Gospel:
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.
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.
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.
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. 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 Christ, 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. 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, lema 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.
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!”
Gospel Trivia:
Mark's Gospel of the Passion of Jesus Christ provides the following significant points:
1. Mark recounts two trials of Jesus: the first was held in front of the Sanhedrin (included in the verses that precede today's gospel); and the second is before Pilate.
The first is a Jewish trial for which Jesus was accused and condemned of blasphemy (for which death by stoning is the prescribed punishment). The second is a Roman trial for which Jesus was condemned of rebellion (for claiming to be the king of the Jews) for which crucifixion is the prescribed punishment.
In both trials, the chief priests, elders and scribes play a major part. In both scenes, Jesus was silent.
2. Simon of Cyrene meets Jesus for the first time, and carries his cross. Mark presents him as representing future disciples who also must "take their cross" if they wish to follow Jesus.
3. Mark presents Jesus' kingship as an act of humility. The "preparation" for his enthronement as king takes place when he is scourged, given a makeshift crown of thorns, and spat and insulted by soldiers. The "coronation" takes place in the crucifixion. Crucifixion is the worst way to die! It's purpose is to shame the criminal as they are hanged naked on a hill (such as Golgothat) for everyone to see them.
Jesus refuses to take the "wine drugged with myrrh" which is usually provided to ease the pain, so that he is unclouded and willingly accepts his death.
4. Jesus passion started with a prayer in the garden of Gethsemane where he prayed "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup aware from me, but not what I will but what you will."
It ends with a prayer at the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me."
Jesus goes through his passion not as God, but as truly and deeply human -- someone who has complete faith in the Father to a point of desperation and doubt, until he addresses God not anymore as "Abba" but as "My God."
5. The veil is torn. The veil separates the sanctuary from the rest of the temple; it is the place where only the high priest can enter. Jesus' death breaks this barrier between the holy of holies and the rest of humanity. God now dwells among his people. He is no longer the God up there but, through the God-Man Jesus, is now God-with-us.
Reference:
- Wilfrid Harrington, OP, Mark (Manila: St. Paul's Publications, 1988), pp. 232-239.
Gospel:
Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.
“I am troubled now. Yet what should I say, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again.” The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.
Gospel Trivia:
The presence of Greeks provide the significance in this Gospel passage. Greeks are non-Jews and are considered pagans. It was also common during biblical times for anyone who was a non-Jew to be called a "Greek" whether or not he or she was of the Greek race.
Interestingly, the names Philip and Andrew are also Greek names and perhaps the Greeks approached them to be introduced to Jesus, thinking that someone who has some affinity can assist them in seeking an audience with Jesus.
When Jesus was advised that there were Greeks who wanted to see him, he replies: "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified."
Throughout his gospel, John often refers to Jesus as the "savior of the world" or the "light of the world", and not of the Jews alone. Thus, John uses the desire of non-Jews to see him as the signal that the "hour" has come.
The "hour" refers to the sacrificial death of Jesus. As usual in John, the glory of Jesus is associated with the cross. This paradox is reflected in the symbol of the wheat dying in order to bear fruit. The wheat symbol is also very closely related to Jesus as the "bread of life."
The phrase "hates his life" does not exactly mean a strong dislike for one's life. When used in juxtaposition with the word for "love," the use of the Jewish word for "hate" actually means to "love less."
Thus, the message: a Christian disciples loves his/her life less than the life of others; we are glorified when we live our lives for others.
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Hungry No More (Manila: St. Paul's Publications, 1989), pp. 160-168.
Gospel:
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who
does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
Gospel Trivia:
Nicodemus appears only in the gospel of John. He is a Pharisee who favors Jesus, and it is ironic that Jesus chooses a Pharisee who is not talked about kindly by the other gospel writers. To Nicodemus, Jesus states what may be considered as the summary of the gospel of John, if not of the whole Christianity:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that he who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." (John 3:16).
It means:
1. God takes the initiative in loving us
2. His purpose is not to judge or condemn but to lead us to eternal life.
3. His love is for the world, which refers to all of humanity. It also implies that the world is good, but humanity can choose evil based on freedom.
The "world" refers to all that there is, especially humanity, God's crowning glory of creation. Thus, John 3:16 can be paraphrased to mean: God loves humanity so much that God gives everything that God has (his Son Jesus).
The "lifting up of the Son of Man" mentioned in the gospel passage refers to the "continuous" upward motion of the cross being lifted up (Jesus' death), his Resurrection, and Ascension.
The love of God involves the giving of everything (Jesus himself) which overcomes death, and reunites us with the Father.
This is the first time in John's gospel that the words "eternal life" is used; it is important to know what John meant by it. It means BOTH a "life without end" at the end time, AND also to a life with a special quality at the present time. This special quality refers to a life that is love-centered, forgiveness-oriented and peace-filled. It is a life based on faith in Jesus and governed by the principles of Jesus' life and teachings.
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Hungry No More (Manila: St. Paul's Publications, 1989), pp. 51-56.
Gospel:
Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.
While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.
Gospel Trivia:
This incident narrated by John is also found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Curiously, John records this incident at the BEGINNING of Jesus' ministry, but the other three evangelists record it as happening towards the END, specifically at the beginning of passion week.
Biblical scholars are divided on which version is more accurate. We will not settle that argument here. This blog will deal with the significance of the incident whether it happened in the beginning or at the end.
The incident likely happened on the outside courtyard of (not inside) the temple, where Gentiles (or non Jews) were allowed to roam. Still, a certain decorum is required by everyone.
Jesus was upset, no, angry, with what he saw: a trading area where sacrifices to be offered -- sheep if you were rich, pigeons if you were poor -- were being cornered by the temple priests and their relatives. Each sacrificial animal had to be vetted and the temple authorities would do that; for a fee of course. It had to be purchased with temple money, so everyone had to exchange their local currency through money changers, which were also cornered by the "authorities."
Jesus was so angry, he formed a whip and used it to clear the temple. He was angry because of the corruption surrounding the ritualistic requirements of Judaism. Moreover, Jesus was upset that the key messages of the Kingdom of God (namely, love, forgiveness and fullness of life) have evolved into cultic and ritualistic interpretations.
Another Trivia:
Did Jesus use violence against the people when he whipped those in the temple? Scholars clarify that the more accurate translation of the verse:
"He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen..."
is
"He made a whip out of cords and drove all the animals out of the temple area, namely the sheep and oxen."
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Hungry No More (Makati: St. Paul's Publications, 1989), pp. 41-50.
Gospel:
Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain, apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say for they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them. From the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what “rising from the dead” meant.
Gospel Trivia:
(This account is also recorded by Matthew, but with a different intended message. If you would like to compare, click here.)
This is a fantastic scene: Jesus and his core group of Peter, James and John goes up a mountain, his clothes become dazzling white, Moses and Elijah (two of the most prominent figures in the Old Testament) appear, a cloud casts a shadow, and a voice from heaven is heard. Then all of these disappear, and Jesus is alone again.
What does this all mean?
The mountain is used in several places in the bible as the venue where humanity encounters God. Jesus’ garments become “dazzling white” anticipates the major transformation of the world in the “end times.” Moses and Elijah are what the Jews consider as “end-times” figures. The cloud and the voice reflect God’s overwhelming presence. We are not talking here of an “end of the world” scenario, but a time when God’s Reign becomes fully present in all its excellence.
But the key in interpreting this passage lies in Mark 9:10 which says, “As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”
Jesus did not want his core group of disciples to associate his presence with the glory and magnificence they had just witnessed, but ALSO with the passion and suffering that he had to eventually undergo. This is in line with Mark’s larger message of Jesus’ death/resurrection and the Christian vocation.
This is the Christian vocation: we undergo our own passion and suffering, but we keep our eyes on the prize.
God allows us to have mountain-top experiences: a job promotion, a “divine intervention” on a special prayer request, and other such events that simply stir us to declare “ang galing talaga ni Lord!”
But Christian life is not just mountain-top experiences. In many cases, if not most, life is filled with life in the valley: a relationship torn by a deep hurt, a career gone awry, a financial burden made heavier, or a sickness that could not have come at a worse time.
Mountain-top experiences help us when we are in the valley. We don’t cling to the mountain top; that would be like what Peter wanted to do, which is to build tents. Instead, we bring those experiences to remind us that God is in control, in the mountain-top and in the valley.
Above co-authored with Sonny Santiago sometime in 2011 as part of a teaching exercise for the Singles Apostolate of the St. James Renewal Movement.
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), pp. 11-13.
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