Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (NRSV)
See, my servant shall prosper;
he shall be exalted and lifted up,
and shall be very high.
Just as there were many who were astonished at him
--so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of mortals--
so he shall startle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which had not been told them they shall see,
and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.
Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account.
Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
They made his grave with the wicked
and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the LORD shall prosper.
Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Psalm 22 (BCP., p. 610)
Hebrews 4: 14-15 5: 7-9 (NRSV)
Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,
So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it." This was to fulfill what the scripture says,
"They divided my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots."
And that is what the soldiers did.
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, "None of his bones shall be broken." And again another passage of scripture says, "They will look on the one whom they have pierced."
Blog Reflection
Unless we have a heart of stone, it is very difficult to read the words of the passion and death of Jesus without feeling that sense of shame in what human beings are capable of. The praise and jubilation that the crowds shouted to receive Jesus into Jerusalem with palm branches strewn about, has become a call to crucify the Son of God. The fickleness of the human heart has shown all of it's true colors.
The Good Friday event of the crucifixion of Jesus is more like a mirror of what humankind can be like. Yet, as we recall all of the terrible things that happened on Calvary today, we also remember that this is how God showed God's unconditional and all-inclusive love for all of us. Even those of us who crucify Jesus through our sins.
In today's meditation from Pilgrim Road: A Benedictine Journey Through Lent, Albert Holtz, O.S.B., writes about his experience during the Good Friday Service at Fatima Parish in Santa Cruz. The people gathered in the congregation bring their palms that they carried and waved from Palm Sunday. For them, it is a reminder of how they and all of us, shouted "Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!" on Palm Sunday, and today on Good Friday we with the crowd shouted: "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" When they walk forward to venerate the Cross the carry the palms with them, reminding them that they too are as much able to welcome God with a song of praise, as they are to crucify Jesus again by their sins.
Fr. Holtz also reminds us of the palms in another place in the Scriptures.
After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes, and peoples, and languages, standing before the throne before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out with a loud voice, saying
"Salvation belongs to our God
who is seated on the
throne, and to the Lamb." (Revelation 7: 9-10).
The reason we are among those who can wave palm branches as we celebrate the saving power of our God, is because of Jesus Christ who "became obedient unto death, even death on a Cross" (Philippians 2:8). The writer to the Hebrews notes that our High Priest knows all about our human suffering and that we should approach the throne of grace to find help in time of need. In Jesus Christ, God has identified with the totality of our human experience to the point where all of us are among God's beloved, with whom God is well-pleased. Even as Jesus cries out, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23: 34).
The need for scapegoating other people is over. God has shown unconditional and all-inclusive love for every human being. The reason Jesus can call us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being, with God's help, is because Jesus Christ has showed us the way to do that. The commandment Jesus gave us at his Last Supper last night, to love one another as he loves us, is one that Jesus with God's help, has fulfilled.
Good Friday and the death of Jesus on the Cross should give to us the inspiration to show compassion and mercy towards every human being. We should be using this occasion as our very reason why we should love our neighbors as ourselves, and strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being. We should insist that the meaning of the Paschal Mystery is to celebrate the amazing love of God, that stretched out the arms of Jesus on the cross, to let all of us know that God embraces every human person, without exception. Our response to that love, should be to follow Jesus' example.
When I survey the wondrous Cross where the young Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the Cross of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood.
See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. (Hymn 474, Hymnal 1982).
Prayers
Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your
family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be
betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer
death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for Good Friday, Book of Common Prayer, p. 221).
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but
first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he
was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way
of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and
peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Collect for Fridays, Book of Common Prayer, p. 99).
Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on
the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within
the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit
that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those
who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for
the honor of your Name. Amen. (Prayer for Mission, Book of Common Prayer, p. 101).
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, p. 815).
No comments:
Post a Comment