On June 13, Mr. Yohanes Krismantyo Susanta, lecturer at Institut Agama Kristen Negeri Toraja, Indonesia, delivered a presentation titled "Reading the Crucifixion Story in John 19:16-27 through the Lens of Trauma" at the Asian Practical Theology International Conference 2025. Mr. Susanta aimed to examine overlooked aspects of Jesus's crucifixion narrative through feminist and trauma hermeneutic approaches.
Mr. Susanta first established the centrality of the crucifixion story in Christian tradition, noting its prominence in church liturgy, Easter sermons, visual art, and popular films such as Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." He observed that popular theology primarily understands the crucifixion as an atonement event for humanity's sins through God's sacrifice.
However, Mr. Susanta identified an oversight in these reflections. He argued that the stripping of Jesus's body during the crucifixion process is rarely discussed openly in sermons, liturgy, or academic study. Mr. Susanta suggested that this aspect may be considered too vulgar or incompatible with the spiritual understanding of Jesus's suffering.
Building on this observation, Mr. Susanta contended that from historical and theological perspectives, the act of nakedness constitutes symbolic and sexual violence with important ethical implications. He argued that ignoring this aspect means covering up the reality of hurt and marginalized bodies, particularly those experiencing sexual violence throughout history and today.
Mr. Susanta then applied his approach to John's crucifixion account. From a historical perspective, he explained that Roman crucifixion served not only as execution but as a tool of humiliation and political domination. Victims were often stripped of all clothing for public humiliation. In John's account, soldiers divided Jesus's clothes into four parts and cast lots for his seamless robe (v. 23-24), indicating complete stripping. He argued that this stripping represents sexual violence that dehumanizes the body publicly.
Furthermore, Mr. Susanta highlighted the significance of women's presence near the cross (v. 25). He described them as silent witnesses to the brutal acts against Jesus. In the patriarchal culture of the time, women typically had no voice or public place, yet they were present as witnesses to suffering and trauma. Mary, Jesus's mother, represents maternal grief, witnessing her son's humiliation and punishment. The Beloved Disciple's responsibility for Mary (v. 26-27) forms a new community built on suffering.
Mr. Susanta interpreted Jesus's body in this narrative as a victim's body—humbled, stripped, and hated. The crucified body becomes the locus of real suffering, not merely spiritualized but subjected to actual humiliation. In trauma terms, Jesus's body symbolizes many contemporary bodies experiencing sexual violence without space to speak.
Moreover, Mr. Susanta outlined the theological and ethical implications of reading Jesus's crucifixion as a trauma narrative. First, this understanding creates possibilities for solidarity with sexual violence victims. When Jesus's body was stripped and humiliated, he entered the experiential space of victims often denied or hidden by society and institutions, including the church. Second, it encourages the church to build theology that does not cover suffering solely with victory language but makes room for wounds, cries, and faithful presence. The church needs to become a community willing to hear trauma stories, serve as non-judgmental witnesses, and bring healing.
Finally, Mr. Susanta concluded that by creating space for honest and sensitive reading of sexual violence reality, the text becomes a source of hope, confession, and healing. The church, as a community of text readers, needs to redefine its role not only as a proclaimer of cross victory but as a safe space for trauma-bearing bodies, thus making the crucifixion story a living narrative that continues speaking to wounded bodies today.
