An Exegetical
Reflection on the Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Year C, Luke
22:14-23:56, March 24, 2013
SO CENTRAL TO all
the synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew and Luke) that the stories of the Lord’s
passion, not without reason, have been described as passion narratives with an
introduction. (By passion narrative we
mean the sections of the canonical gospels which recount the last days of
Jesus, beginning with his entrance to Jerusalem and ending with his
crucifixion, death and burial.) But
although they basically agree in the general outline of the story of the
passion, yet they differ in many details and in their theological emphases. This year, we read the passion narrative
according to Luke (22:14-23:56), whose unique features are the lack of any
formal night hearing (22:54) and a separate hearing before Herod
(23:6-11). But its theological interest
lies, among others, in presenting Jesus as the innocent righteous one who
suffers and extends God’s mercy until death.
That the innocent suffers is one of
the enigmas of human life. That the
guilty should go to jail, suffer and even die for his crime is logical as it is
moral. But, for the innocent to suffer
for a crime he did not commit—that is beyond human understanding. Reason does not provide any basis for
it. That is why it is beyond
comprehension why Jesus should undergo his passion. The Jewish leaders, according to Luke, lodged
three accusations against Jesus: subversion, opposition to the payment of taxes
to Caesar, and claim to kingship (23:2).
The plot, of course, makes us understand that these accusations were
false. In an episode which is found only
in Luke, Herod declared Jesus innocent (23:6).
Jesus’ innocence runs like a refrain in the utterance of Pilate: “I have
examined him in your presence and have no charge against him arising from your
allegations. Neither has Herod who
therefore has sent him back to us; obviously, this man has done nothing that
calls for death” (23:14b-15; see also 23:4,22).
One of the criminals crucified with him likewise recognized Jesus’
innocence: “We are only paying the price for what we’ve done, but this man has
done nothing wrong” (23:41). When Jesus
expired, the centurion, having seen what had happened, exclaimed: “Surely, this was an innocent
man”(23:47). Of course, in Luke’s
Gospel, more than innocence is implied here—Jesus is the righteous one (cf 23:50;
20:21).
Innocent
though he was, Jesus was made to suffer and die. Luke portrays Jesus as a rejected prophet,
which he already indicated in the pericope on Jesus’ visit to Nazareth
(4:16-30). In the passion narrative,
soldiers taunted him to prophesy (22:64).
Herod and his guard treated him with contempt and insult (23:11). At the crucifixion, Jewish leaders kept
jeering at him, soldiers made fun of him, one of the criminals blasphemed him
(23:35,36,39) and the crowd called for his death (23:21). Now fulfilled was what the prophets
foretold: “He was counted among the
wicked” (Isa 53:12). Here, Jesus is
depicted as the suffering servant of Yahweh, the innocent servant who suffers
on behalf of many, and the reference to the drinking of the sour wine implies
that he was the suffering innocent, righteous one (Ps 69:21). Of course, Jesus accepted his suffering and
death as the will of his Father: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”
(Luke 23:46). This was part of the plan
of God (24:43,46). He was faithful to
the end, dying as God’s righteous Son.
Despite the fraudulence involved in
the trial and the travesty of justice, Jesus never harbored any ill feeling
toward those who brought him suffering and death. When, during his arrest at the Mount of
Olives, his companions asked whether they would use sword, he said “Enough!” He even healed the high priest’s servant
whose ear was cut off (22”49-51). On the
contrary, he continued to offer the mercy of God: “Father, forgive them; they
do not know what they are doing” (23:34).
Such an attitude on the part of Jesus is consistent with his teaching on
loving one’s enemies, on prayer for those who maltreat him (6:27-28) and on
forgiveness (17:4). Even the criminal
who was crucified with him received compassion: “Today, you will be with me in
Paradise” (23:43). Clearly, Luke
portrays Jesus as the embodiment of God’s mercy, the One who took the
initiative in the work of reconciliation between God and man, and between man
and his fellow man.
Far from being meant as an objective
account of what actually transpired, Luke’s passion story is intended to
present a Christology that invites the Christian reader to participate in the
salvific event. Unlike Simon of Cyrene
had to be forced to carry the cross (23:26), the disciple follows the way of
faithfulness and forgiveness voluntarily and from the heart. Of course, the invitation exacts a high price
for discipleship. For in this way of
following Jesus, one has to go beyond an ethic solely based on the Ten
Commandments. To forgive and pray for
those who hate us, freely to suffer for them even though one is not conscious
of any guilt, to repay injustice with absolute pardon, to seek their salvation
when one is being condemned—and still be consistent in all these—that is what
is distinctively Christian. A costly
demand, it is true, but not impossible.
This, however, requires a deep spirituality whereby one follows no
longer his own will, but that of the Father, and really serves people. It assumes that one has been touched by the
Spirit, which enables him to empty himself of his own desires, wants and needs,
if only for the sake of others, especially the scum of the earth.
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