At the Procession with Palms
 |
“Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem”
by Benjamin Robert Haydon, 1814-20 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
When Jesus and his disciples
drew near to Jerusalem,
to Bethphage and Bethany at
the Mount of Olives,
he sent two of his disciples
and said to them,
"Go into the village
opposite you,
and immediately on entering
it,
you will find a colt tethered
on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone should say to you,
'Why are you doing this?'
reply,
'The Master has need of it
and will send it back here at
once.'"
So they went off
and found a colt tethered at
a gate outside on the street,
and they untied it.
Some of the bystanders said
to them,
"What are you doing,
untying the colt?"
They answered them just as
Jesus had told them to,
and they permitted them to do
it.
So they brought the colt to
Jesus
and put their cloaks over it.
And he sat on it.
Many people spread their
cloaks on the road,
and others spread leafy
branches
that they had cut from the
fields.
Those preceding him as well
as those following kept crying out:
"Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in
the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our
father David that is to come!
Hosanna in the highest!"
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St. Mark’s story of Jesus
entry into Jerusalem provides some unique differences from St. Matthew’s
account (Matthew 21:1-11). First Jesus orders the
preparation for his entry to Jerusalem to be made. He is greeted with cheers as in the accounts
from St. Matthew and St. Luke but the crowd stops short of proclaiming him
Messiah.
“Jesus had visited Jerusalem
various times before, but he never did so in this way. Previously he had not
wanted to be recognized as the Messiah; he avoided the enthusiasm of the crowd;
but now he accepts their acclaim and even implies that it is justified, by
entering the city in the style of a pacific king. Jesus’s public ministry is
about to come to a close: he has completed his mission; he has preached and
worked miracles; he has revealed himself as God wished he should; now in this
triumphant entry into Jerusalem he shows that he is the Messiah. The people, by
shouting "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the
kingdom of our father David that is coming!", are proclaiming Jesus as the
long-awaited Messiah. When the leaders of the people move against him some days
later, they reject this recognition the people have given him.”[4]
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When the great crowd that had
come to the feast heard
that Jesus was coming to
Jerusalem,
they took palm branches and
went out to meet him, and cried out:
"Hosanna!
"Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord,
the king of Israel."
Jesus found an ass and sat
upon it, as is written:
Fear no more, O daughter
Zion;
see, your king comes, seated
upon an ass's colt.
His disciples did not
understand this at first,
but when Jesus had been
glorified
they remembered that these
things were written about him
and that they had done this
for him.
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The symbolism captured in St.
John’s account of Jesus entry into Jerusalem clearly conveys the sense of the
crowd’s expectation of the arrival of the “Royal Messiah.” “Palm branches: used to welcome great
conquerors; cf 1 Maccabees 13:51; 2 Maccabees 10:7. They may be related to the lulab, the twig bundles used at the feast
of Tabernacles. Hosanna: see Psalm
118:25-26. The Hebrew word means:
"(O Lord), grant salvation." He who comes in the name of the Lord:
referred in Psalm 118:26
to a pilgrim entering the temple gates, but here a title for Jesus (see the
notes on Matthew 11:3
and John 6:14; 11:27). The king of Israel: perhaps from Zephaniah
3:14-15 in connection with the next
quotation from Zechariah 9:9.”[5]
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Homily:
The infant child, son of
Joseph of Nazareth and Mary has come a long way. Now a grown man, we saw him come into his
ministry as John the Baptist reluctantly baptized him in the Jordan,
recognizing the destiny of the humble carpenter’s son.
We have heard about his trial
in the desert where he defeated Satan; rejecting temptation and overcoming
human weakness.
We have seen him perform
mighty signs, feeding thousands with just a few loaves and fishes; curing the
blind, the lame, and the leper.
With just a few ordinary
disciples he has called along the way, he has become in the few short years of
his public life, a phenomena.
We here, in this age, find it
remarkable that everyone in Jesus time did not recognized that he fit
everything that had been predicted by the Prophets concerning the identity of
the Messiah.
Perhaps some of them
did. As we hear in the story of his
triumphant entry into Jerusalem to the cheers of Hosanna from St. Mark, we
wonder how many in the cheering crowd were there for the spectacle and how many
were shouting “Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord!“
We know that there were many
in that same crowd that were plotting his arrest and death. Even as the cheers echoed in the Lord’s ears
he was aware of the fear and hatred of those in power. He had shaken the establishment and
challenged their authority. He surely
knew what he had done and just as surely, he knew that those that feared and
killed John the Baptist would be even more terrified of the message he bore.
He comes to us today, riding
not on some great stallion or war horse, ready to challenge worldly powers by
force of arms; but on a young colt as St. Mark describes it – a beast of burden
carries the young carpenter’s son, the child of Mary who is also God’s
Anointed. What a paradox it seems that
the one who is great beyond all imagining should come so humbly to the place of
power.
We know this story well. In a few moments we will, together, recount
the events that follow. We must, as we
do each year, ask ourselves what have we done in our lives thus far that God
should love us so much that He sends his Son into this situation on our
behalf. We recognize as well as we can
how much God loves us that such a sacrifice is made. The great hope of all Christians is offered
up as the Lord is lifted upon the Cross and we are filled once more with the
sure knowledge that God’s invitation is still valid – still open to us all.
We proceed now to remember
the events that flow from the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem. We remember them to insure that God’s great
sacrifice for us is never taken for granted and Jesus suffering and death will
never be for an ungrateful people.
Amen
The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue,
that I might know how to
speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may
hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who
beat me,
my cheeks to those who
plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like
flint,
knowing that I shall not be
put to shame.
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“The poem is neatly
constructed in three stanzas, each beginning with the words, ‘The Lord God’
(vv. 4, 5, 7), and it has a conclusion containing that same wording (v. 9). The
first stanza emphasizes the servant’s docility to the word of God; that is, he
is not depicted as a self-taught teacher with original ideas, but as an
obedient disciple. The second (vv. 5-6) speaks of the suffering that that
docility has brought him, without his uttering a word of complaint. The third
(vv. 7-8) shows how determined the servant is: if he suffers in silence, it is
not out of cowardice but because God helps him and makes him stronger than his
persecutors. The conclusion (v. 9) is like the verdict of a trial: when all is
said and done, the servant will stand tall, and all his enemies will be struck
down.”[6]
CCC: Is 50:4-10 713; Is 50:4 141
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R. (2a) My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
All who see me scoff at me;
they mock me with parted
lips, they wag their heads:
"He relied on the LORD;
let him deliver him,
let him rescue him, if he
loves him."
R. My God, my God, why
have you abandoned me?
Indeed, many dogs surround
me,
a pack of evildoers closes in
upon me;
They have pierced my hands
and my feet;
I can count all my bones.
R. My God, my God, why
have you abandoned me?
They divide my garments among
them,
and for my vesture they cast
lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far
from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.
R. My God, my God, why
have you abandoned me?
I will proclaim your name to
my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly
I will praise you:
"You who fear the LORD,
praise him;
all you descendants of Jacob,
give glory to him;
revere him, all you
descendants of Israel!"
R. My God, my God, why
have you abandoned me?
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The personal lament in Psalm 22 echoes the abuse and ridicule heaped on
God’s servants and the faithful. This
selection goes further, prophetically describing the Passion of the Lord (“…They have pierced my
hands and my feet” and “They divide my garments among them, and for my vesture
they cast lots.”)
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Christ Jesus, though he was
in the form of God,
did not regard equality with
God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in
appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the
point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly
exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on
earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the
Father.
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This passage from
Philippians is known as the Kenotic Hymn – The song of emptying. Christ empties himself of the complete
divinity that is his essence and accepts the human condition. As true man he suffers the ultimate
humiliation of death (on the cross). The
second section of the hymn focuses on God’s resulting actions of
exaltation. The Christian sings to God’s
great glory in Christ proclaiming him Lord and Savior. As part of St. Paul’s
instructive letters, this is clearly to be used as a liturgical prayer or song.
In this context of the Lord’s passion and resurrection, it provides a counter
point to the elevated status of Jesus revealed and the Messiah – the Only
Begotten Son of God. The attitude of
Christ is one of humility.
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The Passover and the Feast of
Unleavened Bread
were to take place in two
days' time.
So the chief priests and the
scribes were seeking a way
to arrest him by treachery
and put him to death.
They said, "Not during
the festival,
for fear that there may be a
riot among the people."
When he was in Bethany
reclining at table
in the house of Simon the leper,
a woman came with an
alabaster jar of perfumed oil,
costly genuine spikenard.
She broke the alabaster jar
and poured it on his head.
There were some who were
indignant.
"Why has there been this
waste of perfumed oil?
It could have been sold for
more than three hundred days' wages
and the money given to the
poor."
They were infuriated with
her.
Jesus said, "Let her
alone.
Why do you make trouble for
her?
She has done a good thing for
me.
The poor you will always have
with you,
and whenever you wish you can
do good to them,
but you will not always have
me.
She has done what she could.
She has anticipated anointing
my body for burial.
Amen, I say to you,
wherever the gospel is
proclaimed to the whole world,
what she has done will be
told in memory of her."
Then Judas Iscariot, one of
the Twelve,
went off to the chief priests
to hand him over to them.
When they heard him they were
pleased and promised to pay him money.
Then he looked for an
opportunity to hand him over.
On the first day of the Feast
of Unleavened Bread,
when they sacrificed the
Passover lamb,
his disciples said to him,
"Where do you want us to
go
and prepare for you to eat
the Passover?"
He sent two of his disciples
and said to them,
"Go into the city and a
man will meet you,
carrying a jar of water.
Follow him.
Wherever he enters, say to
the master of the house,
'The Teacher says,
"Where is my guest room
where I may eat the Passover
with my disciples?"'
Then he will show you a large
upper room furnished and ready.
Make the preparations for us
there."
The disciples then went off,
entered the city,
and found it just as he had
told them;
and they prepared the
Passover.
When it was evening, he came
with the Twelve.
And as they reclined at table
and were eating, Jesus said,
"Amen, I say to you, one
of you will betray me,
one who is eating with
me."
They began to be distressed
and to say to him, one by one,
"Surely it is not
I?"
He said to them,
"One of the Twelve, the
one who dips with me into the dish.
For the Son of Man indeed goes,
as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom
the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that
man if he had never been born."
While they were eating,
he took bread, said the
blessing,
broke it, and gave it to
them, and said,
"Take it; this is my
body."
Then he took a cup, gave
thanks, and gave it to them,
and they all drank from it.
He said to them,
"This is my blood of the
covenant,
which will be shed for many.
Amen, I say to you,
I shall not drink again the
fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it
new in the kingdom of God."
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of
Olives.
Then Jesus said to them,
"All of you will have
your faith shaken, for it is written:
I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be dispersed.
But after I have been raised
up,
I shall go before you to
Galilee."
Peter said to him,
"Even though all should
have their faith shaken,
mine will not be."
Then Jesus said to him,
"Amen, I say to you,
this very night before the
cock crows twice
you will deny me three
times."
But he vehemently replied,
"Even though I should
have to die with you,
I will not deny you."
And they all spoke similarly.
Then they came to a place
named Gethsemane,
and he said to his disciples,
"Sit here while I
pray."
He took with him Peter,
James, and John,
and began to be troubled and
distressed.
Then he said to them,
"My soul is sorrowful even to death.
Remain here and keep
watch."
He advanced a little and fell
to the ground and prayed
that if it were possible the
hour might pass by him;
he said, "Abba, Father,
all things are possible to you.
Take this cup away from me,
but not what I will but what
you will."
When he returned he found
them asleep.
He said to Peter,
"Simon, are you asleep?
Could you not keep watch for one
hour?
Watch and pray that you may
not undergo the test.
The spirit is willing but the
flesh is weak."
Withdrawing again, he prayed,
saying the same thing.
Then he returned once more
and found them asleep,
for they could not keep their
eyes open
and did not know what to
answer him.
He returned a third time and
said to them,
"Are you still sleeping
and taking your rest?
It is enough. The hour has
come.
Behold, the Son of Man is to
be handed over to sinners.
Get up, let us go.
See, my betrayer is at hand."
Then, while he was still
speaking,
Judas, one of the Twelve,
arrived,
accompanied by a crowd with
swords and clubs
who had come from the chief
priests,
the scribes, and the elders.
His betrayer had arranged a
signal with them, saying,
"The man I shall kiss is
the one;
arrest him and lead him away
securely."
He came and immediately went
over to him and said,
"Rabbi." And he
kissed him.
At this they laid hands on
him and arrested him.
One of the bystanders drew
his sword,
struck the high priest's servant,
and cut off his ear.
Jesus said to them in reply,
"Have you come out as
against a robber,
with swords and clubs, to
seize me?
Day after day I was with you
teaching in the temple area,
yet you did not arrest me;
but that the Scriptures may
be fulfilled."
And they all left him and
fled.
Now a young man followed him
wearing nothing but a linen
cloth about his body.
They seized him,
but he left the cloth behind
and ran off naked.
They led Jesus away to the
high priest,
and all the chief priests and
the elders and the scribes came together.
Peter followed him at a
distance into the high priest's courtyard
and was seated with the
guards, warming himself at the fire.
The chief priests and the
entire Sanhedrin
kept trying to obtain
testimony against Jesus
in order to put him to death,
but they found none.
Many gave false witness
against him,
but their testimony did not
agree.
Some took the stand and
testified falsely against him,
alleging, "We heard him
say,
'I will destroy this temple
made with hands
and within three days I will
build another
not made with hands.'"
Even so their testimony did
not agree.
The high priest rose before
the assembly and questioned Jesus,
saying, "Have you no
answer?
What are these men testifying
against you?"
But he was silent and
answered nothing.
Again the high priest asked
him and said to him,
"Are you the Christ, the
son of the Blessed One?"
Then Jesus answered, "I
am;
and 'you will see the Son of
Man
seated at the right hand of
the Power
and coming with the clouds of
heaven.'"
At that the high priest tore
his garments and said,
"hat further need have
we of witnesses?
You have heard the blasphemy.
What do you think?"
They all condemned him as
deserving to die.
Some began to spit on him.
They blindfolded him and
struck him and said to him, "Prophesy!"
And the guards greeted him
with blows.
While Peter was below in the
courtyard,
one of the high priest's
maids came along.
Seeing Peter warming himself,
she looked intently at him
and said,
"You too were with the
Nazarene, Jesus."
But he denied it saying,
"I neither know nor
understand what you are talking about."
So he went out into the outer
court.
Then the cock crowed.
The maid saw him and began
again to say to the bystanders,
"This man is one of
them."
Once again he denied it.
A little later the bystanders
said to Peter once more,
"Surely you are one of
them; for you too are a Galilean."
He began to curse and to
swear,
"I do not know this man
about whom you are talking."
And immediately a cock crowed
a second time.
Then Peter remembered the
word that Jesus had said to him,
"Before the cock crows
twice you will deny me three times."
He broke down and wept.
As soon as morning came,
the chief priests with the
elders and the scribes,
that is, the whole Sanhedrin
held a council.
They bound Jesus, led him
away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him,
"Are you the king of the
Jews?"
He said to him in reply,
"You say so."
The chief priests accused him
of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him,
"Have you no answer?
See how many things they
accuse you of."
Jesus gave him no further
answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Now on the occasion of the
feast he used to release to them
one prisoner whom they
requested.
A man called Barabbas was
then in prison
along with the rebels who had
committed murder in a rebellion.
The crowd came forward and
began to ask him
to do for them as he was
accustomed.
Pilate answered,
"Do you want me to
release to you the king of the Jews?"
For he knew that it was out
of envy
that the chief priests had
handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred
up the crowd
to have him release Barabbas
for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in
reply,
"Then what do you want
me to do
with the man you call the
king of the Jews?"
They shouted again, "Crucify
him."
Pilate said to them,
"Why? What evil has he done?"
They only shouted the louder,
"Crucify him."
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy
the crowd,
released Barabbas to them
and, after he had Jesus scourged,
handed him over to be
crucified.
The soldiers led him away
inside the palace,
that is, the praetorium, and
assembled the whole cohort.
They clothed him in purple
and,
weaving a crown of thorns,
placed it on him.
They began to salute him
with, AHail, King of the Jews!"
and kept striking his head
with a reed and spitting upon him.
They knelt before him in
homage.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the
purple cloak,
dressed him in his own
clothes,
and led him out to crucify
him.
They pressed into service a
passer-by, Simon,
a Cyrenian, who was coming in
from the country,
the father of Alexander and
Rufus,
to carry his cross.
They brought him to the place
of Golgotha
— which is translated Place
of the Skull —
They gave him wine drugged
with myrrh,
but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and
divided his garments
by casting lots for them to
see what each should take.
It was nine o'clock in the
morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge
against him read,
"The King of the
Jews."
With him they crucified two
revolutionaries,
one on his right and one on
his left.
Those passing by reviled him,
shaking their heads and
saying,
"Aha! You who would
destroy the temple
and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself by coming down
from the cross."
Likewise the chief priests,
with the scribes,
mocked him among themselves
and said,
"He saved others; he
cannot save himself.
Let the Christ, the King of
Israel,
come down now from the cross
that we may see and
believe."
Those who were crucified with
him also kept abusing him.
At noon darkness came over
the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And at three o'clock Jesus
cried out in a loud voice,
"Eloi, Eloi, lema
sabachthani?"
which is translated,
"My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who
heard it said,
"Look, he is calling
Elijah."
One of them ran, soaked a
sponge with wine, put it on a reed
and gave it to him to drink
saying,
"Wait, let us see if
Elijah comes to take him down."
Jesus gave a loud cry and
breathed his last.
The veil of the sanctuary was
torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood
facing him
saw how he breathed his last
he said,
"Truly this man was the
Son of God!"
There were also women looking
on from a distance.
Among them were Mary
Magdalene,
Mary the mother of the
younger James and of Joses, and Salome.
These women had followed him
when he was in Galilee
and ministered to him.
There were also many other
women
who had come up with him to
Jerusalem.
When it was already evening,
since it was the day of
preparation,
the day before the sabbath,
Joseph of Arimathea,
a distinguished member of the
council,
who was himself awaiting the
kingdom of God,
came and courageously went to
Pilate
and asked for the body of
Jesus.
Pilate was amazed that he was
already dead.
He summoned the centurion
and asked him if Jesus had
already died.
And when he learned of it
from the centurion,
he gave the body to Joseph.
Having bought a linen cloth,
he took him down,
wrapped him in the linen
cloth,
and laid him in a tomb that
had been hewn out of the rock.
Then he rolled a stone
against the entrance to the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the
mother of Joses
watched where he was laid.
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The passion according to St. Mark
recounts the Christ’s anointing and the reaction of Judas and his betrayal.
We are given the story of the last supper and the “Prayer in the Garden”,
Jesus arrest, trial, conviction, and execution.
In this part of the Passion narrative from St. Mark’s Gospel, the
disciples prepare to celebrate the Passover and follow Jesus’ instructions It
is likely that the “man carrying a water jar” was a prearranged signal for only
women carried water jars, however, the Greek version says it is a person, not
necessarily a man.
There are two different traditions of this part of the passion
narrative. In St. Mark’s, St. Luke’s and St. John’s (John 13:18) Gospels (Luke 22:21-23) the betrayer is
not named. In St. Matthew’s (Matthew 26:25) and St.
John’s (John 13:21-30) the
betrayer is identified as Judas Iscariot. It is speculated that the
identifying the traitor before the Eucharist as Mark does, may have been to
show that Judas did not participate in that part of the final celebration.
Next the institution of the Eucharistic meal is taken up. “The
actions and words of Jesus express within the framework of the Passover meal
and the transition to a new covenant the sacrifice of himself through the
offering of his body and blood in anticipation of his passion and death. His
blood of the covenant both alludes to the ancient rite of Exodus 24:4-8 and
indicates the new community that the sacrifice of Jesus will bring into being (Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25).”[7] The
Passover meal concludes with a hymn of praise (Psalms 114-118).
Following the Last supper, Jesus takes his disciples to a garden,
probably one familiar to them. Gethsemane (literally “oil press”) is a
small garden outside the eastern wall of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. He
has 8 of his disciples sit down to wait but invites the three who had witnessed
the raising to life of the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:37) and the
transfiguration of their Master (Mark
9:2) to be with him while he prays in this ominous hour.
His address, beginning with the word "abba" (or
dad/daddy in colloquial English) conveys the familial relationship between the
Father and the Son more intensely than almost anywhere else in scripture.
The prayer itself has a plea to the Father, recognizing that all things
are possible for him. This plea is coupled immediately with abject
subjugation of the Lord's will to the Father as he humbly paraphrases the
prayer he gave his disciples "thy will be done."
We see, in St. Mark's Gospel the symbolism of the disciples
inability to comprehend the events unfolding. Three times (using Hebrew
numerology - the absolute) he finds his three friends unable to stay awake (to
understand). The symbolism is that they are completely uncomprehending of
what is happening. "The spirit is willing but the flesh is
weak" the spirit is drawn to what is good yet found in conflict with the
flesh, inclined to sin; cf. Psalm 51:5, 10. Everyone is
faced with this struggle, the full force of which Jesus accepted on our behalf
and, through his bitter passion and death, achieved the victory."[8]
Finally he tells them that the hour has come and his arrest is immanent.
The arrest of Jesus is told in a matter-of-fact way by St. Mark.
The actions of the Sanhedrin are expected. We note that Judas’
kiss, historically an act of affection (see Luke 7:45; Romans 16:16; and 1 Peter 5:14) was changed to
an act of betrayal (see Proverbs 27:6). [9]
Jesus offered no resistance. “…thereby fulfilling the prophecies
about him in the Old Testament, particularly this passage of the poem of the
Servant of Yahweh in the Book of Isaiah: ‘like a lamb that is led to the
slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not
his mouth…because he poured out his soul to death…’ (Isaiah 53:7; 12). Dejected
only moments earlier in the beginning of his prayer in Gethsemane, Jesus now
rises up strengthened to face his passion.” [10]
The trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin is presented by St. Mark.
In all accounts Jesus is falsely accused (see also Matthew 26:60–61 and John 2:19) and the difficulty
of finding witnesses to testify is stressed. The testimony regarding the
destruction of the temple is a likely misunderstood reference to Jesus
eschatological prediction of his own death and resurrection (see Matthew 23:37). The
author’s account of a key point in the trial differs for other accounts in that
Jesus, in this account, proclaims his identity as the Messiah to the Sanhedrin.
This has the immediate effect of ending further discussion about his guilt and
results in his condemnation. The trial with the Sanhedrin ends with the
beginnings of the passion as Jesus is mocked and spit upon.
Those present at Jesus trial the night of his arrest, already
aware that Jesus is condemned to death, must convene the whole governing body
of the Temple (“…chief priests with the elders and the scribes, that is, the
whole Sanhedrin”). They lack the authority to execute Jesus so they
must take their case to Pilate, the Roman Governor to accomplish the sentence
they have passed.
St. Mark portrays Pilate as being amazed at Jesus’ responses to
his questioning and because of what follows, we must assume Pilate to be
reluctant to pass judgment against him (see also Luke 23:14 and Matthew 27:18).
Seeking a means to avoid outright condemnation Pilate uses a local
tradition of releasing one prisoner. Because the Hebrew leadership has
support among those in the crowd present, a convicted felon, Barabbas is
released instead and Jesus fate is sealed. Jesus is scourged and handed
over to the guards to be crucified.
St. Mark describes the mocking of Jesus by the guards of the
Praetorium (Fortress of Antonia). Pilate, after having him scourged, has
given in to the apparent will of the crowd and placed Jesus in the custody of
the paid guards guard. The soldiers jeer at Jesus as a "pretend
king," placing upon him the purple cloak and the crown of thorns.
This image of suffering and pain has become a symbol of all human pain
and humiliation under the title "Ecce Homo." "But, as St. Jerome
teaches, 'his ignominy has blotted out ours, his bonds have set us free, his
crown of thorns has won for us the crown of the kingdom, his wounds have cured
us.' (comm. in Marcum, in loc.)" [11]
In this passage we are given St. Mark's narrative about the final
moments of Jesus' earthly life as he hung upon the cross and the interment of
Lord in the tomb. St. Mark's narrative begins with darkness blanketing
the whole land, probably a reference specifically to Judea as the Messiah is
sacrificed. This could also be a veiled recollection of the darkness
called down by Moses (see Exodus
10:22).
Jesus cries out "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?"
which is translated by Mark immediately. It is also found in Psalm 22:2. There the
phrase is spoken as the suffering of the upright individual who turns to God at
a time of extreme need. Here, in the voice of Christ, we hear the despair
not of failing in his mission but rather more a plea for God not to abandon
those he loves. The fact that a bystander misunderstands the cry as one
invoking Elijah is likely representative of a confusion of language between the
Greek and Hebrew. Elijah was of course expected by the Hebrews to return
at the time the Messiah was to appear (see Malachi 3:1ff). Hearing him
cry out one of the bystanders wet a sponge with wine to see if the mistaken
request would be answered. Christians see this as a fulfillment of Psalm 69:22b "... and
for my thirst they gave me vinegar."
The Lord gives a loud cry in St. Mark's Gospel differs from the
later accounts of Luke
23:46 ("Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Father, into your
hands I commend my spirit'”) and the more theological account from John 19:30 (“It is
finished."). "Patristic writers often regard the cry as a
manifestation of the freedom with which Jesus handed over his life to the
Father."[12]
With the death of the Lord, the symbol is provided for the reality
of his triumph. "The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from
top to bottom." The curtain being referenced stood between the
faithful and the Holy of Holies. It is torn essentially in half, opening
the passage between the two spaces. It can also be interpreted as the
very temple of God in Jerusalem mourning the passing of the Savior (as one
rending their garments in grief). The conclusion of this event provides the
long awaited climax of St. Mark's Gospel as a Centurion; a gentile identifies
Jesus as the Son of God.
There were also present a number of men and women from his
entourage. These women would have been figures seen throughout Jesus
travels as being both patrons of his ministry and recipients of his kindness.
One of the male members, Joseph of Arimathea, received permission to buy
the body of Jesus. While the timing is somewhat confused, the corpse
(Mark uses this stark word) is placed in the tomb and covered with a burial
cloth (not completely prepared for burial - that task was to be carried out
later with startling results.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as morning came,
the chief priests with the
elders and the scribes,
that is, the whole Sanhedrin
held a council.
They bound Jesus, led him
away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him,
"Are you the king of the
Jews?"
He said to him in reply,
"You say so."
The chief priests accused him
of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him,
"Have you no answer?
See how many things they
accuse you of."
Jesus gave him no further
answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Now on the occasion of the
feast he used to release to them
one prisoner whom they
requested.
A man called Barabbas was
then in prison
along with the rebels who had
committed murder in a rebellion.
The crowd came forward and
began to ask him
to do for them as he was
accustomed.
Pilate answered,
"Do you want me to
release to you the king of the Jews?"
For he knew that it was out
of envy
that the chief priests had
handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred
up the crowd
to have him release Barabbas
for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in
reply,
"Then what do you want
me to do
with the man you call the
king of the Jews?"
They shouted again,
"Crucify him."
Pilate said to them,
"Why? What evil has he done?"
They only shouted the louder,
"Crucify him."
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy
the crowd,
released Barabbas to them
and, after he had Jesus scourged,
handed him over to be crucified.
The soldiers led him away
inside the palace,
that is, the praetorium, and
assembled the whole cohort.
They clothed him in purple
and,
weaving a crown of thorns,
placed it on him.
They began to salute him
with, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
and kept striking his head
with a reed and spitting upon him.
They knelt before him in
homage.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the
purple cloak,
dressed him in his own
clothes,
and led him out to crucify
him.
They pressed into service a
passer-by, Simon,
a Cyrenian, who was coming in
from the country,
the father of Alexander and
Rufus,
to carry his cross.
They brought him to the place
of Golgotha
—which is translated Place of
the Skull—
They gave him wine drugged
with myrrh,
but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and
divided his garments
by casting lots for them to
see what each should take.
It was nine o'clock in the
morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge
against him read,
"The King of the
Jews."
With him they crucified two
revolutionaries,
one on his right and one on
his left.
Those passing by reviled him,
shaking their heads and
saying,
"Aha! You who would
destroy the temple
and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself by coming down
from the cross."
Likewise the chief priests,
with the scribes,
mocked him among themselves
and said,
"He saved others; he
cannot save himself.
Let the Christ, the King of
Israel,
come down now from the cross
that we may see and
believe."
Those who were crucified with
him also kept abusing him.
At noon darkness came over
the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And at three o'clock Jesus
cried out in a loud voice,
"Eloi, Eloi, lema
sabachthani?"
which is translated,
"My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who
heard it said,
"Look, he is calling
Elijah."
One of them ran, soaked a
sponge with wine, put it on a reed
and gave it to him to drink
saying,
"Wait, let us see if
Elijah comes to take him down."
Jesus gave a loud cry and
breathed his last.
The veil of the sanctuary was
torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood
facing him
saw how he breathed his last
he said,
"Truly this man was the
Son of God!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The shorter form of the
Passion Narrative omits the events leading up the Jesus’ arrest and trial and
picks up after St. Peter’s denial. It
sharpens the focus on the Lord’s crucifixion and death. Again, the interested reader is encouraged to
consult a formal commentary and the footnotes to get the overall symbolism and
deeper issues surrounding the text.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pax
[2]
The picture used is “Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem” by Benjamin Robert Haydon,
1814-20
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception
of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International
Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized
by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, ©
2002, pp.285
[5]
See NAB footnote on John 12:13
[6]
The Navarre Bible: “Major Prophets”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002,
pp.223
[7]
See NAB Footnote on Mark 14: 22-24
[8]
see NAB Footnote for Mark 14:38
[9]
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius
Press, San Francisco, CA. pp. 94
[10]
The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter
Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, pp. 308
[11]
The Navarre Bible, “Gospels and Acts”, Scepter
Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, pp.313
[12]
Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., ©
1968, 42:93, pp.58
