Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

Lectionary: 232

Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, 

and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, 

and they will condemn him to death, 

and hand him over to the Gentiles 

to be mocked and scourged and crucified, 

and he will be raised on the third day.”

If you attend Mass only on Sunday you will  nevertheless be familiar with this story from Saint Matthew's Gospel, or its variations in Mark and Luke. In each of these gospels, Jesus makes this prediction three times. If you attend daily Mass you might think you have heard it too often. But we must hear it with that Spirit which is "ever ancient, ever new." Contemplation discovers hidden mysteries within the familiar.

So here we are, a group of young people en route to Jerusalem. Trusting in God we have found the journey pretty easy. We are fed well enough, rested, and healthy. The weather is fair, the roads are safe, the company is good. We sing as we walk, and greet strangers on the road. Some of us occasionally stop and chat with acquaintances, and then hurry to catch up with Rabbi Jesus. We walk close to him, in a tight formation, so as to hear his parables, riddles, songs, and history lessons. 

The man knows the Scriptures! (Because he is the Word made Flesh!) His wisdom is astonishing and compelling and yet comprehensible. We laugh with his comical stories, and weep when he recounts the stories of Jewish suffering. Every landmark has a history and the Rabbi is familiar with much of it. What he doesn't know he asks about, and we discover that God has visited his people everywhere. If any place seems godforsaken, our cheerful presence discovers the God who created it.

But, despite our careful attention and willing spirit, we are not prepared for his dark predictions. He says he is going to Jerusalem to die, that he will be arrested, accused, convicted, and sentenced to death. We cannot imagine that this man of such dignity, intelligence, and natural nobility will be subject to the ignominious horror of crucifixion. Of course we are familiar with crucifixion. We have seen men and women hanging on poles near the gates of major cities. The Romans do this to our nation. They have invaded our land as the Prophet Joel had predicted:

For a nation has invaded my land,

   powerful and innumerable;

its teeth are lions’ teeth,

   and it has the fangs of a lioness. Joel 1:6

Why God should permit this we cannot fathom but we have lived with it for a long time. The foreigners allow us to maintain the Temple with its priests and ritual sacrifices. Their government has encouraged commerce, the arts, and local culture. They have built prosperous cities and contained crime. The world is an empire; and so it's always been. 

If we are permitted a limited religious freedom, it is freedom nonetheless and we are grateful to those better Roman patrons -- the tolerant governors and respectful centurions -- who protect us. The crucified are mostly unhappy trouble-makers. They complain, sow discontent, create chaos, and promise nothing worth fighting for. We wish the Romans didn't treat them so cruelly but they've brought it on themselves.

Can Jesus be crucified? Why does he talk that way? We listen; we don't  argue with him; we hope he is wrong; we hope it's not necessary. What good comes of crucifixion? We have seen crucifixion but cannot imagine it will happen to this one whom Peter has called, "the Messiah." 

Even as we worry over his ominous prophecies Jesus tells us what they mean to us::

...whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;

whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.

Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve

and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Those who would be Godlike should avoid displays of power, intelligence, wealth, or influence. They do not lord it over others, nor make their authority felt. They do not have servants; they are servants. They don't expect their secretaries to bring them coffee or do their laundry; they don't ask job applicants for special favors; they don't exploit their positions in church, politics, business, or industry.  

The world as we have recreated it is not created in God's image. It does not arc toward justice. Lent reminds us of the Lord's intentions, and calls us to reform our ways.