Gospel of St. Matthew chapter 27, verses 27-31
God's blessings to you all. No matter what your faith or lack of faith is, I love you all.
Today it is time to reflect on the Last Supper, the institution of the Holy Eucharist. The lamb that was eaten on Passover through generations is about to be replaced by the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Then, we will consider the crucifixion and death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Christian writers and scholars have written about these two moments in salvation history a million times over, and each of them will do it better than I will. My goal is not to try to improve upon them nor to contradict them, but to reflect on these two moments as I see them, in my own words.
Jesus knew that his time on Earth with his Apostles was limited, so they gathered in the Upper Room to celebrate the Passover feast according to the Jewish custom. Matthew 26:26-30: "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.”*Then he took a cup, gave thanks,* and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father.” Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." As a fairly devout Catholic, I believe that this was when the Eucharist was instituted, the foundation of the holy sacrifice of the Mass. However, you may notice that something strange happens. What is it, you ask?
According to Jewish custom, the Passover feast is split into four parts, revolving around the consumption of four cups of wine: The Cup of Sanctification (the kiddish), the Cup of Proclamation (the haggadah), the Cup of Blessing (the berakah), and the Cup of Praise (the hallel). When Jesus and His Apostles celebrated the Passover, only THREE cups of wine were consumed at the Passover meal between Christ and His Disciples. This is documented in both the Gospels of Matthew and Mark.
Why would Jesus do this, being a devout Jew and the Son of God? Surely, He knew that they had not finished the Passover feast. Was Jesus troubled due to anxiety because of the soon to be coming events? Was He in a hurry? Was He careless? No, far from it. Trust in Christ...He knows what He is doing. Follow me here, my friends.
The time was drawing near, and the anticipation and anxiety among Our Lord and His Apostles was so thick, you could cut it with a knife as they headed towards the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus tells them that their faith will be shaken, but Peter, ambitious apostle he was, tells the Lord that he will not deny Him, but Our Lord knows Simon Peter even better than he knows himself. “Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows, you will deny me three times", Jesus says in Matthew 26:34. In his head, Simon Peter was probably thinking "No way. You are the Lord. I am with you to the end."
Now, in the Garden, when Jesus goes to pray, notice that he makes the same prayer three times. "My Father,* if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.” Three times. Remember that number. The agony in His voice grows with each passing prayer, and blood is seeping from His pores like sweat. Can you imagine what He was going through? Even though He knew that was His destiny, you can bet the human side of Our Lord was a little scared about losing His life. Who among us would not have been? In spite of it all, He will still go forth willingly to His fate. Surely, He also probably took a look around after seeing His Disciples asleep thinking "These people claim to follow me and stay with me to the end, yet here they are dozing off at a time I need them the most. Father, please forgive them". Yet, while He does admonish them for their laziness, He does not criticize them. This was all happening for a divine reason. This needed to happen. Scripture and prophecy demanded it.
Matthew 26:47-56: While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a large crowd, with swords and clubs, who had come from the chief priests and the elders of the people. His betrayer had arranged a sign with them, saying, “The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him.” Immediately he went over to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!”* and he kissed him. Jesus answered him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then stepping forward they laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. And behold, one of those who accompanied Jesus put his hand to his sword, drew it, and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels? But then how would the scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must come to pass in this way?” At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to seize me? Day after day I sat teaching in the temple area, yet you did not arrest me. But all this has come to pass that the writings of the prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled." All of the remaining eleven had left Jesus hanging high and dry. You have to wonder what He was feeling, maybe abandoned, maybe disappointed, but all of this had to pass in this manner. Our Lord was taken away to face the wrath of the Sanhedrin.
Then, Simon Peter, the one who said would be with Our Lord through thick and thin, pretended Jesus was a complete stranger by denying Him three times when he was questioned about who Jesus was. Simon Peter, devastated by the truth of Jesus's prediction, fled as well, weeping.
The sufferings of Our Lord went through had only just begun though: facing Pontius Pilate and the crowds who preferred a murderer and a criminal be released as opposed to Jesus, who had committed no crime. Matthew 27:15-26: Now on the occasion of the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Which one do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus called Messiah?” For he knew that it was out of envy that they had handed him over. While he was still seated on the bench, his wife sent him a message, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man. I suffered much in a dream today because of him.” The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus. The governor said to them in reply, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They answered, “Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus called Messiah?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” But he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Let him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.” And the whole people said in reply, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.” Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged,* he handed him over to be crucified." How could the people do this? How could we do this? A man who owed no debt to society being forced to this fate? At Palm Sunday mass, we always read a narrative of the crucifixion, and every time I read it I get a lump in my throat, because not only did the people of Jerusalem prefer Barabbas over Jesus, WE prefer Barabbas over Jesus whenever we try to go against God's will. For us it is like taking the nails and hammering them in ourselves.
After being mocked and scourged by the soldiers in the Pratoreum, the long and lonely walk to Calvary began. What was going through the mind of Jesus? Was He looking at us all with sadness, thinking about the mistake the people were making in having Him crucified? Was He looking at us with pity and shame? If so, we rightly would have deserved it! This crime that is about to be perpetrated by the Romans is deicide, the killing of God. Our Lord, our Savior, our King was given to us, and we rejected Him. We preferred the company of a criminal instead. Soon, Our Lord arrived at Golgatha for the final stage of His life on Earth, to be crucified for no crime. Matthew 27:33-38: And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull), they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall.* But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink."
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Time out...remember that. Once again, He refused the wine.
Continuing: "After they had crucified him, they divided his garments* by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And they placed over his head the written charge* against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Two revolutionaries* were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left."
To the disciples and to probably even Jesus Himself, all seemed lost. All of His wise teachings, all of the miracles, all of the wisdom He gave the people who listened to Him speak, probably all seemed for naught at this time. The sky grew dark over Jerusalem. It was 3:00 PM.
Matthew 27:45-50: From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”* which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “This one is calling for Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. But the rest said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.” But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit."
Notice, that this time, up on the cross, Jesus drank the wine. He had finally consumed the 4th cup. The New Passover had been completed. Think about how awesome a gift the Eucharist is! When you go up to receive the Eucharist at Mass, you CONSUME the NEW Passover Lamb! How amazing is that? How cool is that? You go back in time 2,000 years to the Upper Room and the foot of Calvary to participate in the definitive Passover feast when you consume Jesus, body, blood, soul and divinity! The ordinary lamb from Passover feasts of years past was replaced by The Lamb Of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Amazing, absolutely amazing. THAT is why Good Friday is truly good.
Back to Matthew 27:51-54: And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.* The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”
Yeah...I bet those centurions who were guarding Jesus on the cross must have been thinking "Oops. We're in trouble now. We murdered the Messiah." They had done the job they were ordered to do, but you can be sure that those soldiers did not get much sleep that night!
When I was at the passion play, the sight that gave me a lump in my throat was a sight I had seen many times on small statues, but even seeing it represented on stage in a theatrical form took me back 2,000 years. I was no longer in a theater. I was at Calvary, watching Jesus being taken down from the cross. I was watching His bloodied body being laid at the feet of His Mother. I saw Her tears and Her pain, looking at the lifeless body of Her son. The pieta had come to life right before my eyes. It was a powerful moment. It made me resolve to reflect more deeply on the meaning of Holy Week and the events that take place.
It made me reflect on the journey that Jesus took into the city of Jerusalem, a truly royal entrance for the King of Kings.
It made me reflect on the sufferings He faced during His public ministry. Make no mistake, He did suffer. Long journeys with little food, a group of followers who questioned His every word, a hostile public, and so-called holy men who wanted Him arrested and murdered. Then, he was whipped, beaten, mocked, spit upon, and insulted. He was forced to carry a heavy cross and walk a long distance. His hands and feet were nailed through. Do you know how you die by crucifixion? Not by being nailed to the cross, but by the sheer effort it takes to keep yourself and your body upright. You struggle to breathe, your lungs fill with fluid, and you suffocate. That is quite a brutal and cruel way to die. He truly suffered. The blood that He shed on the cross was real blood, and He was truly man as well as truly God. So yes, He suffered just like you and I do. After this Holy Week, I appreciate what Jesus went through even more. He went through it all, for you. For me. For us all.
Finally, it also made me reflect on what a great blessing and a gift the Eucharist is. It is not just a piece of bread and a cup of wine and shame on anyone who thinks that. It is our Lord, ready to give Himself to us. He is the Bread of Life, the Living Bread. Do you realize what a gift it is? Maybe next time you sleepily walk up to the priest to receive the Eucharist, you will think about what Christ went through and what the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is. Might make you want to be a little more reverent, huh? The gift...the grace...the beauty...all in the Eucharist. It is truly there.
Thank you everyone for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. I said at the beginning of this that I am not a Biblical scholar, so I hope I did not go off of the rails at all! God bless you and love you all, and have a Blessed Easter season.
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