Isaiah 50:4-7

Chapters 40-55 of the Book of Isaiah contain the message of a prophet who spoke to God's people during their exile in Babylon. Several times the prophet speaks about a person - often referred to as the "Suffering Servant" - who will one day deliver God's people. Because he faces insults and sufferings, Christians have traditionally applied these passages to Jesus.

Phil 2:6-11

We have in this passage one of the most beautiful sections of Paul's letter to the Philippians. He wants the members of the community at Philippi to work harder at unity and humility, and to teach this he quotes an early Christian hymn about Jesus.

Bishop Untener's Homily

I am going to say everything I have to say before the Gospel in the hopes that it will help us more fully receive this passion account into our hearts. I would like us to listen to it meditatively. Scripture is the graced word of God, and when it is proclaimed at liturgy, God speaks to us through these words. I want us to let these words fall upon us like the rays of the sun. If we open ourselves to them in this way, they will affect us. God has something to say to us in these words, perhaps something a little bit different for each of us. Take these words in and let God stir your thoughts and feelings. This is how God reaches out to us in the holy word.

Imagine for a moment a group of Christians gathered to celebrate Eucharist about 10 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. They would have read from the Old Testament, as we just did from Isaiah. And then ... there was no New Testament reading, because there was as yet no New Testament. None of the Gospels or other books of the New Testament had yet been written. So, they told stories about what Jesus said and what Jesus did.

The story they told the most and the earliest was the story of his suffering and death. We know that because those narratives are so similar in all four Gospels. This story took shape very early because it was repeated so often, and by the time the Gospels were written, the spoken account of this story had a fairly set form.

We might legitimately wonder why this is the part of his life they would talk most about. It's so embarrassing. Why not talk about the triumphant parts, rather than this story with all of the failures of the disciples, and the insults to Jesus?

They did this because they knew the ending: the glory of risen life. If God can take something this awful, this ugly, this humiliating, this senseless . . and transform it into something life-giving, meaningful, beautiful - then God can take the worst things I've done, or the worst things that have been done to me, or the worst misfortunes, and transform them. In God's hands, nothing is unforgivable. Every is transformable.

That's why they treasured this story. It's the story of how Jesus went through all this, and even through death, and gave everything into the hands of his Father, and led the way for us through suffering, failure, sin, even death.

Mark's story can be divided up into 12 scenes. Whenever reading a Gospel narrative, it helps to look closely at it, like a miniature painting, and notice the tiny details. When we do that with this passage in Mark, we can see how it is divided up into 12 scenes, some very brief.

So…  let these words fall upon you, and let God speak to you and act upon you through them. They are for us and for our salvation.

Gospel

Scene 1: The Betrayal and Arrest

While Jesus was still speaking to the disciples in Gethsemane, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who had come from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. His betrayer had arranged a signal with them, saying, "The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him and lead him away securely." He came and immediately went over to him and said, "Rabbi." And he kissed him. At this they laid hands on him and arrested him.

One of the bystanders drew his sword, struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his ear. Jesus said to them in reply, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs, to seize me? Day after day I was with you teaching in the temple area, yet you did not arrest me; but that the scriptures may be fulfilled."

And they all left him and fled. Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked.

Scene 2: The Jewish Trial

They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together.

Peter followed him at a distance into the high priest's courtyard and was seated with the guards, warming himself at the fire.

The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they found none. Many gave false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. Some took the stand and testified falsely against him, alleging, "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands and within three days I will build another not made with hands.'" Even so their testimony did not agree. The high priest rose before the assembly and questioned Jesus, saying, "Have you no answer? What are these men testifying against you?" But he was silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and said to him, "Are you the Messiah, the son of the Blessed One?" Then Jesus answered, "I am; and 'you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.'"

At that the high priest tore his garments and said, "What further need have we of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?" They all condemned him as deserving to die.

Scene 3: Taunting

Some began to spit on him. They blindfolded him and struck him and said to him, "Prophesy!" And the guards greeted him with blows.

Scene 4: The Denials of Peter

While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high priest's maids came along. Seeing Peter warming himself, she looked intently at him and said, "You too were with the Nazarene, Jesus." But he denied it saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are talking about."

So he went out into the outer court. The maid saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, "This man is one of them." Once again he denied it.

A little later the bystanders said to Peter once more, "Surely you are one of them; for you too are a Galilean." He began to curse and to swear, "I do not know this man about whom you are talking."

And immediately a cock crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him, "Before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times." He broke down and wept.

Scene 5: The Roman Trial

As soon as morning came, the chief priests with the elders and the scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin, held a council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

Pilate questioned him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" He said to him in reply, "You say so." The chief priests accused him of many things. Again Pilate questioned him, "Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of." Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them one prisoner whom they requested. A man called Barabbas was then in prison along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion. The crowd came forward and began to ask him to do for them as he was accustomed. Pilate answered, "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" For he knew that it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead

Pilate again said to them in reply, "Then what (do you want) me to do with (the man you call) the king of the Jews?" They shouted again, "Crucify him." Pilate said to them, "Why? What evil has he done?" They only shouted the louder, "Crucify him." So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified.

Scene 6: Mockery

The soldiers led him away inside the palace, that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort. They clothed him in purple and, weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him. They began to salute him with, "Hail, King of the Jews!" and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him. They knelt before him in homage. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him out to crucify him.

Scene 7: The Way of the Cross

They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.

Scene 8: The Crucifixion

They brought him to the place of Golgotha (which is translated Place of the Skull). They gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but he did not take it.

Then they crucified him and divided his garments by casting lots for them to see what each should take. It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him.

The inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews."

With him they crucified two revolutionaries, one on his right and one on his left.

Scene 9: More Mockery

Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by coming down from the cross."

Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes, mocked him among themselves and said, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe."

Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.

Scene 10: Death

At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

And at three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some of the bystanders who heard it said, "Look, he is calling Elijah." One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down."

Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

Scene 11: Reactions to the Death

The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.

When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

There were also women looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome. These women had followed him when he was in Galilee and ministered to him. There were also many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.

Scene 12: The Burial

When it was already evening, since it was the day of preparation, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a distinguished member of the council, who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God, came and courageously went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was amazed that he was already dead. He summoned the centurion and asked him if Jesus had already died. And when he learned of it from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down, wrapped him in the linen cloth and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses watched where he was laid.

Originally given on April 16, 2000