ACIM & The Real Message of The Crucifixion: There is No Crucifixion

Happy Holy Week, Ya’ll!

One of the aspects I love most about A Course in Miracles is how Jesus completely reframes and transforms so many of our historical, fear-based Judeo-Christian concepts into those that reflect Love. The Course-based definitions of God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, the Son of God, the Holy Trinity, Heaven, hell, sin, salvation, prayer, the world (that God did not create) the mind (which is not part of the brain/body) Reality, life, death, and miracles… just to name a few.

One of the most pivotal of these is His explanation of the real meaning of Easter – and particularly the point of the crucifixion.

In traditional Christianity, Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus after the crucifixion. The emphasis, however, is not just on the resurrection itself, but on the guilt – of Judas, the one who is believed to have betrayed Him, and of all those who are seen to have played a part in his death.

The message is that Jesus was God’s only begotten Son, and that He was sent by God to suffer and died a horrific death in order to somehow atone for our sins. In the process He forgave those who were guilty and was then resurrected to demonstrate eternal life – His final amazing miracle.

Yet that’s pretty much the exact polar opposite of the way Jesus remembers it in A Course in Miracles. He talks about it extensively both in the Text in Chapter 6-1 The Message of the Crucifixion, and in Chapter 20-1&2 Holy Week and The Gift of Lilies.

I remember the first time I read Jesus’s description of His intended purpose for the crucifixion 21 years ago. It made so much more sense to me than anything else I had ever been taught about the point of the whole Easter thing, and it’s when I realized that A Course in Miracles truly answered every conflicted thought I’d ever had about God, Jesus, or anything else.

Here are Jesus’s words, excerpted from A Course in Miracles:

“There is a positive interpretation of the crucifixion that is wholly devoid of fear, and therefore wholly benign in what it teaches, if it is properly understood.”

T-6.I.1:5

These are some of the examples of upside-down thinking in the New Testament, although its gospel is really only the message of love.
If the Apostles had not felt guilty, they never could have quoted me as saying, ‘I come not to bring peace but a sword.’ This is clearly the opposite of everything I taught.

Nor could they have described my reactions to Judas as they did, if they had really understood me. I could not have said, ‘Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?’ unless I believed in betrayal.

The whole message of the crucifixion was simply that I did not.The ‘punishment’ I was said to have called forth upon Judas was a similar mistake. Judas was my brother and a Son of God, as much a part of the Sonship as myself.

Was it likely that I would condemn him when I was ready to demonstrate that condemnation is impossible?”

T-6.I.15:1-9

“The crucifixion is nothing more than an extreme example. Its value, like the value of any teaching device, lies solely in the kind of learning it facilitates. It can be, and has been, misunderstood. This is only because the fearful are apt to perceive fearfully. I have also told you that the crucifixion was the last useless journey the Sonship need take, and that it represents release from fear to anyone who understands it.”

T-6.I.2:1-6

“I elected, for your sake and mine, to demonstrate that the most outrageous assault, as judged by the ego, does not matter. As the world judges these things, but not as God knows them, I was betrayed, abandoned, beaten, torn, and finally killed. It was clear that this was only because of the projection of others onto me, since I had not harmed anyone and had healed many.”

T-6.I.9:1-3

“The message the crucifixion was intended to teach was that it is not necessary to perceive any form of assault in persecution, because you cannot be persecuted…”

“You are free to perceive yourself as persecuted if you choose. When you do choose to react that way, however, you might remember that I was persecuted as the world judges, and did not share this evaluation for myself. And because I did not share it, I did not strengthen it. I therefore offered a different interpretation of attack, and one which I want to share with you. If you will believe it, you will help me teach it.”

T-6.I.4:1-5:2-6

“You are not persecuted, nor was I. You are not asked to repeat my experiences because the Holy Spirit, Whom we share, makes this unnecessary. To use my experiences constructively, however, you must still follow my example in how to perceive them. My brothers and yours are constantly engaged in justifying the unjustifiable.”

T-6.I.11:1-4

“The message of the crucifixion is perfectly clear: ‘Teach only love, for that is what you are.’ If you interpret the crucifixion in any other way, you are using it as a weapon for assault rather than as the call for peace for which it was intended.

The Apostles often misunderstood it, and for the same reason that anyone misunderstands it. Their own imperfect love made them vulnerable to projection, and out of their own fear they spoke of the ‘wrath of God’ as His retaliatory weapon. Nor could they speak of the crucifixion entirely without anger, because their sense of guilt had made them angry.”

T-6.I.13:1-2-14:1-4

“No one is punished for sins, and the Sons of God are not sinners. Any concept of punishment involves the projection of blame, and reinforces the idea that blame is justified.”

T-6.I.16:4-5

“Remember that the Holy Spirit is the Communication Link between God the Father and His separated Sons. If you will listen to His Voice you will know that you cannot either hurt or be hurt, and that many need your blessing to help them hear this for themselves. When you perceive only this need in them, and do not respond to any other, you will have learned of me and will be as eager to share your learning as I am.”

T-6.I.19:1-3

“There is no fear in love. The song of Easter is the glad refrain the Son of God was never crucified. Let us lift up our eyes together, not in fear but faith. And there will be no fear in us, for in our vision will be no illusions; only a pathway to the open door of Heaven, the home we share in quietness and where we live in gentleness and peace, as one together.”

T-20.II.8:9-12

“We go beyond the veil of fear, lighting each other’s way. The holiness that leads us is within us, as is our home… This is the way to Heaven and to the peace of Easter, in which we join in glad awareness that the Son of God is risen from the past, and has awakened to the present.”

T-20.II.9:4-10:1

If you notice things transpiring in your life in such a way that you feel like you’re being crucified or punished – the most helpful thing you can do is ask for the miracle. The “miracle” in A Course in Miracles is a shift in perception, from fear to love. If you’re looking at a brother with love, you’re not going to be able to crucify him – and therefore you won’t nail yourself up there with him, either. 

The instrument that the Course provides us with to bring about that miraculous shift is the process of true forgiveness.
As ACIM teaches us,

“Forgiveness recognizes what you thought your brother did to you has not occurred. It does not pardon sins and make them real. It sees there was no sin. And in that view are all your sins forgiven.”

W-II.1.1:1-4

This is what Jesus was doing during His life as a man. It’s what He was teaching us then and what He’s still teaching us in A Course in Miracles.

He was asking us to remember that what we are experiencing as the world of form is actually a projection of the mind. It seems real, but it isn’t.

The transformational tool of true forgiveness that the Course provides us with restores us to our right minds allows us to see what is actually real.

The steps of true forgiveness are:

Forgiving the person for what they haven’t done – there is nothing to forgive because you are dreaming an illusion made up by your ego mind.

Forgive yourself for dreaming it.

Ask Spirit to help you see it differently and heal your mind.

Release it and trust that it has been resolved.

As you engage in this practice, as Jesus did, you will experience the same result He did. Your perception will shift from fear to love. You will notice as your projections change that either the situation in the world will also appear to change, or how you feel about it will be very different. You will feel much more peaceful and centered, and able to just let go of it as you trust more and more.

This is where Jesus was at the time of the crucifixion. He was living in a constant state of forgiveness , and had undone His ego mind to the point where nothing except love was real to Him.

It’s what allowed Him to demonstrate the resurrection, He had no unconscious guilt, no belief that He was separate from any brother – including those who were killing his body in the dream. He did not feel pain because He wasn’t making any meaning out of it, and certainly wasn’t holding anyone in guilt or blame.

This is the extreme teaching example He was using to inspire us to let go of our own perceived crucifxions – our judgments, blame, condemnation, victimhood. It’s the same process, and His point was that we are the same as Him as a Son of God. There is no difference and nothing stopping us from doing exactly what He did except our resistance to give up blame and guilt and see only love.

As Jesus said,

“The dreary, hopeless thought that you can make attacks on others and escape yourself has nailed you to the cross.”

W-pI.196.5:1

So when you next find yourself standing on the ladder of your judgment, instead of forging ahead with nailing your bro and yourself up on that old rugged cross, remember that your willingness to practice forgiveness is the way to freeing you both. Your decision to choose once again is your resurrection as the Son of God. 

ACIM & The Real Message of The Crucifixion: There is No Crucifixion

Thank you so much for joining with me today in our transformation of crucifixion into resurrection.

If you want to experience more ways to practically apply the psychology of A Course in Miracles to choose resurrection over crucifixion in your relationships and have a miraculous life as a result – consider coaching with me and book a free Discovery call here to see how I work.

You are risen. Happy Easter.

I love you.

Kelly Russell, The Rock Your Joy Coach

---

---