March 25, 2018
Readings:
First Reading – Isaiah 50: 4-7
Psalm 22
Second Reading – Philippians 2: 6-11
Gospel reading according to Mark (14:
1-15: 47 or Mark 15: 22-39)
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Homily:
After Jesus was condemned by the leaders and
elders of the Jews and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to death by crucifying him
on the cross on account of false accusations, “the soldiers brought Jesus to the place of Golgotha – which is
translated Place of Skull” (Mark 15: 22), a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls. According to legend, they said, this place of
skull was the place where Adam [and Eve] was buried. “The
church fathers offer different interpretations for the name; either deriving it
from a topographic feature resembling a cranium (Pseudo-Tertullian), or alternatively as the site where the
skull of Adam was said to be buried (Origenes), or from skulls of those executed there (Jerome,
locum decollatorum). The association of the site with the
"skull of Adam" is expanded in a number of early Christian sources,
including the Kitab al-Magall, the Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan, the Cave of
Treasures, as well as by Patriarch
Eutychius of Alexandria
(9th century). According to these accounts, Shem and Melchizedek traveled to the resting place of Noah's Ark, retrieved the body of Adam from it, and were led by Angels to
Golgotha – described as a skull-shaped hill at the center of the Earth, where
also the serpent's head had been crushed following the Fall of Man” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvary).
It is highly agreeable that there Jesus should be crucified for as “in Adam all die, so in Christ Jesus shall
all be made alive.” Jesus carried
our cross to Calvary too heavy due to our sins and indifferences to one another
that gave offense to God. He suffered a
lot so that we can be reconciled with God and to one another; because of his
love, he accepted all these lampoons and punishment for our sake.
Before they crucified Jesus, “they gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but
he did not take it” (Mark 15: 23).
They offered him intoxicating wine with myrrh, an aromatic resin that is
burned as incense and used in perfume, and in medicine, for they wanted to make
Jesus’ body numb so that he may not feel the pain of the nail beating on his
hands and feet on the wood of the cross.
But Jesus decided not to drink the wine soaked in myrrh to soothe the
pain he will receive from hitting the nail on his flesh. He is ready to receive all the castigations
without any malicious deceit to himself and to God his Father. The soldiers cannot force Jesus, so they
decided to crucify him at once. “Then they crucified him” (Mark 15: 24),
after removing his garments. Maybe he
has nothing left. He was naked to be ridiculed
and made fun. “. . . and [they] divided his garments by casting lots for them to see what each should
take” (Mark 15: 2). We can recall
the words in Psalm 22:18. “They divided my clothes among them. They
played a game for my clothing.” The
prophecy of the psalmist was fulfilled in Jesus. While Jesus was hanging on the cross, the
soldiers were playing games by casting lots to win his whole garments, as a
sign of mocking the victim and killing the times.
For Jesus was
sentence in Pontius Pilate’s palace maybe at around six o’clock in the morning,
where the priests and leaders of the Temple, and Jewish people were not yet
performing their task – to offer peace-offering and crucified at nine o’clock
in the morning as well on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. “It was nine
o’clock in the morning when they crucified him” (Mark 15: 25). Only
after they offered their peace-offering in the Temple when they gave signal to
executioners to perform their tasks. At
nine o’clock in the morning of the first day of Feast of the Unleavened Bread
when they crucified the Lord Jesus Christ.
To add to the pain and suffering Jesus endured, they put a sign on the
top of the cross the verdict of the crime Jesus committed. “The
inscription of the charge against him read, ‘The King of the Jews’.” (Mark
15: 26). Although there is truth in that
inscription, but the interpretations of those who can read it, as if Jesus was
insinuating and convincing others that he is the king who will liberate the
Jewish people from the hands of their present conqueror – the Roman Empire.
Jesus was not the only person
crucified. Since Israel was dominated by
the Romans, there were thousand Jews being crucified for their rebellious acts
against their conqueror, Rome. When
Jesus was still young he saw his countrymen crucified. But this time, based on the connivance of the
elders and leader of the Jewish people to Rome, for their protection and
maintaining in their positions, said that only Caesar was their king and no
other, Jesus was sentenced of disloyalty and treason, a criminal offence,
resulting death by crucifixion due to criminal acts. Jesus was not crucified alone, “with him they crucified two revolutionaries,
one on his right and one on his left” (Mark 15: 27), Dimas (or Dismas
and/or Dumachus). “In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Golden Legend – Dumachus was one of a band of robbers who
attacked Saint Joseph and the Holy Family on their flight into Egypt” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impenitent_thief) and
Hestas (or Gestas), the impenitent thief, according to some literary writings. Again, another insult to Jesus, they put him
at the middle of the two thieves. But
for Jesus, while he was still alive and free he had many occasions in company with sinners, to do them
good; and now when he died, he was for the same purpose joined with them, for
he came into the world and went
out of it to save sinners.
Again, Satan was there for the last time
he tempted Jesus. Satan wanted to stop
this non-sense sacrifice for the sins of many, to disobey God’s plan, and to
live happy life. Again, three times
Jesus was tempted by three different groups of people on behalf of Satan. The first tempter was: “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” (Mark 15: 28-30). This group of people, maybe insinuated by the
Chief Priest of the Temple, abhorred him with hatred in their hearts. They had neither pity nor remorse in the
condition of Jesus, dying from loss of blood and full of wounds in his
body. The second group tempting Jesus
was “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’.” (Mark
15: 31-32). For this group, to see is to
believe mentality. Because of their
jealousy to Jesus’ popularity and the truth he revealed against them, they
hated Jesus so much and this is why they plotted to kill him. Now is their time and chances to get even
with Jesus by mocking him among them.
The third and last temptation, which is unexpected, comes from the one
crucified with him, one of “those who
were crucified with him also kept abusing him” (Mark 15: 32). The least expected person was the one crucified
with him who was also at the verge of death, who abused Jesus’ meekness and
kindness. His heart is hardened by his
crimes and misery. No amount of
temptations of Satan can changed the mind and heart of Jesus. Jesus won these temptations and Satan knew
that he was defeated in his fight against God and against his Son Jesus Christ.
It was time and the hour had come. “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?” (Mark 15: 33-34). Now the scriptures were fulfilled, in the
Book of the Prophet Amos, he said, “I will cause
the sun to go down at noon, will darken
the earth in the clear day (8:9) and in the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, “Her sun is
gone down while it is yet day” (15: 9). In this moment, Jesus, truly God and also
truly human experienced a longing from God the Father to comfort him and be
present at his dying moment, that is why he cried out to his Father who is in
heaven and on earth. “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 reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, ‘Wait, let us see if
Elijah comes to take him down’.” (Mark 15: 35-36). Some Jews also was trying to intervene by
adding agony and insult to Jesus by offering a sponge soaked in wine, but
before giving it to Jesus, they waited for the coming of Elijah, the Prophet.
But no Elijah appeared. Again, the Jews
did not understand the scripture, for Jesus was praying, if not singing, the Psalm (22: 2) out loud to his Father
with full of trust and confidence. “Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last”
(Mark 15: 37). Jesus died. He already fulfilled the will of God the
Father by offering up his body and soul on the cross, for our salvation.
Together (sabay), at one time, upon the death of Jesus, at the same time, “the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two
from top to bottom” (Mark 15: 38).
When the Jews who were present in the Temple, near the holy of holiest
saw what had happened fear came to them, for they interpreted the tearing of
veil by itself in two meant destruction of their Temple as well as their nation
will soon to happen. It was time to yell
for the glory of Jerusalem is departed
from Israel.
The soldiers, mostly Romans, remained
there standing and watching what will happen to Jesus. One of them was a centurion, a commander of
the detachment which had the oversight of the execution, when he saw and heard everything,
he believed. “When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he
said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15: 39). Like the Greek speaking gentiles who looked
for Jesus, this Roman centurion was a pagan, meaning he worshipped many gods
and goddesses, came closer in contact with Jesus on the foot of the cross, and
he believed what he heard and saw that Jesus was truly the Son of God.
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