”By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.” And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. But Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching. Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin. As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed. Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.“
Luke 23:44-56 NLT
Simple acts of defiance are often the most subversive. The Roman solider declared the innocence of Christ, basically stating that the Romans were wrong for killing Him. Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Sanhedrin—the Jewish High Council that had condemned Jesus—but he did not agree with their decision. He was unable to stop the injustice, but he went out of his way to ask for the body of Jesus, giving a rich man’s burial to a traveling preacher. It was a simple act of defiance, showing that he believed the Sanhedrin was wrong, and it set the stage for the greatest miracle ever—the resurrection.
Jesus was also subversive in subtle ways. He rarely spoke directly against the reigning authorities, but He taught the way of God—working for justice, living with humility, not needing the stuff of earth. People who live like Jesus are hard to manipulate—they can’t be bought, they don’t care about pleasing others, and they are focused on eternity. Jesus gave His life to tear down the wall that separated God from humans. This is a subversive act—because once a human reconnects with the Creator, they can be free from the manipulative systems of the powerful. They live out the mandate to Adam (rule) with the method of Christ (serve)—they rule the earth by serving. Jesus calls all His followers to this simple act of defiance: love God first, serve all in working for truth and justice, and let God’s love rule through you.
How is loving and serving like Jesus an act of subversive defiance? How can you be defiant in a Christ-honoring way?
