A reflection on early graffiti mocking Christ

The earliest graffiti that depicted Jesus' crucifixion doesn't come from Christian art but from mocking graffiti.  Found near the Palatine Hill in Rome and dating to the first century, it shows Jesus with the head of a donkey on the cross.  A person appears to be mocking Jesus and his beliefs.  Could this represent the Romans disdain for anything Christian?  The writing says, "Alexamenos worship [his] God."  Tertullian writes a common slander was that Christians worshipped a donkey "...for some among you have dreamed that god is an ass' head an absurdity which Cornelius Tacitus first suggested..." (Tertullian, As Nations 197 CE).

The references to a donkey could have originated from many places such as a slur against the Jewish people, or from Jesus' connection with donkeys in his ride into Jerusalem.  Certainly the donkey's symbolism of meekness and humility would have run counter to the values of Rome which included military strength, oppression, conquest, and domination.  The values of Jesus as expressed in the sermon on the mount (beatitudes) would have been mocked by anyone that valued the Roman ideals. Gods were powerful and certain didn't end up being crucified so easily.  

It's important for us to consider this contrast between Jesus and Rome.  While ultimately, Rome would adopt Christianity, after Constantine, the church would have to deal with the eventual corruption of Christianity. The church began to use the model of power and conquest to dominate other cultures.  Instead of conquering under the old Roman ideals, the new Roman Empire would now conquer under the sign of the cross.  We should never forget therefore that Rome represented the power of government to suppress. It celebrated the power of wealth and glory, it classified between the "in's and the outs".  Christ represented the exact opposite, love, mercy, peace, humility, poverty, and acceptance of all.  There will always be those that mock these Christian virtues, even Christians.  Followers of Jesus must never forget that Christianity ultimate is correctly represented by those that opposed it in this piece of graffiti, Jesus was all about his self giving love and self sacrifice, something that is consider to be stupid as an ass.