THE EXCUSES OF MEN AND BETRAYAL OF TRUTH
From the historical viewpoint, Jesus’ passion and death were a result of the excuses of men and the betrayal of the truth. In a nutshell, the passion and death of Jesus Christ is an exemplification of courage versus cowardice on the part of all the actors involved.
From Christ himself to the least participant in the passion and death narrative. In Christ, we see a journey of courage from the inception of his public ministry till his death on the cross.
His preaching, teaching, and healing as well as his lifestyle challenged the complacent status quo of religiosity without any spiritual transformation. The frauds, the controls, or the manipulations exercised by men in the name of God and religion.
OUR THEME
The readings of the Passion Sunday especially the Gospel of Mark point to the passion, death, and burial of Jesus Christ. The readings give us the detailed prophecy of Christ’s passion, the actual Christ´s passion as well as the consequence of Christ’s passion.
That is, in the eternal plan of God to save the human race from sins and slavery to sins, he sent his only Begotten Son to come into the world to save us. Salvation through his preaching, teaching, and restorative healing through forgiveness of sins.
Ultimately, his inevitable passion and death occasioned a result of being truthful and standing for the truth irrespective of the existing status quo, persons, and religious authorities.
Therefore, consequently, the whole passion and death of Christ play around the display of courage and cowardice by Christ and some followers and many others respectively.
HOLY WEEK
With the triumphant entry to Jerusalem of Jesus Christ, we are invited into the most solemn moment of our faith: THE HOLY WEEK. It is a moment of sober reflection and prayer. A moment of silence and contemplation of the events of our salvation through Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection.
It is not a holiday time. It is not for beach escapades parties’ trips or social outings as the society of our time, media, and business circles try to portray it.
Our prayer point for the Holy season of grace is for us to live and relive the Holy Week of your passion, death, and resurrection in our personal as well as communal life as a Church. Lord Jesus Christ help us to relive this Holy Week with gratefulness, repentance, and resolution for concrete action of courage in our lives.
THE FIRST READING: ISAIAH 50:4-7
The prophecy of Isaiah on the Suffering Servant of God came to the exiled people of Israel as the hope of redemption. After 150 years of brutal exile and enslavement in the hands of the Babylonians, where and when tribes and nations were lost.
And new generations of Israelites with no history of the past, now struggling for existence, place, and power were courageously given hope of God´s salvation through his suffering servant: the Messiah.
The suffering servant is the courageous Messiah whose unwavering bravery spoke the truth to the existing status quo, confronted religious falsehood, control, and abuses as well as challenging the people´s lifestyle of infidelity to God.
Hence, amid the inhuman and unjust treatment meted against him, he was sure in his own words that: “I know I shall not be put to shame!” He knew with unshaken faith in God that his cruel death would be justified by his glorious resurrection.
THE PSALM 22
The psalmist reiterated Christ’s cry on the cross in the pain and agony of his suffering and death: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!” A psalm that fulfils Christ´s passion and death in a lamenting way.
THE SECOND READING: PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11
In many ways, this is the greatest and most moving passage Paul ever wrote about Jesus. It is a passage that deals with the most essential qualities of Jesus Christ: his divinity and humanity, his humility, and his willing self-emptying to a shameful death on the cross.
Again, a courageous step that led to an unequivocal glory and exaltation above anyone or anything in the past, present, and future. A victorious claim and defeat of the devil, evil, sins, and death. This led Jesus to obediently assume a condition of human and beyond that of a slave to save mankind.
At the same a profound challenge to us to be Christ-like in mind and attitude. So the follower of Christ must think always, not of himself but for others, not of his glory but the glory of God. Instead of living a life gratifying selfish ambitions or self-renunciation, especially of the truth and its price tags: pains, suffering, and sometimes death.
At the same a profound challenge to us to be Christ-like in mind and attitude. So the follower of Christ must think always, not of himself but for others, not of his glory but the glory of God. Instead of living a life gratifying selfish ambitions or self-renunciation, especially of the truth and its price tags: pains, suffering, and sometimes death.
THE GOSPEL: MARK 14:1–15:47
During Cycle B of the Church´s liturgical calendar, the Gospel of Mark is read in the passion narrative of the passion, death, and burial of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The evangelist Mark has a unique narrative character of painting a dark and stark reality of passion.
THE TRAITOR (MARK 14:10-11) AND LOVE’S LAST APPEAL (MARK 14:17-21)
Contrary to the courage of the woman, we see the cowardice act of betrayal of Judas Iscariot, who could confront his misgiving directly with Christ but instead chose to betray him. A terrible treachery act was done out of cowardice and ill-faith towards Christ knowing the hatred of the Jewish religious authorities for him. Why? Some biblical scholars have some theories about why Judas Iscariot did what he did.
a. He was a very covetous soul who loved money, (John 12:6) and would do anything to acquire it. It was believed that at this time the Jewish religious authorities had declared Jesus an outlaw with a bounty on his head. Judas knew this and being an opportunist (Matthew 26:16) as well as a thief (John 12:6) took advantage to sell his master for thirty pieces of silver. It was the greatest treacherous act of human history.
b. There was jealousy. Judas, when he joined the Twelve, had every gift and every virtue that might have made him great, but bit by bit he became consumed with jealousy of John, the beloved disciple, and this jealousy drove him to do this terrible act. Judas was talented and trusted by Christ which is why he ended up as the bursar of his community.
Jesus´ community was not without occasional tension among the twelve. However, many scholars believe there is competitive tension between John the Beloved and Judas Iscariot. It was on this ground that John did not hesitate to call him a thief.
c. He was also an ambitious fellow for wealth and power. Among the twelve, they all taught that Jesus´ kingdom was an earthly one. Hence, he was ambitious and dreamed of occupying a high position (Mk 10:35-45; Mt 20:20-28).
d. As a fanatical nationalist or activist, he did not mean for Jesus to be crucified even though he knew the authorities were out to get him. He only betrayed him to force his hand to act the initiative of taking back the Kingdom of Israel from the external force of the imperial power and authority of Romans occupying their God-given land.
e. Some believed that Judas did not want Jesus to die at all. He had seen Jesus sneak and escape from the Jewish religious authorities whenever they were out to get him. Hence, for the love of money, he wanted to defraud them, hoping Christ would get away though he gave a code to get him.
f. There is the Lukan or the Johannine evidence that it was Judas covetousness and selfish ambition that makes him an instrument of the devil who possessed and used him to betray Jesus (Luke 22:3, John 13:27).
However, whatever way the Judas Iscariot story of betrayal is seen. It was cowardice, not courage that made him become a traitor.
NO LAST MAN WAS STANDING WITH JESUS: COURAGE FAILS THEM ALL
Eventually, the cowardice action of the frightening and scary disciples manifested itself to the extreme of a certain young man running away naked. Perhaps his philosophy of flight is, it is better to live now and fight another day. When the truth of the matter was a coward dies a hundred times before his or her actual death is all he displayed.
Then comes Peter´s denial of Jesus not even before men or soldiers but young maids. It is the greatest act of cowardice in history. Sadly, his impulsive character could not carry him to put up a defence for Christ as he swore (Mk 14:31) and acted by cutting the high priest´s servant’s ear (Lk 22:50; John 18:10).
For him, in the chilling cold of the dawn, the self-preservation instinct was more eminent than the courage to identify with Christ whom he knew very well and paid allegiance to in a profound way (Mt 16:13-20, Mk 8:27-30).
Similarly, we see this lack of courage during Jesus’ trial, his journey to Calvary, and crucifixion on the cross. Besides, John the beloved, Mary, Jesus’ mother, and other women no masculine presence was there to accompany, console or encourage him.
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL WHEN LIVED INNOCENTLY
The unimaginable beauty of all is that Jesus died with the cry of triumph on his lips, his task accomplished, his work completed, and his victory won. After the terrible dark, there came the light again, and he went home to God a victor triumphant. No matter the darkest night the beautiful sun’s rays will always rise to shine and dispel the darkness.
This victory note resounds among many courageous individuals who directly or indirectly identified themselves with Jesus.
i. The centurion, a hard-bitten Roman soldier who had seen many a man die. But he had never seen a man die the way Jesus died and was sure that he was the Son of God. Indeed, he confessed before the Cross of shame: “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mk 15:39; Mt 27:54)
ii. The women in the distance, including Mary, mother of Jesus. They were bewildered, heartbroken, drenched in sorrow. But they were there witnessing the greatest act of undying, unfailing, and unselfish love: an all-self-emptying.
iii. The John the Beloved, apostle and evangelist were there with and for Jesus and perhaps Mary all the way long. At last, one beloved and trusted friend, son, and brother remained to bear witness of love dying for all. “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
iv. “The curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” This was the curtain which shut off the Holy of Holies, into which no man might go. Symbolically that tells us two things.
a. The way to God was now wide open to any man seeking salvation without restriction or conditions.
b. Within the Holy of Holies dwelt the very essence of God. Now with the death of Jesus, the curtain that hid God was torn and men could see him face to face. No longer was God hidden. No longer need men to guess and grope. Men could look at Jesus and say, “That is what God is like. God loves me like that.”
v. The man who gave Jesus a tomb (Mark 15:42-47). Joseph of Arimathaea whose bravery and courageous identification with Christ saved his body from scavenging dogs and vultures. As well as preparing it for its resurrection. By donating his tomb in which no one had been laid.
Joseph a member of the Sanhedrin was not an all-innocent man. He was an accomplice of the culture of silence, indifference, or niceties. Hence, his bold and generous gestures could be seen as a sign of remorsefulness to make amend for sins.
CHRIST PASSION AND DEATH AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR US TODAY
In summary, passion, death, and resurrection are anchored on the courage or cowardice of all parties involved. There are a lot of implications for us. We cannot both stand with or for Christ and remain with the world.
We are either brave or courageous to stand for the truth with fear or favour or compromise or watering down the Standard or the Truth. Or we can cowardly maintain silence, indifference or collaborative deny the truth and justice to be “nice” Christians or people with a double standard life.
Today, Christ continues to die in the face of injustice, abuses of power and authority, in the cowardly silence of complacent, cynicism, indifference, flight, and no-will that affect millions of people in the spheres of religion, politics, culture, economic, moral, ethics, and nature. Just because the good or religious man or woman is too afraid or with too much cowardice to act or speak for fear and favour the existing status quo.
ANTAGONISM OF RELIGIOSITY AGAINST SPIRITUALITY
It is interesting to note that Jesus’ confrontation was not much with political or economic leaders but with ill-fated religious leaders who saw him as a threat or obstacle. They narcissistically gaslighted or contradicted his words, his actions, and his intents and purposes.
They monitored and spiced on him, conspired, criticized, harshly judged, and even formed an unhealthy alliance against him.
Finally, they instigated the people and the political authority against him with one simple purpose to do away with him.
Yet, amid all these, Jesus was true to his own words “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:31-32. Jesus not only preached and taught the truth but also lived it out in his life without fear or favour of anyone.
CHRIST DEATH ENVY AGAINST HIS GOODNESS, TRUTHFULNESS, AND EMPATHY
The central story of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is that he courageously stood against falsehood, inauthenticity as well as injustices and abuses in the name of God and religion.
If not, why was he so hated by religious leaders for being good to the most needy people or sinners in need of grace, mercy, and forgiveness? His deep concern for the physical and spiritual well-being of enslaved persons and souls becomes a deep mark of distastefulness, hatred, and resentment.
COURAGE AND COWARDICE
Alongside Jesus, in the passion narrative, some individuals defied the status to stand courageously with him. At the same time, others cowardly took the easy path to shun living courageously like Christ they claimed to follow.
Consequently, the Holy Week celebration of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ brings out in us these elements of courage and cowardice. Indeed, there are two types of Christ’s followers: those who daily through their words, actions, and lifestyle courageously stand with him and dawning all consequences without fear or favour.
And those who are cowardly in the name of prudence (a glorified pretence) and cowardice (excusable diplomacy) in their daily life, words, and actions shun the truth out of fear and favour.
Sadly, the events of Jesus’ passion and death were ´evitables´, but for the excuses of men or the parties involved. The hostility of all parties was rationalized within the deniability of excuses. It was a conspiracy of evil over or against good.
THE EXCUSES OF MEN
For Judas Iscariot, Jesus was a wordy Messiah without action a betrayal could poise him to action
For the High Priest Cephas, one man should die in place of the many.
For the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, High Priest, Priests, and Elders Jesus was a religious blasphemer and impostor, whom they must do away with in order not to contaminate their religion
For the soldiers who crucified Christ, they were only obeying or carrying out an order.
For the crowd, they were been obedient to their religious and civil constituted authorities.
Pontius Pilate, must to loyal to the emperor, of Rome and therefore, must maintain law and order in his territory.
For the apostles and disciples who deserted Jesus, it is better to be saved before bearing witness to an ´uncertain´ Messiah.
For Peter, self-preservation comes first to Christ and truth preservation.
The death of Christ was the divine will of God. However, it was facilitated by the excuses who preferred to be cowards and silent rather than stand for the truth.
Today, many of us still live our Christian life with a series of excuses as to why we cannot be better off as a person or Christian.
OUR PRAYER FOR THIS HOLY WEEK
Lord Jesus Christ, your pain, suffering, and death on the cross was a conspiracy of excuses for the ´greater good´. Indeed, it was ironic. Yet, an innocent, good, and just man was condemned to a shameful and painful death just because the truth could not be upheld by those who could. Today, sins, injustices, and evil are on the increase in our world and time. Why? All because of Excuses! We all have thousands of excuses for not defending the course of good. Help us to understand that each excuse we make is a defeat of the Good and a participation in the course that cost you your life. Amen.
