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WHO WAS ON TRIAL? - stephenkhoo - 04-02-2021 10:07 PM
WHO WAS ON TRIAL?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISA 52:13 – 53:12; HEB 4:14-16; 5:7-9; JOHN 18:1 – 19:42]
Very often, the world celebrates the achievements of successful people, whether in their career, business, studies, in science and technology, politics or religion. These are people the world admires and honors. But what we see and celebrate is the end product, the fruits of their struggles, labour and the sufferings they went through. Not often do we read of their struggles in arriving at their goals.
Indeed, the liturgy of Good Friday underscores what our Lord went through, the oppositions that He had to put up with, the weaknesses of His disciples, the betrayals and slanders, the physical and moral sufferings He carried in His body. As St Peter sums it up so beautifully, “For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.” (cf 1 Pt 2:19-25)
How did Jesus put up with all the false accusations and the travesty of justice? It is significant to note that the Passion according to John’s gospel, which is read on Good Friday, has a different tone and emphasis compared to the Passion account from the Synoptic Gospels which we read on Palm Sunday. Whereas the latter underscores the true humanity of Jesus, His fear, emotions and sufferings, the gospel of John portrays Jesus differently. Unlike the Synoptic gospels, Jesus was not someone who was fearful of suffering and death. The scene of Jesus’ agony in the Garden is omitted in John’s Passion narrative. There was no narration of the humiliation, mockery and pain that Jesus suffered on the Cross or the scene of Him crying out to His Father.
On the contrary, we have Jesus who was very confident of Himself even as He went to His Passion. Earlier on, when speaking about His imminent death, He echoed some sentiment as recorded in the Garden of Gethsemane. However, He spoke not with diffidence but was ready to go to His passion. He said, “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say – ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” (Jn 12:27f) Then after the farewell meal, He told the disciples, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.” (Jn 14:30f)
When He was arrested, Jesus showed Himself to be in control of the situation. Jesus was conscious of His identity with the Father. Before His divine presence, when He spoke, the soldiers who came to arrest Him, moved back and involuntary fell down in reverence when the Lord pronounced the divine word, “I am he.” It was at the command of the Lord that they could arrest Him when He said, “I have told you that I am he. If I am the one you are looking for, let these others go.’ This was to fulfil the words he had spoken, ‘Not one of those you gave me have I lost.'” When Peter reacted by cutting off the right ear of the high priest’s servant, Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back in its scabbard; am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” Jesus knew what He was doing and was ready to embrace the cross.
During the trial, the real interrogator and judge was not the High priest or Pilate but the Lord. When brought before Annas the High Priest, He boldly defended Himself and questioned the High Priest in return. Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly for all the world to hear; I have always taught in the synagogue and in the Temple where all the Jews meet together: I have said nothing in secret. But why ask me? Ask my hearers what I taught: they know what I said.” When one of the guards standing by gave Jesus a slap in the face, saying, “Is this the way to answer the high priest?” Jesus replied with firmness, “If there is something wrong in what I say, point it out; But if there is no offence in it, why do you strike me?” Clearly, Jesus was not defiant but not cowed by the authorities either.
Before Pilate, again it was Jesus who questioned the governor. Pilate was the one who was nervous, confused, evasive and manipulated. He was not sure where the truth was to be found. The one who was under trial was Pilate himself. He knew that Jesus was innocent but he was weak. He was not serving justice nor living by the truth. He was more concerned about his position and seeking popularity from the people. He was anxious to release Jesus and even to appeal to their sympathy by scourging Jesus. When he was told that Jesus could be the Son of God, he became more fearful. He was clinging to political power and this earthly kingdom whereas Jesus was clear that power came from God alone and His kingdom was beyond this earth.
Then finally, when the people refused to give up their demands for Jesus to be crucified, Pilate, who was supposed to be the judge, endorsed Jesus as the judge and the king. He dressed Jesus in royal purple robes and declared Him innocent. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king.” The response of the people exposed their hypocrisy when they said, “We have no king except Caesar.” By recognizing Caesar as their king, they were denying God as their King and therefore the kingdom of David no longer existed. They were contradicting their fundamental belief in God as their King. They deserved condemnation instead!
We are on trial today, just like Peter and the apostles, the Chief priests, Pilate and the Jews. Are we like them, evasive of the truth, unwilling to stand up for our beliefs, running away like the apostles when we are called to stand up for what we believe? Indeed, like Pilate and the apostles, we have no guts to do the right thing. We too are more concerned about our position in society, our vested interests because we do not want to lose our job, our popularity, our influence. So we compromise, like Pilate with the Jews, and the Jews with their allegiance to Caesar instead of God the Universal King. Like Peter, we deny Jesus as our Lord by our words and by our actions. Surely, we are all guilty in different ways as we stand before our Lord who is supposedly on trial. He is our true King and our judge!
Yet, the liturgy does not want to make Jesus out as a hero, as if He were a stoic. In spite of His confidence, valor and firmness in His claims and in speaking the truth, the suffering was real. This is where the first two readings complement the Passion of John’s gospel. Indeed, the first reading is a prophecy of Jesus’ passion. Jesus, like the Suffering Servant, truly went through the most ignominious, cruel and unthinkable suffering. As Isaiah wrote, “the crowds were appalled on seeing him so disfigured did he look that he seemed no longer human – so will the crowds be astonished at him, and kings stand speechless before him; for they shall see something never told and witness something never heard before’ Without majesty (we saw him), no looks to attract our eyes; a thing despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrow and familiar with suffering, a man to make people screen their faces; he was despised and we took no account of him.”
Yet, how did He suffer with such confidence and humility? Again, the prophet said, “And yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried. He was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins. On him lies a punishment that brings us peace, and through his wounds we are healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and the Lord burdened him with the sins of all of us. By his sufferings shall my servant justify many, taking their faults on himself. Surrendering himself to death and letting himself be taken for a sinner, while he was bearing the faults of many and praying all the time for sinners.”
Indeed, because of His suffering for us, the letter to the Hebrews encourages us to turn to Him for mercy and forgiveness. “It is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.” In our weakness and cowardice, let us turn to Him to find strength to witness for Him, and mercy when we fail Him because of fear of shame, rejection and suffering. He understands! He has carried our betrayals, humiliation and pain in His body. He is our throne of mercy and grace.