Quinquagesima Sunday AD 2024
The Lord says at the beginning of today’s Gospel: “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death, and the third day he shall rise again.”
Jesus foretells four things here:
1. “He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles.” This meant that the Jewish Sanhedrin, finding that Jesus must die for alleged blasphemy, handed Him over to the Roman governor, who had the authority to issue the death sentence and carry it out. It is remarkable that when the Jews brought Jesus before Pilate, they did not accuse Him of blasphemy, but of inciting rebellion. If the charge of blasphemy could be excused by their lack of understanding and religious zeal, the charge of sedition was known by all to be an outright lie. Thus the accusers of Jesus not only delivered their Lord into the hands of the Gentiles, but also delivered their own souls to the devil. By killing Jesus, they killed their souls.
2. “He shall be mocked, and spitefully entertained, and spitted on.” It was not enough for the enemies of Jesus to condemn Him to death or even to execute Him, but they did everything possible to humiliate Him. This is one of the clearest signs of the state of a person's soul. Does he feel happy that his neighbor is doing well, that he is respected, that he is loved and recognized? Maybe all this causes him unbearable pain, fills him with envy, and makes him look for means to humiliate his neighbor and to hurt him.
3. “They shall scourge Him, and put Him to death.” It didn’t just happen to Jesus – the entire history of humanity since the Fall has been marked by the same tragedy: doing evil to one another seems to be part and parcel of being human. It is true that most people are horrified when they hear about acts of violence, but unfortunately, history has repeatedly proven that most people are also easily manipulated into going along with injustice, just by pressing the right buttons.
4. “The third day He shall rise again.” Regardless of what we plan and do – God has all authority in heaven and on earth, and He uses that authority to work out His goodness and love. God is invincible and immortal, as are those who put their trust in His grace – like the blind man of Jericho, who regained his sight through the grace and power of the Lord and “followed him, glorifying God”.