Jesus' Way of The Cross
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion - Year A
Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66
By giving his cheeks and his back to the priests and the soldiers, Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah (Is. 50:6; Matt. 26:67; 27:30,67). Adam wanted to be like God (Gen. 3:5), Jesus takes the form of a suffering servant (Phil. 2:6-8). In this way, what Adam lost by his disobedience Jesus recovers through obedience (Rom. 5:19).
The Passion of the Lord begins with the Passover meal. Instead of consuming the Paschal Lamb, the disciples eat the body and blood of the Lamb of God (Mt 26: 26,27,28). Then, from the Upper Room, we move to Gethsemane. Jesus is about to face God's last enemy (1 Cor. 15:26) and he experiences an inner struggle. Influenced by strong emotions of "grieve and distress" (Matt. 26:37), his human will want to avoid "the cup" of suffering, but his divine will submit to the Father (Matt. 26:39-45).
After surrendering to God's will, Jesus was delivered into the hands of the people (Matt. 26:45-50). His behavior is the best commentary on the Sermon on the Mount. "Do not resist evil" (Matt 5:39). He does not call for the help of the angelic legions (Matt 26:53). "But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matt. 5:39). Priests and soldiers spit on him, slap him, and they struck him on the head (Matt. 26:67; 27:30). And when he is crucified, Jesus is like a city on a hill and a lamp on a stand, giving light to all people of the earth (Matt. 5:14-15).
The Sanhedrin accused Jesus of blasphemy and Pilate of claiming to be the King of the Jews. The charge of blasphemy was based on Daniel's famous prophecy, which speaks of someone like the Son of Man, who receives an everlasting dominion from God (Daniel 7: 13-14; Matt. 26:63-64). On the other hand, the inscription on the cross indicated a political crime: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews" (Matt. 27:37). And yet, both accusations are true. Jesus is the Son of Man who establishes an everlasting kingdom of justice, love, and peace. Jesus is also the king but his kingdom is not from this world (John 18:36).
"[He] was numbered with the transgressors" (Is. 53:12). Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father, is placed next to another 'Jesus'. In some manuscripts, the full name of Barabbas is Jesus Barabbas, where Barabbas is not a surname, but a nickname that means 'son of a father' (Matt. 27:17). One heals, forgives, and raises the dead; the other one fights and kills. Yet, Jesus Barabbas goes free and Jesus Christ takes his place. Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled again: "he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors" (Is. 53:12).
In the desert, Satan said, "If you are God's Son" (Matt. 4: 3,6), show me. Now Jesus is told again that as the Son of God, he should come down from the cross so that people would believe him (Matt. 27:42). Jesus rejects this last temptation and does not come down from the cross. Instead, he prays with the words of Psalm 22: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Ps. 22: 2). The Word that became flesh prays with the word of God written on the pages of the Bible.
At the moment of Jesus' death the earth is shaken (Matt. 27:51), the tombs are opened, the saints are raised (Matt. 27:52-53), and a Roman centurion professes his faith, "Truly this was the Son of God!" (Matt. 27:54). The Crucified Christ begins the process of drawing people to himself (John 12:32).
Jesus died and was buried on Golgotha, "the Place of a Skull" (Matt. 27:33; John 19:41-42). According to an ancient Jewish tradition, the place got its name from a belief that the body of the first man was buried there. There is a profound meaning in Paul's statement: "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor 15:22).