Good Friday
‘The Hour begins.’ Crucifixion was recognised as the lowest point of human humiliation in the Roman empire. However, Jesus accepted His Cross for the salvation of the world. His ‘hour’ had come. The saving power on the Cross was His finest ‘hour’ that opened the doors to paradise. He was the Lamb, that was led to its slaughter, and who took away the sins of the world.
St John the Evangelist clearly highlights the ‘Kingship’ of Jesus within the Gospel. We also see clearly, it is Jesus, the Sovereign Lord, who is in total control over all the events in His Passion. He possesses the Divine Power, and these events would only happen because He allowed them to happen.
Through His Kingship we see the freedom with which he goes to the Cross. We hear in scripture: “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.” By freely going to the Cross, Jesus offers His life as a perfect gift of love, given to the Father for the world’s salvation. Through His obedience, Jesus reveals the infinite depths of the Father’s love and mercy towards us, since we are sinners.
I would like to focus on three specific elements of interest within the Passion narrative. The Title on the Cross, the division of Jesus’ garments and the piercing of Jesus’ side.
According to Roman custom a board was carried in front of the condemned person or sometimes it was nailed to the cross itself. Jesus’ board read. ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’
It was Pilate who was responsible and took the initiative on writing these words down, making Pilate declare Jesus’ royal status to the whole world. The Title board was written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek, the three great nation languages in the Roman empire. So, it is interesting that the greatest nation in the world, should claim Jesus, King.
However, there might be a special hidden meaning that we are missing? Since many of the Jews were there at the place of crucifixion, near the city walls, everybody had the chance of reading the Title board and to understand it. Scholars have wondered, was God giving everyone a last chance, to understand Jesus’ offer of salvation, as King of the Jews?
The division of Jesus’ garments and the seamless tunic. St John the evangelist goes into great detail on the sharing of Jesus’ garments. Every Jew wore five items of clothing, however, there were only four soldiers. The main item was a long under garment which was worn next to the body. Described as being without seam and woven from top to bottom. In the book of Exodus and Leviticus it says that this type of seamless garment was only worn by the high priests. So, John the Evangelist was pointing to Jesus not only as King but also as eternal High Priest of the Church.
The Piercing of Jesus’ side. This is unique to John’s Passion Narrative. One of the soldiers thrust a lance into Jesus’ side. In doing so a twofold prophecy was fulfilled. The ‘Passover Lamb’ in Exodus: ‘None of his bones shall be broken’ and the ‘Pierced Messiah’ in Zechariah ‘They will look on the one whom they have pierced’.
With Water & Blood being signs of the Sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist. There is also another important symbol here, that points to Jesus being the ‘New Temple’. During the 1st century AD when Jews approached the temple mount at the time of Passover, when the sacrifices were being offered around 3pm, they would see a stream of blood and water flowing out from the side of the temple mount and down into the Kidron Valley. This would have been a familiar image in the mindset of the 1st century Jew. The Evangelist would have recognised the sign of Jesus’ body, when water and blood flowed from His side as the ‘New Temple of God.’ ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ It is not the Temple in Jerusalem that will flow with blood sacrifices any longer, but it has been replaced with a new temple by the crucified body of Jesus. So, let us today, take to heart the true meaning of Jesus’ Passion and Death, it isn’t the time to be sad or down-hearted. Since it was Jesus’ finest ‘hour’, His ultimate Glorification and Exaltation of the Son of Man, in order to save the world and bring us into Eternal Glory.
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