Homily for Palm Sunday Of The Passion Of The Lord, Year C

 

Why On Earth Did Jesus End Up On The Cross?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for Palm Sunday Of The Passion Of The Lord, Year C

St. Bridget Catholic Church, Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, April 10, 2022

Today, we heard in its entirety St. Luke’s account of the Passion. Passion Sunday can be called “the enthusiastic or zealous Sunday.” Jesus’s friends and foes are zealous and on fire about him and his entrance into Jerusalem. Both sides are energized! For his friends, it’s a famous and glorious ride that will ultimately show everyone that Jesus is the Messiah, i.e. God’s anointed One. It’s a happy and wonderful ride to Kingship. And for his foes, it’s rather a ride into their trap- the death trap. For them, Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem will mark the beginning of his end.

But how is it that a man like Jesus- a very good man, so kind, exceedingly merciful, deeply generous and  profoundly compassionate ended up on the cross? Why was Jesus condemned to death? Historical and biblical studies propose that he was condemned for religious and political reasons. The charge: “We found this man misleading our people; he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar and maintains that he is the Christ, the king,” was leveled against him. But those are false accusations. When the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders asked Jesus “Is it right to pay tax to Caesar or not?” (Mark 12:14b), his response was “Give to Caesar what is Caesars, and to God what is God’s” (Mark 12:17). Furthermore, throughout his earthly life and ministry, when people attempted making him their king, Jesus never yielded to their pressure. In the end, it was what he avoided that decided his fate. The title he avoided became the title of his condemnation affixed to the cross: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” 

Historical considerations tell us that religious authorities, political authorities, the heads of the Sanhedrin and the Roman procurator, for different reasons participated in the condemnation and the death of Jesus. Then, each of us, by faith are all responsible for his death with our sins. Anytime we engage in any wrongdoing, we crucify Jesus anew. Any hatred towards any child of God is a hatred towards God. Lack of pity, mercy and compassion towards those who suffer is a lack of pity, mercy and compassion to Jesus. Refusing to love the other is refusing to love Jesus. To the religious and political authorities of his time, Jesus was the other. But before we judge and bluster against those who put Jesus to death, let us remember the various ways we too are crucifying him. Those evil thoughts and wishes against someone, those hateful and scornful looks, those private and public uncharitable judgments, those racial and discriminatory slurs, those deliberate lies against others- remember, they also crucify the Lord again. 

But how did our Savior conduct himself during the Passion? Did he undermine the pain of human suffering? Did he allow a grave injustice be done on him simply to show off his superhuman dimension? Was he overly impatient, intolerant, mean and cruel to those around him? In his suffering, did he curse or reject his Father? There is no word or gesture that nullified what Jesus preached in his Gospel, especially the Beatitudes. Jesus profoundly felt the pain- physical pain and psychological pain. He really felt the brutal torture in the hands of the soldiers. He felt the weight of the cross he carried after being badly broken and wounded. He also felt the psychological pain of abandonment. He deeply experienced the pain of suffering unspeakably for his goodness. It is one thing to suffer for wrongdoing and another thing to suffer for goodness. No one wants to suffer for wrongdoing let alone for goodness. Jesus was not immune to human pain and suffering. His pain and suffering was real. He felt it in his body, soul and mind. Yet, his reaction to extreme cruelty and wrenching pain was human: he cried and trembled; the sweats on his face was as thick as blood; he wished the suffering is taken away from him; he asked his disciples to pray for him and with him. His pain was so deep that he cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Nevertheless, he died asking for the forgiveness of those who crucified him. He deserved to be apologized to, but he was the one who tendered apology on behalf of his executioners. 

One very fascinating thing is this: during his trial, he was silent (Matthew 26:63). Before Caiaphas, he was silent; before Pilate, he was silent; before Herod, he was silent. When he was attacked, he was silent, he did not revile in return. But his silence does not demonstrate his aloofness or inability or immunity to feel pain. His silence is not stoicism. His silence was finally broken by the silence of death shortly before he died: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” It was this cry that prompted the centurion who witnessed his death to say, “Surely, this man was innocent beyond doubt.” 

How come an exceptionally good and upright man like Jesus ended up on the cross? Scripture tells us “He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him” (Acts 10:38b) Right? Then, why on earth did he end up on the cross? You know, when we live according to the moral principles of our faith, there are three possible ways that the people around us can respond. First, they may be impressed by our exemplary lives and may want to be like us. When people see God in us, they may likely love to worship the God they saw in us. Second, they may be cold and indifferent to our way of life because they are so blind to notice us and so trapped by the cares of this world. Third, they may react against us because our very lives is a threat to theirs. The third response is what Jesus got. The exemplary life of love and compassion he lived and the good news of liberation he preached made the religious and political leaders feel threatened. His lifestyle of simplicity was a challenge to their firm cling on material possessions; and his humility was a threat to their selfish ambitions. So, they unjustifiably condemned and killed him- an Innocent Man. But then, evil never wins. Darkness never wins. Easter tells us they never win.