This Sunday, we hear Matthew’s version of Jesus’s
Passion. What makes this version
different from the others? Well, first,
Jesus seems to be in control of what is happening, from beginning to end, going
forth resolutely to meet all he is to meet. Nothing
takes him by surprise; nothing startles him, because he maintains throughout a
strong communion with God, into which nothing else can intrude. Even when he calls out, My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?, Jesus is likely praying
the whole of Psalm 22 on the cross, a
psalm that is ultimately about giving praise to God. Like the Suffering Servant in our reading
from Isaiah, Jesus is in profound relationship with the Father; the Lord God is [his] help. Day after day, Jesus never loses sight of
God’s plan, of the larger purpose of his mission. Are we always so careful about listening to
God, morning after morning, and
waiting for God to reveal himself? Jesus
is, even in the terrifying reality of his last moments. He does not
rebel, does not turn back.
The other players in this scenario are not so together. The disciples, for their part, want to do the
right thing, but they can’t. They can’t
stay awake in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Judas betrays Jesus. Peter denies
Jesus three times, in spite of himself. And
don’t we find ourselves in that same predicament? Isn’t it hard for us to follow through on our
intentions in relationship with our Lord?
Even those who call Jesus’ blood down upon themselves don’t
realize they are proclaiming a blessing.
Let his blood be upon ourselves
and upon our children, they say. In
other words, they accept the guilt that Jesus’s blood be on them, yet in so
doing they also open a door to God’s plan, which is salvation and infinite love
for all. Do we always realize that Jesus
took our sins to the cross? Do we
realize the blessing he represents in our lives? Jesus’s purpose was never to destroy, but to
build up, to give life, and—obedient to
the point of death, as Paul tells the Philippians – Jesus pushes the story
through to the end so that that can take place.
As the veil of the sanctuary
is torn in two and the earth quakes, Jesus’s purpose is
achieved, and access to God is made available to all people. This is the message of his Passion:
that Jesus’s suffering made God accessible to humankind in all God’s
infinite compassion and love… a love
for all, made possible by the steadfast progression of Jesus to his human death
on the cross, and, ultimately, his resurrection.
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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