Is a failed Messiah. Always has been. It’s why the crowds around Jesus couldn’t make heads or tails of his “Son of Man will be lifted up” talk. They knew that “Son of Man” was a euphemism for the Messiah, and that “lifted up” was a euphemism for crucifixion.
How could one liberate people from the oppression of the Empire if he himself was killed by the Empire? Extreme cognitive dissonance.
What was difficult to grasp then is still difficult to grasp now: The real way to life is through death. The real way to victory is through defeat. The real way to winning is through losing.
That—surprise of surprises!—is the true direction of the grain of the universe. It’s what Jesus called the Kingdom of God.
