upon defeat, worldly weakness before the might of self-willed determination. For the nonbeliever, those invested in impermanence, the events of the persecution and crucifixion of Jesus mean nothing. There is no emotional arousal, never a crisis of conscious. The depth of the events transpiring before their witnessing pass by them. Believers overwhelmed by fear, for the most part, flee. Those brave enough to endure intimately experience sheer horror. No small victories are garnered. There is no underlying genius perceptible to the wise. No moments of reasoning and counsel providing assurance. Faith is the only solace. Christ, able to call down legions of angels, easily capable of conquering on a devastating level, acquiesces, complacent to suffer without even a word of protest. He suffers completely without an ultimate hinting, no whispering affirmations beneath the blood. There are no sly clever words announcing to followers that ultimate victory is at hand. No winks behind the backs of those crucifying. Everything is violently and outrageously real. Powerlessness grotesquely pronounces itself to the innocent of heart. The resurrection and ascension remain invisible mysteries to those loving Christ. Anguish, the experiencing of events unimaginable in terror, establish temporary reality. Anxiety, the accepting of injustice, overwhelming sadness, assail. Confident in the majesty of Jesus, events prove devastatingly contradictory to the miracles and healings previously performed. Confusion rips asunder the minds of the enlightened. Divine love remains distant during the most crucial of moment upon moment. No miracle providing worldly vindication will occur. Obstinate arrogance is granted the right to justify, parading itself as powerful, able to drink the wine of personal satisfaction. Those confident in self-righteousness feel nothing of doubt or the immensity of injustice being perpetrated. They interact in a manner of terminal uniqueness, individuals committed to self-acclaimed self-righteousness. Strong individuals amidst the events of life. Weakness foreign, surrendering useless. Those convinced of their own strength see nothing of value in the pathetic cries of the distressed, those loyal to one being taught a lesson for unacceptably challenging the ways of religious convention. Flippantly, words of condemnation and challenge are voiced by those seeking personal victory, small moments of believing one’s ways are superior. In reality, at the moment of the turning of eternity, the majority of the witnessing seek only their own short-sighted interest, salvific ignorance prevailing. Those able to intuitively cling to hope through faith in the One they love, know only despair.
