Five characters around the cross, Kenyans should be wary of

Machakos Cathedral faithfuls along Machakos - Kangundo road during Good Friday/Easter in Machakos on April 18, 2025. [John Muia, Standard]

It is Easter, the season when those who believe in the biblical Jesus reflect on his suffering, death, and triumphant resurrection. The “reason for the season” is clear to those who believe: it is the power of forgiveness, the power of a man who paid a debt He did not owe, so that He could rescue those who owed a debt they could not pay. 

My reflections this Easter weekend however are not so much on the man Jesus but on the characters around the Easter weekend; to use words of Reverend Tom Houston in his famous book, the “characters around the cross”.

During the passion week, the week around Christ’s crucifixion we encounter some notable characters that still hold enduring lessons for humanity centuries later.

The first character is the crowd. We see a crowd that reacts in very different ways to Christ within a very short time. When Christ entered Jerusalem, the week before His crucifixion, he was celebrated as the Messiah, with crowds placing palms on the road for him to ride on, shouting with fervor, “Hosanna to the Highest”. A few days later, the same crowd was screaming, “Crucify Him”.

Crowds have always been fickle, as many, especially politicians, painfully learn. Any leader who thrives on the adoration and adulation of crowds must always know their exaltation can take a 180-degree turn in a moment. Beware of believing in crowds.

The second character around the cross is the infamous Judas. This fellow had been with Christ for years, had benefited from His care and teaching and watched Him perform miracles. But instead of focusing on the value of Christ to humanity, he saw the opportunity for monetisation for private gain. People like that abound in our society.

The very root of graft and corruption is the grabbing of public benefit for private good. Judas ended badly, distraught and alone. Those who betray the common cause for private gain stand warned.

The third character around the cross is Peter. We all know the man who betrayed his best friend out of fear, in the first instance of a “servant girl”. There is a Peter in most of us. Loyal and faithful, until danger threatens.

Unlike Judas, our motivation for betrayal is not money or power, but pure dread. We know what truth is, but we are not willing to pay the price to stand by it. Fortunately for Peter, he came to his senses and stood fearless on later occasions, with history recording his martyrdom for the same Christ he had betrayed.

May Peter be an inspiration; there is always a second chance.

The fourth character is Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who played a minor but significant role in Christ’s suffering and crucifixion. The Bible records that he had been urged by his wife to do right and release Jesus, something within his power. But his desire for fame and popularity moved him to ignore good counsel and take steps that have earned him revulsion over the ages. His symbolic hand-washing has become a lasting symbol of failed leadership.

Leadership is never about looking right for popularity’s sake, but doing right. Leadership that focuses on being accepted rather than doing the right thing is undeserving of the honour.

The last character, Mary Magdalene, is the most redeeming figure. Like Peter, she had experienced Christ’s love and forgiveness. But unlike him, she remained steadfast, standing by Christ to the end. She was the first to witness His resurrection, having stayed at His tomb through danger and despair.

In a society that often devalued women, it is gratifying that the most redemptive figures at the cross were women, including Pilate’s wife in this narration.

In the most trying moments, they stood firm where powerful men faltered. There is a lesson here for humankind; a society is incomplete and ineffectual if it downplays the role of women and other marginalised groups.

Time and again, the marginalised, especially women, play a redemptive role for society, filling its inadequacies and redeeming its potential. Kenya will rise higher when we recognize and embrace this truth.

Have a blessed Easter.