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Reflection on the Gospel-Passion Sunday Year A, 13 April 2014 (Matthew 26:14-27:66)

Capital punishment is abhorrent to most of us, particularly when a just person dies for specious reasons or to political ends. Public executions of convicted criminals were part of life in the ancient Roman Empire. That’s what confronts us in today’s gospel, although the gospel writers pay little attention to the details of the death and suffering of Jesus. They are much more interested in the meaning of these events.

The Romans execute Jesus outside Jerusalem when the city is filled with Jewish pilgrims who have come there for the Passover festival. For Jesus’ friends and followers, every subsequent Passover is celebrated in the light of his death by crucifixion. They share their memories and reflect on the meaning of his death in the light of their sacred traditions. Every element of the Passover story, the ancient story of God’s deliverance of their ancestors from slavery, resonates with echoes of the experience of Jesus who is now present to them in a new way. It is not surprising, then, that the final events of Jesus’ life were probably the first part of his story to be committed to writing.

Though Matthew draws much of his material from Mark, he fashions the tradition into a new narrative and adds several distinctive features. “To fulfil all righteousness” is Jesus’ stated mission (3:15). He has declared “blessed” those who suffer for the sake of righteousness [justice]” (5:10-12). He now embodies his own teaching as the just or righteous one, the one in right relationship with God. The prayer on his lips as he faces death (Psalm 22) is that of the suffering just Israelite who is utterly faithful to his mission and whose trust in God never fails.

There are hints that Jesus’ death is not the end, but rather the beginning of the new age of God’s empire, a compassionate alternative to the brutality of Rome. In response to the high priest Caiaphas, Jesus points beyond death to his post-resurrection life “at the right hand of power….” Extraordinary signs follow his death: the tearing of the temple curtain; the trembling of the earth; the recognition of the Roman centurion and his companions that this man is of God; and finally, the opening of the graves and appearance of the dead in anticipation of the final resurrection.

The story offers the hope of reversal to all who witness the events surrounding Jesus’ death. It offers hope to the women who have followed him all the way from Galilee and “ministered to him”, to the male disciples who have deserted or denied him, to faithful disciples like Joseph of Arimathea, and even to his Roman executioners. It has the potential to bring hope to their counterparts through the ages such as those who keep watch for the innocent on death row or for desperate seekers of asylum.

 

 

Reflection on the Gospel-5th Sunday of Lent Year A, 6 April 2014 (John 11:1-45)

Today’s readings touch into the most profound of human mysteries, the mysteries of life and death. To hold a new born child or to see a sick person restored to health is to experience the wonder of life. On the other hand, the unexpected death of a loved one can bring unimagined grief and pain. Death brings tears, even anger. Little wonder that “life” becomes a metaphor for transformation and new beginnings or that “death” so often signifies deprivation and loss.

The gospel reading is about the death and restoration to life of Lazarus, “the one whom Jesus loved”. It is the last of the seven “signs” in John’s “book of signs” that reveal the “glory” of God. It is also the greatest of Jesus’ signs. It functions as a catalyst for the events that lead to his death: “…from that day on they planned to put him to death” (11:53). It provides the occasion for Jesus to assert ‘I am the resurrection and the life” and to invite assent to that revelation of his identity. It reveals the compassion and tender heart of Jesus who weeps at the grief of Mary his friend and the death of her brother. It also reveals the goodness in the hearts of those “Jews” who share her grief and who come to faith in Jesus who raises the dead to life.

Though the story revolves around the plight of Lazarus, Martha and Mary are the characters who, with Jesus, occupy centre stage in the narrative and into whose faith journey we are invited to enter. The women are introduced before Lazarus. Martha and Mary are identified as “sisters” who live in Bethany. Are they blood “sisters” or sisters in their love of Jesus, their faith commitment to him, or both? Lazarus is Mary’s sick “brother”. There is no mention at the outset of his relationship to Martha, though she later claims him as her “brother”. Might they all be part of a little faith community in Bethany rather than biological siblings? A brief notice alerts the reader to the imminent death of Jesus: “Mary is the one who anointed Jesus with perfumed oil and wiped his feet with her tears”. The details of that story are yet to be narrated. The reader will later discover that Mary’s anointing of Jesus is “for the day of [his] burial”. As so often in John’s gospel, misunderstanding and irony function to bring the actors in the drama and us as actors in the theatre of Christian life to new levels of understanding and faith.

 

Study Tour of the Biblical Lands from 15 November to 18 December 2014.
Jordan, Israel, Palestinian Territories, Turkey and Greece.
Tour Leaders: Rev Anthony Dean cm & Dr Rosemary Canavan.

Information Session: Saturday 12 April at 2.00pm RSVP & further information:
Jenny Delahunt T: 9412 3314
E: jenny.delahunt@ctc.edu.au