Can we enter into the depth of Christ's suffering?
We are constantly reminded that Jesus suffered and died for
us on the cross. The prophet Isaiah
predicted as much when, in the fourth Suffering Servant oracle, he indicates
that the Servant will suffer, carrying the sins of humanity quite simply because
it is the will of God that he do so: The Lord was pleased to crush him in
infirmity... Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many. We know that the Servant's suffering will end
-- he shall see light in fullness of days
-- but first, he will suffer.
Jesus Christ offers himself entirely for us; he is the
ultimate scapegoat, the high priest who
has been tested in every way, according to the Letter to the Hebrews. Born a man in order to share in our humanity,
he took humanity to the cross because it was God's will. So, when, in Mark's Gospel, James and John
ask, Grant that in your glory we may sit
one at your right and the other at your left, they truly have no idea what
such a gift might entail. They do not
want to envision the coming suffering of Jesus; they just want to cut straight
to the chase, and be with him in heaven.
And they certainly don't want to participate in that suffering! But to drink
the cup with Jesus is to be baptized into his death: Jesus challenges them to a dose of the
reality of salvation at work in their lives.
For the love of humanity, we, like Jesus, can suffer precisely because Christ has done so and continues to do
so. The love that Jesus offered on the
cross is just as profound and complete now as it was over two thousand years
ago, and it is that love that is a model we are called to follow. For the Lord
can deliver us from death, as
Psalm 33 states, and the eyes of the Lord
are on those who fear him. We are
called to be in awe of the sacrifice of Christ, in awe of the love he embodies,
in awe of the mercy he
represents. And we, too, are called to drink the cup, to embrace suffering and
sacrifice, to love as Jesus loved, to suffer as he suffered.
Are you ready to enter into the depth of Jesus' love today?
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
Image source: Wordle
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