Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Lectionary: 256

I will take the children of Israel from among the nations
to which they have come,
and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land.
I will make them one nation upon the land,
in the mountains of Israel,
and there shall be one prince for them all. 
Never again shall they be two nations,
and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms.

Today's gospel leads us directly into Holy Week. Jesus has, for all practical purposes, signed his own death warrant by calling Lazarus out of the tomb. He has backed his enemies into a corner; they have no choice but to arrest him and condemn him before the Procurator. 

Although the feast of Passover is approaching -- a religious holiday as laden with feel-good sentiment as our Christmas -- the Sanhedrin decides to move fast. They would like to conclude the whole business before the Passover, which that year happens to fall on the Sabbath. That means he should be dead,  removed from the cross and buried as soon as possible. 

Pope Benedict XVI, in his wonderful two-volume work on Jesus, using Saint John's chronology, concludes that Jesus'  Last Supper was not a Passover meal. He may celebrated this meal on Tuesday of that week. But Jesus intentionally used traditional gestures and words of the Passover, so that his new religion would be rooted in the Jewish custom. Without the Old Testament stories, songs and ritual no one would understand what is about to happen. 

As the Master of Ceremonies of his own execution, he controlled the timing and the significance of the gruesome procedure. You might recall that, when they came to arrest Jesus in the Garden, he asked, "Whom do you seek?" When they said, "Jesus of Nazareth!" and he replied, "I am he." they all fell to the ground. They cannot lay a hand on him until the hour has come. 

His last supper and his death and the ensuing events would always be recalled together. Just as he planned, Jesus died at the very hour when the lambs were being slaughtered in the court of the Jerusalem temple. No one could suppose the coincidence was anything less than intentional. 

Entering Holy Week, we as Church must gather "from all sides" so that the Lord can make us "one nation upon the land.... Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms." Christians throughout the world celebrate Easter on the same day, as one Holy People. Come, let us worship.