Good Friday Year A B C 2024

Title

The King Reigning on a Cross

Outline

What do our readings tell us?

Isaiah tells us “my servant shall prosper” and then goes into a a list of humiliations, rejections, and woundings. Then Isaiah adds that it was not for his sins that he suffered, but that “he was pierced for our sins.” And this was not our or the Servant’s will, but that “the Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all.” Indeed, “it was the Lord’s will to crush him with pain./By making his life as a reparation offering . . .” Yet because “my servant” did this, “I will give him his portion among the many . . .” In other words, Jesus’ willing suffering, noted in our liturgies, was the will of the Father and through this suffering our transgressions were dealt with and he was in the end exalted.

Hebrews notes that he was a high priest who was one of us (as Pope Francis loves to say, he had the smell of the sheep). He knew our weaknesses for he had been tested like us in every way - yet without sin. He agonized in the face of death, but was perfectly obedient. This is the high priest who has “passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God.” Where he is, there is “the throne of grace” from which we can “receive mercy” and grace.

So we see in John, who skips the agony in the garden, a Jesus who need only speak “I AM” and the arrest party falls back, who hands himself over and tells the arresting party whom not to arrest (although Peter does not get the message soon enough). This Jesus who when abused does not speak abusively. Jesus who is accused, but never convicted (in fact the trial before Caiaphas is not in John). This contrasts with Peter overcome with fear who seeks to escape.

Yet Jesus before Pilate accused of claiming to be king of the Jews can say “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” And then he can admit that he is a king “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” What defense lawyer would have advised this approach? Pilate wants to release this non-violent king but the Jews of themselves request Barabbas (son of a father) a revolutionary, perhaps a revolutionary king.

Pilate tries to inspire pity by scourging and shaming Jesus, but instead gets a more violent outcry that turns into the charge that Jesus “made himself the Son of God.” This scares Pilate who now fears Jesus and Jesus ends up judging Pilate with respect to his source of power and who has the greater sin.

Caught on the horns of a political dilemma, Pilate makes political capital resulting in the cry, “We have no king but Caesar,” while Pilate will rub in with the inscription over the cross.

Where is God in this? Note that in dividing Jesus’ clothes scripture is fulfilled, which is repeated a second time over his thirst and twice more after his death, and to which he alludes in “It is finished.”

Where are his disciples? Only three disciples remain, all named Mary, and the enigmatic Disciple whom Jesus Loved, to whom Jesus hands over his mother as his mother. [Which is an indication that he did not have other blood family.]

Jesus remains in control: he bows his head and hands over the spirit.

The details of the burial set the stage for the resurrection: 100 lbs of spices, new empty tomb, close known location.

So what do we learn?

Jesus hands himself over and non-anxiously suffers enough to break us several times because it is the will of the Father and because it is for our salvation. Jesus remains in control. I would suggest that we not focus on his suffering but on his willing to suffer for our good.

Yes, the suffering was enough to break us humans - we see that in Peter and in the disciples who fled.

Yet not the people of faith, for the Mary’s and the BD remain. They witness, they likely do not understand, but the remain.

The way of the world is seen in Caiaphas and those around him and Pilate, and it turns out to be weak, manipulative, fighting against each other, and, in a couple of days, a failure.

The question is, then, where do we see ourselves in this picture?