Gospel Lectio Divina for The Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion - April 2, 2023
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
Jesus stood before the governor, Pontius Pilate, who questioned him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You say so." And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he made no answer. Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?" But he did not answer him one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them, "Which one do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus called Christ?" For he knew that it was out of envy that they had handed him over. While he was still seated on the bench, his wife sent him a message, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man. I suffered much in a dream today because of him." The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus. The governor said to them in reply, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They answered, "Barabbas!" Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified!" But he said, "Why? What evil has he done?" They only shouted the louder, "Let him be crucified!" When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood. Look to it yourselves." And the whole people said in reply, "His blood be upon us and upon our children." Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about him. Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They spat upon him and took the reed and kept striking him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him.
As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry his cross.
And when they came to a place called Golgotha— which means Place of the Skull —, they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink. After they had crucified him, they divided his garments by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And they placed over his head the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left. Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, if you are the Son of God, and come down from the cross!" Likewise, the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. So he is the king of Israel! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" The revolutionaries who were crucified with him also kept abusing him in the same way.
From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some of the bystanders who heard it said, "This one is calling for Elijah." Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. But the rest said, 'Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him." But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, "Truly, this was the Son of God!"
MEDITATE
He made no answer.
Silence is often the key to finding the truth. Jesus is silent before Pontius Pilate because he doesn’t have to say anything. The truth speaks for itself. Jesus did everything right, and if he was being condemned for his actions, nothing he could say would be stronger than his actions. He could have persuaded Pilate to let him go. He could have escaped crucifixion, but he chose not to because he was brought into this world to be the Lamb of God and sacrifice himself for our sins. This silence of the Lamb portrays his humility and his omnipotence. Even though he had the power to prevent his own death, he chose not to employ that power. But ultimately, his sacrifice will end up fulfilling God’s will.
"Have nothing to do with that righteous man. I suffered much in a dream today because of him."
This curious part of this story has great significance but can take us by surprise. When Pilate’s wife warns Pilate of Jesus’ righteousness, she doesn’t just say he is a righteous man. She says she suffered in a dream because of him, and thereby implies that condemning Jesus will have consequences. We can’t be sure exactly what those consequences were, or whether they were temporal or eternal, but it’s clear that Pilate did receive a portent and had many chances to make the right decision, including after his wife’s warning.
When we are presented with an opportunity to sin, heaven works hard to give us many ways out. I have experienced this. It’s especially hard to sin, I have found, when I ask God and the saints and angels to guard me from sin. They do what I ask. Pilate, one could presume, was not an entirely unrighteous man. He had some level of discernment. He even had his own particular kind of wisdom, choosing the path that he thought would lead to the least bloodshed. Appealing to his wisdom, heaven sent a dream to his wife hoping that he would heed it. But he did not heed the portent, and he did not consider strongly enough the price of condemning an innocent man, the most innocent man ever to live.
"Let him be crucified!"
Whenever I read the story of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, I have to remind myself that I am no better than those who condemned him to death. I may think it is appalling that these people did such a thing, but I am those people. I am in that crowd. I condemn him to death every time I sin. If I did not sin, he wouldn’t have had to die for my sins.
But how could I jump to such extremes? Sure, I am just as guilty as anyone else, but I am tempted to believe that I would never go so far as to condemn a man as innocent and righteous as Jesus to death on a cross. What would lead me to such harsh judgment? What would lead the crowd to such harsh judgment?
Oscar Wilde once light-heartedly said, “If you tell the truth, make people laugh. Otherwise, they’ll kill you.” In Jesus’ case, that wasn’t far from the truth at all. In the book How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie advises us to never tell people when they’re wrong, because ultimately there’s no point to it. You’ll only hurt their pride and hurt your chances to win their favor. Therefore, pointing out where people are wrong would contradict the very objective of the book.
But the Gospel message is quite the opposite. Jesus begins his ministry by saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He starts his public proclamations with a rebuke. He begins by telling everyone that they’re wrong and need to ask God for forgiveness. He went against the very fabric of social mores by calling people out of their sins before even bothering to build up any rapport. He was criticized for this from the very beginning. Of course, it was easy for him to build an influential reputation quickly, since he could perform miracles and speak with great wisdom and authority. But this was not the common way of gaining people’s favor, and I could imagine it really struck hard at people’s pride. They had to work hard their whole life to gain influence and get people to listen to them. Jesus just steps on the scene and gains countless followers in less than three years. That is why Jesus chose humble people to be his followers. He chose the twelve apostles because their initial humility was just the right quality to help them see past Jesus’ supernatural gifts and not be jealous of him. And yet, even they would become prideful and jealous at times when they followed him.
I must be careful not to immediately count myself among the humble apostles. It is very likely that I may have been jealous of Jesus–not to mention, suspicious. There are many different kinds of supernatural powers in this world, and not all of them come from God. What is more, Jesus claimed to be the Messiah. This came across as a great mockery to many of the top religious and traditionalist Jews of the time. And if Jesus did not live up to that claim the very way they expected him to do so, one could only imagine how outraged they may have been. There are many reasons for why I may have been angry at Jesus, angry enough to crucify him. I need to check my conscience really hard and see if any of the flaws that led the mob to crucify Jesus are in my heart as well.
"Why? What evil has he done?"
What a magnificent question. It’s strange to thank Pilate, because he ultimately is the one who decided to crucify Jesus. But his question should ring loudly throughout the ages, and we should thank him if only for the chance to meditate on his words that he provides here. Jesus did no evil. Maybe that doesn’t sound too important to some of us. But we have all done some evil. Pilate may not have known that Jesus did no evil ever in his entire life, but it’s as if Pilate still inadvertently let the Holy Spirit speak through him and to ask the mob to reflect on the truth that Jesus truly has done no evil.
Also, this scene shows how mob rule can lead to harsh, crass judgment. In attempt to find the truth from the masses, we can easily receive the complete opposite. Ancient philosophers understood this and as a result often warned about the dangers of democracy. Pilate was trying to be the voice of reason speaking over the crowd. But he feared them too much, and let his fear prevail over his desire for the truth to prevail.
Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head
He taught the people the wisdom of God the Father. He performed miracles and led people to the truth. Even though his society and his own people mocked him and did not believe in him, he persevered in his mission. He kept his eye on his goal to save souls. He led countless souls to the truth. He lived to die for us. The crown of thorns placed on his head may have been meant as an insult, but to me it is the most wonderful and beautiful crown ever worn. This man, Jesus, may have been seen as a criminal for standing up for the truth, goodness, and holiness until the very end. But to me, he is the greatest hero who ever lived because he endured every kind of suffering–pain, ridicule, rejection, betrayal, even death–all in order to rid the world of the greatest evil, the source of all evil, our sins. For this, I am proud to say he is my king, and to me, that crown of thorns is the most potent mark of authority one could wear.
“Save yourself”
He did not save himself because he did not come to save himself, but us. What a countercultural message this sends. Jesus emptied himself out of love for us. He gave up even his own life so we could live free from sin. So many times, I have heard people tell me that I need to look out for myself, defend myself, and save myself from trouble. It’s tempting. Often I take their advice. At times I even feel some brief liberation after choosing to live only for the matters that concern me, as so many people in my life have told me to do. But that liberation does not last. The liberation that does last is when I choose to live for something greater than myself. Then I no longer have concern for the things that I lose, because I know it all went toward a great cause. “Save yourself” is the anti-gospel. Jesus tells us “if you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it.” He once again leads by example when he does not save himself, but instead loses his life and rises again.
“Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.”
Even now those who don’t believe are still expecting signs and wonders from him. They are not asking him for a sign that will help their faith, but commanding a sign–knowing deep inside that he won’t give him one–so as to increase their doubt.
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
This is a legitimate question to ask in the midst of such suffering. I’m sure we all have asked the same thing at some point in our lives when we were suffering from some pain, sickness, or tragedy. But Jesus’ reasons for saying this is different from what ours might have been. In this moment, the very moment before his death, he became all of our sins. God then turned away from his only begotten son. He had to. And Jesus had to become sin in order to conquer it.
"Truly, this was the Son of God!"
It is so fitting that these words are said at the time of Jesus’ death. It is also fitting that those who didn’t believe needed such great signs and wonders to finally believe. Jesus lived his whole life proving he is the Son of God by performing miracles, healing the sick, casting out demons, preaching flawless truth with sincere authority, and relinquishing any doubt in those who truly wanted to believe. And many did choose to believe. When the earth quaked and the dead rose, was this just one last great finale, once Jesus died? No, because it was not the end. His death was only the beginning. Who knows if the centurions continued to believe long after Jesus’ death and resurrection, but we can at least know that Jesus gave them everything they needed to believe and more. He does the same for all of us. Now it is our turn to go and proclaim this gospel to everyone we meet.
PRAY
Jesus, my King,
You are not only King of the Jews but of all believers, of all the earth, of all the universe. You freed us from sin and death by making the ultimate sacrifice. Now, as I enter Holy Week, I open up my soul to you so you can make it fertile ground for a new springtime in my faith. Renew my life with great faith and hope. I pray to be resurrected this Easter just as you were and enter into a new life lived for you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
Those who listened to Jesus knew who he was. Those who did not listen had no way of believing. We must listen in order to believe. All the answers to all the questions we have could be right in front of us, but if we have not been listening to what God has to teach us we can easily miss them. We can always make up excuses, but the truth is found by absorbing everything God has to say. In this week’s Gospel, he speaks clearly through great signs and wonders after Jesus’ death. But his answers are just as present in our everyday lives if we just listen. The secret to reading the Word of God well is to see it all still happening all around us; at Mass, with every sunrise, with every life in countless different ways. God gives us the springtime every year to remind us that the story of the Resurrection never stops. There is always renewal happening all around us. This is the hopeful message Jesus died and rose to share with us and it is why we celebrate Easter next week.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report. He received his undergrad degree in humanities and Catholic culture from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. In addition to working with the Knights of the Holy Eucharist (knights.org), he has served as a journalist for Princeton Packet Publications, and the Trenton Monitor, the magazine for the Diocese of Trenton. Some of his published work can also be found in St. Anthony Messenger, Catholic Herald (UK), and Catholic World Report. For the latter he is managing editor. Find more of his writing at ramblingspirit.com.
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