Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you

 

 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.  When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.'  And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure."  So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. 

 

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Amen. 

 

- Matthew 28:11-20 

 

Yesterday we read that after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.  And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.  His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.  And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.  But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him.  Behold, I have told you."  So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.  And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!"  So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.   Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.  Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."

 

Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.  When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.'  And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure."  So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.  My study Bible comments that this lie is absurd, for His disciples were afraid and had gone into hiding.  Moreover, most of them went on to suffer terrible persecution and martyrdom.  It's unthinkable, my study Bible says, that they would willingly endure such sufferings over a known fallacy.

 

 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.  When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."  Jesus says, "All authority has been given to Me . . . ":  My study Bible comments that this is a declaration that the authority that was Christ's by nature in His divinity is now in fact also possessed by His glorified human nature.  This human nature, we must understand, has now trampled upon the final enemy, which is death (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).  

 

 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit . . . "  This is what is known as the Great Commission it is our Lord's final commandment given on earth.  My study Bible says that it is to be lived out in the Church until Christ returns again.  To make disciples cannot be done in the strength of human beings, but only in the power of God.  The power of the Resurrection is not only for Jesus Himself, my study Bible adds, but it is given to all believers for Christian life and mission. 

 

" . . .  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Amen.  Christ Himself is present in each believers and in the Church always, my study Bible tells us, both personally and in the Holy Spirit, for neither can be separated from the other.  To the end of the age does not by any means imply that we will be separated from Him at the end of the world.  As we might frequently hear in the liturgies of the Church, Christ is with us now, and forever, and unto the ages of ages.  Amen.  

 

 As part of Christ's command to make disciples of all the nations, He includes, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you."  There are those who place such emphasis on sheer belief that they will suggest that once we confess faith in Christ, we cannot lose our salvation.  But oftentimes it seems overlooked that Christ did not separate faith from deeds.  Repeatedly He teaches us the importance -- the necessity -- of living our faith, not simply confessing.  For what is faith without a life lived to bear resemblance to what we confess?  Repeatedly Jesus has criticized those who simply pay an outward "lip service" to God but fail to live up to the importance of the things that God cares about.  In St. Matthew's chapter 23, Jesus reserves His harshest criticism for the hypocrites, the religious leaders in the temple.  As an example, He says to them, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" (verses 23-24).  These are men who have an outward show, but their hearts are far from God.  The weightier matters of the law are the true things of God.  Jesus is talking about an outward conformity to appearances, without a true inward commitment.  In chapter 15, Jesus quotes from Isaiah:  "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me" (Matthew 15:8; Isaiah 29:13).  But it is the parable of the Judgment, illustrating how we will be judged by Him, that tells us the strong truth about what we do, or fail to do (Matthew 25:31-46).  In this parable, judgment is based on what we do, and what we fail to do, in the practice of compassion, especially toward "the least of these My brethren."   As human beings, we are not created into separate pieces that live apart from one to the either:  we are not one part mental, one part emotion, another part is physical, another spiritual.  The soul knits it all together, and it is the soul with which Jesus is concerned.  To truly live our faith -- to observe all the things that have been commanded by Christ -- is to integrate all that we are, not to keep belief separate from what we do.  It is all of one part, and we are meant to grow in our likeness to God through Christ's grace, and the power of His Incarnation and Resurrection.  For this is what His life has taught us and brought to us, an "incarnational" faith.  To "observe" Christ's commands is to live them, to hold them and keep them, in the ways that one holds a code or a value system that gives identity and meaning.  Let us hold fast to all that He has commanded, and follow what He teaches.  For He has taken all authority in heaven and earth which duly belongs to Him; through the fullness of His life, death, and Resurrection, He gives us the fullness of our faith.

 

 

 

 

He is not here; for He is risen, as He said

 

 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.  And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.  His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.  And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.  

 

But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him.  Behold, I have told you."  So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.  And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!"  So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.   Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.  Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."

 

- Matthew 28:1-10 

 

Yesterday we read that many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar at His Crucifixion, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.  Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.  When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.  And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.   On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.'  Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.'  So the last deception will be worse than the first."  Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how."  So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.  

 

 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.  And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.  His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.  And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.   My study Bible comments that the earthquake is a sign of our Lord's great victory over death, and foreshadows the general resurrection of all humanity.   It asks us to note that the angel does not roll back the stone to let the Lord out, for in His glory, Christ could pass through solid rock (see John 20:19).  On the contrary, the open doorway to the tomb allows the witnesses in, so that they may see He has already risen.  

 

 But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him.  Behold, I have told you."  So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.  And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!"  So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.   Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.  Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."  My study Bible tells us that these women are the first witnesses of the supreme event in all history: the Resurrection of Christ and the destruction of death.  The angel refers to Christ as the One who was crucified, teaching us not to shy away from His death, but to glory in the Cross (1 Corinthians 2:2; Galatians 6:14), which is the weapon which Christ used to destroy death and the trophy of His victory.  At the liturgical services of Pascha (Easter), Orthodox Christians sing the following hymn hundreds of times:  "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life."  Here St. Paul is cited, who says, "If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile" (1 Corinthians 15:17).  

 

  Our first verses in today's reading tell us many things that are quite striking:   Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.  And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.  His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.  And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.  First of all, this is the dawn of the first day of the week.  This is the day after the Sabbath, and it's known to us as Sunday, the Lord's Day.  Moreover, it is also thought of as the eighth day, the eternal day begun with the Resurrection of Christ.  It is dawn, the beginning, as Christ, Sun of Righteousness, is Risen.  Suddenly, it seems the powers of heaven are shaken once again, in the sign of the earthquake, as an angel descends from heaven, rolls back the stone, and sits on it.  We're told that his countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow -- similar to Christ's face and clothing at the revelation of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:2).  We see the response of the guards, Roman soldiers.  The angel says to these faithful women, who have come to serve Christ even in His death, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him.  Behold, I have told you."  Here is the good news, He is risen, as He said.  And there is a commission here from the angels; these women will become the Apostles to the Apostles, as the Church declares them to be.   The angel is a messenger, as are all holy angels, and this is the greatest message they could hear.  And these women respond in a complex way, as has so often the case with Jesus throughout His ministry, and in the presence of heavenly tings:  they go running with fear and great joy, and in obedience bring the disciples the word.   So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.  For this obedience and faith, they are the first to see the risen Christ:  And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!"  So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.   Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.  Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."   This is the great good news, that Jesus has conquered death, and opened the door for all of us to be with Him where He is (John 17:24).  These women are the first to see and hear the good news, and to take it to the disciples.  In Christ's economy of the risen Word, women are the first to obey, playing this essential role in our salvation, and reversing the story of Eve.  In the story of the Resurrection, we all become essential.  What role do you play?  Faith and obedience tell the story of loyalty and love.

 

 

 

Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus

 

 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.  

 

Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.  When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.  And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.   On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.'  Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.'  So the last deception will be worse than the first."  Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how."  So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.  

 

- Matthew 27:55-66 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were told that from the sixth hour until the ninth hour (approximately noon to 3:00 p.m.) there was darkness over all the land.  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"  Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!"  Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.  The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him."  And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.  Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.  So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

 

  And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.  My study Bible has a note on Mary the mother of James and Joses.  It explains that in patristic commentary, most teach this was in fact the Virgin Mary, as she was the stepmother of James and Joses (Matthew 13:55; compare Mark 15:40, 47).   It quotes from the commentary of Theophylact, who summarizes this teaching in the following way:  "James and Joses were sons of Joseph by his first wife.  And since the Theotokos was called the 'wife' of Joseph, she is rightly called the 'mother' of his children, meaning 'stepmother'."

 

 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.  My study Bible points out to us that to ask for the body of Jesus is a bold public act for this wealthy man, showing that his faith has overcome any fear. We should remember also that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, who disagreed with the Council regarding the trial of Jesus (Luke 23:50-51).

 

 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.  And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.   On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.'  Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.'  So the last deception will be worse than the first."  Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how."  So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.  My study Bible comments here that Jesus was buried in a new tomb so that no suspicion might later arise that another had risen instead of Christ.  

 

In tradition, tombs were used for families, not the single burial plots we are used to.  So the point my study Bible makes about Christ's tomb is very important.  Additionally, we shouldn't dismiss the great sacrifice made by Joseph of Arimathea.  Not only as a wealthy man, but as a member of the Council, the Sanhedrin, he had everything to lose by going openly to Pilate.  This tomb would have been very expensive as well, expressing Joseph's love of Jesus.  According to the tradition of the Orthodox Church, he is called holy and righteous, and is a saint.  The Church teaches that he was imprisoned by the Jewish authorities, and Christ appeared to him in prison, thus convincing him of the Resurrection.  He was later released from prison and banished from Jerusalem, eventually preaching the Gospel throughout the world, later reposing in Britain where he helped to found the Church.  Perhaps coincidentally, his feast day is celebrated tomorrow, July 31st.  Joseph is an important figure in that he bridges, together with many others, the old and new covenants.  Moreover, he was willing to risk all that he had, even his very life, out of love for Jesus.  In this category we also place Nicodemus, who, according to St. John's Gospel, was also a student of Christ, a member of the Sanhedrin, and helped Joseph of Arimathea to bury Christ (John 3:1-21; 7:50-52; 19:38-42).  Finally we also come to the women who remained steadfast and loyal to Christ throughout His ministry.  As today's reading tells us, they had followed Him from Galilee.  According to St. Luke's Gospel, these women had supported His ministry in Galilee, supporting Him from their own wealth (Luke 8:1-3).  In today's reading, we're given immediate examples of faith following Christ's death, those who are helping and ministering to Him.  All of these people, we should remember, are faithful Jews.  But more importantly, out of their love for Christ, they are risking everything to show Him love even though they believe Him to be dead.  A crucifixion, we should remember, was the most shameful kind of death, reserved for the worst criminals, a person's body stripped of all protection and modesty, and made to be paraded in extreme suffering until the end.  Jesus' death was also accompanied by mocking and condemnation.  Yet these people remain loyal to Him, which must have demanded tremendous faith and equally great courage.  This teaches us, right from the beginning, that the Church needs all her members; each of us is capable of a playing a role with whatever resources we have, and especially in our faith and the courage we can muster to care and do what the times call us to do.  Ultimately it is love and loyalty that command our response to the One who loved and is loyal to us even through death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Truly this was the Son of God!

 

 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"  Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!"  Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.  The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him."  

 

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.  Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.  So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

- Matthew 27:45-54 

 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus and the soldiers of the garrison came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.  Him they compelled to bear His cross.  And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of the Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink.  But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.  Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:  "They divided My garments among them, / And for My clothing they cast lots."  Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.  And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:  THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one of the right and another on the left.  And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads, and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself!  If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.  He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'"  Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. 

 

  Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.  See the prophecies of Zechariah 14:5-7 and Amos 8:9.

 

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"  Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!"  Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.  The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him."   It's important to know that Jesus is praying on the Cross.  These are the words that begin Psalm 22, a psalm which gives even the details of the Crucifixion.   As my study Bible notes, if this beginning of the psalm is taken alone without the rest of it, this cry of "Why have You forsaken Me?" could be misinterpreted as a cry of despair.  Because Jesus took on our nature, my study Bible explains, He experiences our alienation from God in His humanity, knowing our suffering and distress, yet He does not despair.  He speaks these words in the name of humanity, completely identifying with us in our condition, for in His divinity, He is never forsaken by the Father.  

 

 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.  My study Bible comments that Christ's death was voluntary until the very end, for even on the Cross, His life could not be taken from Him against His will.  Christ accepts death on the Cross neither to receive the Father's punishment on our behalf, nor to satisfy the Father's need for blood-justice (as if God would demand such things), but in order to enter death as the divine Son of God, thus enabling Him to destroy this last enemy, which is death itself (1 Corinthians 15:20-28).  

 

 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, . . .  The veil that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple was a symbol of the separation between God and humanity.  Christ's death opens the way into the presence of God for all people, giving people access to that which is most holy of all, which is God Himself, my study Bible says.  In many Orthodox churches, there is a curtain between the altar and the nave which is drawn open during liturgical services in order to emphasize this communion with God, which was at one time sealed off from humanity, but is now available to all who approach in faith.  Additionally, Fr. Stephen De Young has said (in accordance with St. Chrysostom) that this tearing of the veil was in fact symbolic of judgment, revealing the Most Holy Place (where only the high priest could go and only on the Day of Atonement) to be empty.  In this Second Temple, it is now devoid of the presence of God and the Ark of the Covenant, no longer containing the glory of God under the high priest who in fact has condemned Jesus and agitated for His Crucifixion.  

 

 . . . and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.  My study Bible comments that the completeness of the salvation won by Christ is signified in the resurrection of the saints from the Old Testament.  This guarantees the promise which was given to Ezekiel that God can and will one day open the graves of all humankind (Ezekiel 37:1-14).  The saints entering the holy city is an icon of resurrected humanity entering the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 11:10, 12:22-23; Revelation 21:2-22:5).

 

 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"  The centurion is a Gentile; according to my study Bible, he realizes that Jesus has dominion over nature, and therefore acknowledges Him as the Son of God.  In Church Tradition, he is known as St. Longinus. 

 

 In today's reading, we read of the "powers of heaven" being "shaken."  When Jesus gives His prophecy concerning "end times" (Matthew 24), He says, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).  In addition to the prophecies of Zechariah and Amos cited above, we can look at these events reported at the time of Jesus' death and understand that there is a tremendous "shaking up" indeed happening here.  There is darkness at noon until approximately 3:00 in the afternoon (the sixth hour until the ninth hour).  When Jesus cried out with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit, "the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many."  All of these actions echo the apocalyptic nature of the end times prophecy given by Jesus; they make it clear that there are layers to the reality that we know, and Christ Himself is somehow active and evident in all of them.  So much so, that all is shaken up (quite literally in terms of the earthquake).  This can be understood in various ways, all of which we must take into account, as all may be true at once.  That the veil in the temple was torn in two is the subject of discussion among many Church Fathers, but again, all may be understood as possible at once.  That Christ opened up mysteries in faith to His followers is something He Himself has testified to (Matthew 13:31).  St. Ephraim the Syrian, in addition to agreement with other opinions noted above, also gives an additional poetic understanding of the tearing of the veil, in that it is similar to a person tearing their clothes, and in that sense an expression of grief.  Clearly we might see it as the temple itself expressing grief that its glory had gone, its joy in the form of Christ the Lord, and indicating a change from the old covenant to the new. That the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised" seems to tell us about Christ's entering into the place of the dead and bringing life.  Most interestingly St. Matthew writes of their coming out of the graves after His resurrection, and entering the holy city (Jerusalem) and appearing to many, thus giving us a picture of the resurrection as manifest to many in the city.  We see many layers of reality being manifest at once here:  that Christ is both Lord and Judge (including of the temple), that He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25), even that His body is the true temple (John 2:19).  What we should understand is that in all of these dimensions, Christ spans the reality of existence.  That is, as human He is within time, but as divine He is not limited by time; the same is true of space.  The reality of the Kingdom of heaven, as He has said spans all of these varied dimensions of existence, of reality, and yet it, too, is within us (Luke 17:21).   What that boils down to is simply that each of these things can be true at once, because we are speaking of Jesus Christ, and all of these things can be taken together, even as signs of "end times," yet belonging to things to come, and manifest as echoes and repetitions of one another at that time, and even in our own time, if we look carefully.  For, since His death, we are living in the time of the end as we await His return.  He remains for us the way, the truth, and the life -- and the way to the Father (John 14:6).  We must understand the salvific power of His Person and His identity as both fully God and fully human, bringing divinity to all things He experienced as a human being, even death, and transfiguring and healing all for us, so that we may follow Him.  

 

 

 

 

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS

 

 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.  Him they compelled to bear His cross.  And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of the Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink.  But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.  Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:

"They divided My garments among them,

And for My clothing they cast lots."

Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.  And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one of the right and another on the left.  And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads, and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself!  If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.  He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'"  Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. 

 

- Matthew 27:32-44 

 

Yesterday we read that when Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person.  You see to it."  And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."  Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.  Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.  And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.  When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand.  And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"  Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.  And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

 

Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.  Him they compelled to bear His cross.  And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of the Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink.  But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.  Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided My garments among them, / And for My clothing they cast lots."  Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.  And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:  THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one of the right and another on the left.  And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads, and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself!  If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.  He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'"  Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.  My study Bible comments on today's passage that Jesus accepts mockery and endures the weakness of our body in His own to take upon Himself our sufferings.  This He accomplishes, it says, by uniting His divine nature to our human nature.  His humanity is truly our humanity.  Although He has no sin, He was made to be sin for us, that through His flesh He might condemn sin itself (Romans 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 2:9).  Here St. Matthew teaches us about the two robbers who were crucified with Him:  my study Bible points out that although one would later repent (Luke 23:39-43), at first both criminals mock Jesus.  

It seems almost impossible in a world such as we moderns inhabit in the West to consider what it means that God Himself came into earthly life in human form, and was subjected not only to that diminution in stature, but even to the scourging, mocking, beating, and finally humiliation on the Cross that we read about in today's reading.  Even His clothes are taken from Him, stakes in a game of chance. Thinking solely of the pain that Christ endured -- for crucifixion was the most torturous of punishments in the Roman system, reserved for the worst criminals -- it should have been unthinkable for One so exalted to endure such treatment.  In the ancient world the emperors ruled; there was a great sense of hierarchy.  Even today we still have kings and queens and dignitaries, Presidents and Prime Ministers, those whom we consider to be privileged and important in particular ways.  This is not limited to formal society but certainly exists as well in criminal hierarchies.  But where would we find One like Christ who was willing to be humiliated and suffering, subject to the most abject shame before all including His disciples and His mother?  No, our story is unique and remains so, despite the fact that many of us -- so used to the promises and even entitlements of democracy and values of equality -- are subject to constant demands and complaints about lack of privilege.  How is Christ even comprehensible -- in an ancient world, or even today's world?  This is the powerful story that is "a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks" and still remains so, no matter which political theory one may espouse or hear or find in a social order in this world.  This is not simply a Man who suffers for others, who suffers for us, but God who has subjected Himself to this suffering in order to bring His divine healing to us and to our world.  Today we worship other idols than in Christ's time; often these are sports stars, or movie stars, or even for some politicians or political activists of many stripes.  And like Barabbas, there are those who murder for social change.  But Christ remains a staggering testimony to love above even the best, for His compassion, condescension, and willingness to suffer so that we might all be freed in the cosmic sense of salvation offered to all, which is the meaning of "for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28).  The irony is present here in the name of the crime for which He is crucified, for it speaks the truth, and echoes the deeper, grander truth far greater than anyone can estimate on that universal and even cosmic scale.  He is the King who gives all for us, from love that calls us all.

 

 

 

 

Hail, King of the Jews!

 

 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person.  You see to it."  And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."  Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.  

 

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.  And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.  When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand.  And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"  Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.  And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

 

- Matthew 27:24-31 

 

On Saturday we read of Christ's trial before Pontius Pilate:  Now Jesus stood before the governor.  And the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus said to him, "It is as you way."  And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.  Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?"  But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.  Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished.   And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.  Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you?  Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"  For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.  While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him."  But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.  The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"  They said, "Barabbas!"  Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"  They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!"  

 

 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person.  You see to it."  And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."  Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.  My study Bible comments on the people's answer here, "His blood be on us and on our children."   It notes that this verse has been used by certain groups to try to justify persecuting Jews, which it calls a grave and terrible sin.  But what was seen by many as a curse is in fact a blessing invoked unwittingly, for the Lord's blood is the source of their redemption.  Moreover, these words are implicitly spoken by anyone who sins.  It quotes from St. John Chrysostom, who says that although these Jews "acted with such madness, so far from confirming a sentence on them or their children, Christ instead received those who repented and counted them worthy of good things beyond number."  My study Bible adds that St. Chrysostom furthermore notes the thousands who were converted in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41) as evidence of Christ's mercy.  

 

 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.  And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.  When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand.  And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"  Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.  And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.  My study Bible notes here that every king is proclaimed by his soldiers.  although the intention here was mockery, it is prophetic that Jesus should be crowned and hailed as King by soldiers of the governor.  (My study Bible also directs us to John 11:49-51, where Caiaphas unwittingly prophesies of Christ's redemptive work.)  The mockery by these soldiers shows that Jesus is the One despised and rejected by people, who bears the iniquity of us all (see Isaiah 53:3-9).  Additionally, my study Bible points out that Jesus is clothed in scarlet, which represents both His royalty and also the sins of humanity which He has taken upon Himself.  

 

As Jesus is led away to be crucified, He goes as one mocked and humiliated.  But even in this, as my study Bible has pointed out, there is truth and meaning -- even if given inadvertently by those who understand nothing but the material world they see in front of them, and cannot understand what they are doing.   The inadvertent truth is powerfully important, because it gives us a metaphor for what is happening here.  Although by all appearances, the devil and evil have won this day, and these forces against Him and their conspirators will put Him to the Cross, and even to human death, defeat is not at hand.  The Cross is rather a victory.  And this is the paradox of Christianity and of Christ.  St. Paul famously writes, "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;  but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,  but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:20-25).  In the wisdom of traditional understanding, whatever the divinity of Christ touches is healed and redeemed, and so it is and will be, even with this Cross upon which He will be put to death.  For the Cross becomes a victory against death, against opposition to God, a victory for all those who seek to follow Him -- for He, through His union of divinity and humanity, through His Incarnation and all of the experiences He endures, redeems all, transfigures all.  He is the ultimate life-giver and Physician in Himself.  As such, He also transfigures our experiences when we walk with Him, follow Him, listen to Him, obey His commands, and worship and pray.  These glimmers of truth show through even the derision of others, for He is indeed a King as my study Bible points out, He will take on the sins of the world, and through His blood redeem, cleanse, purify all those who come to Him in repentance.  Indeed, the first to be saved will be a thief next to Him on the Cross (Luke 23:42-43).  The next who comes to faith will be one of these soldiers of the garrison who mock Him today (Matthew 27:54).  For it is truly as St. Paul said, that "the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."  Let us all cling to our faith through all that we see and experience, and remember that with God all things are possible.  For He is truly our redemption and our hope, even as He goes to the Cross and endures the shame and contempt that is set before Him.

 

 

 

 

 

What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?

 

 Now Jesus stood before the governor.  And the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus said to him, "It is as you way."  And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.  Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?"  But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly. 

 

Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished.   And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.  Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you?  Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"  For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.  

 

While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him."  But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.  The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"  They said, "Barabbas!"  Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"  They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!"  

 

- Matthew 27:11-23 

 

Yesterday we read that, when morning came, following Christ's trial by night, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.  And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.  Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."  And they said, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.  But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood."  And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.  Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the LORD directed me."

 

  Now Jesus stood before the governor.  And the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus said to him, "It is as you way."  And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.  Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?"  But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.  My study Bible remarks that the chief priests hide their real charge against Jesus -- the claim of equality with God -- because this would not be persuasive to the governor, Pontius Pilate, to sentence Jesus to death.  So instead they present a charge of treason:  they claim that Jesus called Himself the King of the Jews.  such a crime would carry the death penalty, as it was a challenge to Roman rule.  

 

 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished.   And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.  Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you?  Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"  For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.  My study Bible comments that Jesus is the true Son of the Father, and yet the name Barabbas means "son of the father."  Ironically, the crowds must choose between one Son of the Father and the other.  By influencing the crowds to choose Barabbas (see verse 20), the chief priests will indicate to which father they belong -- the devil, as Jesus has indicated (John 8:44).

 

 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him."  But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.  The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"  They said, "Barabbas!"  Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"  They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!"  My study Bible comments that three times Pilate attempts to release Jesus but the religious leaders incite the people to demand that Jesus be put to death (this is made more explicit in St. Luke's Gospel, see Luke 23:13-25).  In the end, my study Bible says, they incite the crowd to release a rebel like themselves.  (Again, see John 8:44.)  

 

My study Bible explicitly notes for us the choices at stake here, and the ways the religious leaders, in seeking the death of Christ in any way they can, repeatedly choose for the cosmic rebel, the devil who rebelled against God.  It repeatedly cites John 8:44, in which Jesus stated this in particular about those leaders.   The Gospels present these choices to us in stark contrast, and reminding us of the spiritual battle that is continuing within our world and integrated into our choices.  It is something that is most frequently hidden from us, many people dismissing it out of hand as significant -- or even real -- and most, one imagines, not considering it at all.  But again, we're reminded that the Gospels don't tell that story at all.  The reality of spiritual life is not presented as separate from our worldly lives, but in actuality a part and parcel of it, seen or unseen as it most often is.  So we are invited to consider whether or not the people in the crowds understand this, understand what they are doing and choosing. Do they understand the significance of their persuasion and following of the religious leaders to kill Jesus, to put Him to death on the Cross?  He is clearly already famous by this time, well-known as a Teacher.  Even Pilate's wife, who is neither Jewish nor a follower of Christ, has a sense that this Man is innocent, that it is unwise to rule against Him.  In the telling of her dream, we also get a sense of the truth of the spiritual reality that exists concurrently with us in what we perceive as a material world.  This story, told so explicitly this way, invites us to consider what may be happening in our own lives at any given time, the choices we are asked to make.  Noticeably, the people inciting the crowd to call for the crucifixion of Jesus are supposed to be religious leaders, leading the people in the appropriate worship of their God.  So, on the surface, appearances defy the truth and present the world with a lie.  We don't know what the perspective of everyone in the crowd was, but, as my study Bible has remarked in another note, "the crowd follows the crowd."  This is another aspect of our own spiritual battles, where there are times when we will have to take issue with the crowd and turn to our prayers and worship for guidance.  Perhaps, indeed, there is nothing more misleading then "the crowd" at significant times in life, and in observable history.  For, as in today's scene described in the Gospel, crowds are easily manipulated, perhaps especially to zealous persecutions.  We live in an age when this can happen more easily in the past through the use of modern media of all kinds.  This tells us that our vigilance is all the more important, our steadfastness in watchfulness and prayer (Matthew 26:41).  At this time in the story of Christ, the disciples are scattered and in hiding.  Let us remember His commands, even at times of great temptation and fear.