I.
THE TRIAL OF JESUS
Divisions
among the Jewish authorities concerning Jesus
595
Among the religious authorities of Jerusalem, not only were the Pharisee
Nicodemus and the prominent Joseph of Arimathea both secret disciples of Jesus,
but there was also long-standing dissension about him, so much so that St. John
says of these authorities on the very eve of Christ's Passion, "many...
believed in him", though very imperfectly.378 (Jn 12:42; cf. ⇒ 7:50; ⇒ 9:16-17; ⇒ 10:19-21; ⇒ 19:38-39. ) This is not surprising, if
one recalls that on the day after Pentecost "a great many of the priests
were obedient to the faith" and "some believers. . . belonged to the
party of the Pharisees", to the point that St. James could tell St.Paul,
"How many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed;
and they are all zealous for the Law."379
596
The religious authorities in Jerusalem were not unanimous about what stance to
take towards Jesus.380 (cf. ⇒ Jn 9:16; ⇒ 10:19.) The Pharisees threatened to excommunicate his
followers.381 (Cf ⇒ Jn 9:22. ) To those who feared that "everyone will believe in him, and
the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation", the high priest Caiaphas replied by prophesying: "It is expedient for you that
one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not
perish."382 ( Jn 11:48-50.) The Sanhedrin, having declared Jesus deserving of death as a
blasphemer but having lost the right to put anyone to death, hands him over to
the Romans, accusing him of political revolt, a charge that puts him in the
same category as Barabbas who had been accused of sedition.383 (Cf. ⇒ Mt 26:66; ⇒ Jn 18:31; ⇒ Lk 23:2, ⇒ 19. ) The chief
priests also threatened Pilate politically so that he would condemn Jesus to
death.384
Jews
are not collectively responsible for Jesus' death
597
The historical complexity of Jesus' trial is apparent in the Gospel accounts.
the personal sin of the participants (Judas, the Sanhedrin, Pilate) is known to
God alone. Hence we cannot lay responsibility for the trial on the Jews in
Jerusalem as a whole, despite the outcry of a manipulated crowd and the global
reproaches contained in the apostles' calls to conversion after Pentecost.385 (Cf. ⇒ Mk 15:11; ⇒ Acts 2:23, ⇒ 36; ⇒ 3:13-14; ⇒ 4:10; ⇒ 5:30; ⇒ 7:52; ⇒ 10:39; ⇒ 13:27-28; ⇒ I Th 2:14-15. ) Jesus himself, in forgiving them on the cross, and Peter in following suit,
both accept "the ignorance" of the Jews of Jerusalem and even of
their leaders.386 (Cf. ⇒ Lk 23:34; ⇒ Acts 3:17. ) Still less can we extend responsibility to other Jews of
different times and places, based merely on the crowd's cry: "His blood be
on us and on our children!", a formula for ratifying a judicial sentence.387 (Mt 27:25; cf. ⇒ Acts 5:28; ⇒ 18:6. ) As the Church declared at the Second Vatican Council: . . .
Neither
all Jews indiscriminately at that time, nor Jews today, can be charged with the
crimes committed during his Passion. . . the Jews should not be spoken of as
rejected or accursed as if this followed from holy Scripture.388
All
sinners were the authors of Christ's Passion
598
In her Magisterial teaching of the faith and in the witness of her saints, The church has never forgotten that "sinners were the authors and the
ministers of all the sufferings that the divine Redeemer endured."389 (Roman Catechism I, 5, 11; cf. ⇒ Heb 12:3. ) Taking into account the fact that our sins affect Christ himself,390 ( Cf. ⇒ Mt 25:45; ⇒ Acts 9:4-5.) The Church
does not hesitate to impute to Christians the gravest responsibility for the
torments inflicted upon Jesus, a responsibility with which they have all too
often burdened the Jews alone:
We
must regard as guilty all those who continue to relapse into their sins. Since
our sins made the Lord Christ suffer the torment of the cross, those who plunge
themselves into disorders and crimes crucify the Son of God anew in their
hearts (for he is in them) and hold him up to contempt. and it can be seen that
our crime in this case is greater in us than in the Jews. As for them,
according to the witness of the Apostle, "None of the rulers of this age
understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory." We, however, profess to know him. and when we deny him by our
deeds, we in some way seem to lay violent hands on him.391
Nor
did demons crucify him; it is you who have crucified him and crucify him still,
when you delight in your vices and sins.392
II.
CHRIST'S REDEMPTIVE DEATH IN GOD'S PLAN OF SALVATION
"Jesus
handed over according to the definite plan of God"
599
Jesus' violent death was not the result of chance in an unfortunate coincidence
of circumstances, but is part of the mystery of God's plan, as St. Peter
explains to the Jews of Jerusalem in his first sermon on Pentecost: "This
Jesus (was) delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of
God." 393 (Acts 2:23. ) This Biblical language does not mean that those who handed him
over were merely passive players in a scenario written in advance by God.394 (Cf. ⇒ Acts 3:13. )
600
To God, all moments of time are present in their immediacy. When therefore he
establishes his eternal plan of "predestination", he includes in it
each person's free response to his grace: "In this city, in fact, both
Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered
together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever
your hand and your plan had predestined to take place."395 (Acts 4:27-28; cf. ⇒ Ps 2:1-2. ) For the sake of
accomplishing his plan of salvation, God permitted the acts that flowed from
their blindness.396
"He
died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures"
601
The Scriptures had foretold this divine plan of salvation through the putting
to death of "the righteous one, my Servant" as a mystery of universal
redemption, that is, as the ransom that would free men from the slavery of
sin.397 (Is 53:11; cf. ⇒ 53:12; ⇒ Jn 8 34-36; ⇒ Acts 3:14. ) Citing a confession of faith that he himself had "received",
St. Paul professes that "Christ died for our sins in accordance with the
scriptures."398 (1 Cor 15:3; cf. also ⇒ Acts 3:18; ⇒ 7:52; ⇒ 13:29; ⇒ 26:22-23. ) In particular, Jesus' redemptive death fulfills Isaiah's
prophecy of the suffering Servant.399 (Cf. ⇒ Is 53:7-8 and ⇒ Acts 8:32-35. ) Indeed Jesus himself explained the
meaning of his life and death in the light of God's suffering Servant.400 (Cf. ⇒ Mt 20:28. ) After
his Resurrection, he gave this interpretation of the Scriptures to the disciples
at Emmaus, and then to the apostles.401 (Cf. ⇒ Lk 24:25-27, ⇒ 44-45. )
"For
our sake God made him to be sin"
602
Consequently, St. Peter can formulate the apostolic faith in the divine plan of
salvation in this way: "You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited
from your fathers... with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb
without blemish or spot. He was destined before the foundation of the world but
was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake."402 ( I Pt 1:18-20.) Man's sins,
following on original sin, are punishable by death.403 (Cf. ⇒ Rom 5:12; ⇒ I Cor 15:56. ) By sending his own Son
in the form of a slave, in the form of fallen humanity, on account of sin,
God "made him be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become
the righteousness of God."404
603
Jesus did not experience reprobation as if he himself had sinned.405 (Cf. ⇒ Jn 8:46. ) But in the
redeeming love that always united him to the Father, he assumed us in the state
of our waywardness of sin, to the point that he could say in our name from the
cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"406 (Mk 15:34; ⇒ Ps 22:2; cf. ⇒ Jn 8:29. ) Having thus
established him in solidarity with us sinners, God "did not spare his own
Son but gave him up for us all", so that we might be "reconciled to
God by the death of his Son".407
God
takes the initiative of universal redeeming love
604
By giving up his own Son for our sins, God manifests that his plan for us is
one of benevolent love, prior to any merit on our part: "In this is love,
not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation
for our sins."408 (I John 4:10; ⇒ 4:19. ) God "shows his love for us in that while we were
yet sinners Christ died for us."409
605
At the end of the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus recalled that God's love
excludes no one: "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven
that one of these little ones should perish."410 (Mt 18:14. ) He affirms that he came
"to give his life as a ransom for many"; this last term is not
restrictive, but contrasts the whole of humanity with the unique person of the
redeemer who hands himself over to save us.411 (Mt 20:28; cf. ⇒ Rom 5:18-19. ) The Church, following the
apostles, teaches that Christ died for all men without exception: "There
is not, never has been, and never will be a single human being for whom Christ
did not suffer."412
III.
CHRIST OFFERED HIMSELF TO HIS FATHER FOR OUR SINS
Christ's
whole life is an offering to the Father
606
The Son of God, who came down "from heaven, not to do (his) own will, but
the will of him who sent (him)",413 (Jn 6:38. ) said on coming into the world,
"Lo, I have come to do your will, O God." "and by that will we
have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for
all."414 (Heb 10:5-10. ) From the first moment of His Incarnation, the Son embraces the
Father's plan of divine salvation in his redemptive mission: "My food is
to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work."415 (Jn 4:34. ) The
sacrifice of Jesus "for the sins of the whole world" 416 (1 ⇒ Jn 2:2[ETML:C/]. ) expresses his
loving communion with the Father. "The Father loves me because I lay down
my life", said the Lord, "(for) I do as the Father has commanded me,
so that the world may know that I love the Father."417 (Jn 10:17; ⇒ 14:31. )
607
The desire to embrace his Father's plan of redeeming love inspired Jesus' whole
life,418 (Cf ⇒ Lk 12:50; ⇒ 22:15; ⇒ Mt 16:21-23. ) for his redemptive passion was the very reason for his Incarnation.
and so he asked, "And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'?
No, for this purpose I have come to this hour."419 (Jn 12:27. ) and again, "Shall
I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?"420 (Jn 18:11. ) From the cross,
just before "It is finished", he said, "I thirst."421 (Jn 19:30; ⇒ 19:28. )
"The
Lamb who takes away the sin of the world"
608
After agreeing to baptize him along with the sinners, John the Baptist looked
at Jesus and pointed him out as the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin
of the world".422 (Jn 1:29; cf. ⇒ Lk 3:21; ⇒ Mt 3:14-15; ⇒ Jn 1:36. ) By doing so, he reveals that Jesus is at the same time
the suffering Servant who silently allows himself to be led to the slaughter
and who bears the sin of the multitudes, and also the Paschal Lamb, the symbol
of Israel's redemption at the first Passover.423 (Is 53:7, ⇒ 12; cf. Jer 11:19; ⇒ Ex 12:3-14; ⇒ Jn 19:36; ⇒ 1 Cor 5:7. ) Christ's whole life expresses
his mission: "to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many."424
Jesus
freely embraced the Father's redeeming love
609
By embracing in his human heart the Father's love for men, Jesus "loved
them to the end", for "greater love has no man than this, that a man
lay down his life for his friends."425 (Jn 13:1; ⇒ 15:13. ) In suffering and death, his humanity
became the free and perfect instrument of his divine love which desires the
salvation of men.426 (Cf. ⇒ Heb 2:10, ⇒ 17-18; ⇒ 4:15; ⇒ 5:7-9. ) Indeed, out of love for his Father and for men, whom the
Father wants to save, Jesus freely accepted his Passion and death: "No one
takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord."427 (Jn 10:18. ) Hence the
sovereign freedom of God's Son as he went out to his death.428 (Cf. ⇒ Jn 18:4-6; ⇒ Mt 26:53. )
At
the Last Supper Jesus anticipated the free offering of his life
610
Jesus gave the supreme expression of his free offering of himself at the meal
shared with the twelve Apostles "on the night he was betrayed".429 (Roman Missal, EP III; cf. ⇒ Mt 26:20; ⇒ I Cor 11:23. ) On
the eve of his Passion, while still free, Jesus transformed this Last Supper
with the apostles into the memorial of his voluntary offering to the Father for
the salvation of men: "This is my body which is given for you."
"This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins."430 (Lk 22:19; ⇒ Mt 26:28; cf. ⇒ I5.7Cor 5:7. )
611
The Eucharist that Christ institutes at that moment will be the memorial of his
sacrifice.431 (1 Cor 11:25. )Jesus includes the apostles in his own offering and bids them
perpetuate it.432 (Lk 22:19. ) By doing so, the Lord institutes his apostles as priests of
the New Covenant: "For their sakes, I sanctify myself, so that they also
may be sanctified in truth."433 (Jn 17:19; cf. Council of Trent: DS 1752; 1764. )
The
agony at Gethsemani
612
The cup of the New Covenant, which Jesus anticipated when he offered himself at
the Last Supper, is afterward accepted by him from his Father's hands in his
agony in the garden at Gethsemani,434 (Cf. ⇒ Mt 26:42; ⇒ Lk 22:20. ) making himself "obedient unto
death". Jesus prays: "My Father if it is possible, let this cup pass
from me. . ."435 (Phil 2:8; ⇒ Mt 26:39; cf. ⇒ Heb 5:7-8. ) Thus he expresses the horror that death represented for
his human nature. Like ours, his human nature is destined for eternal life; but
unlike ours, it is perfectly exempt from sin, the cause of death.436 (Rom 5:12; ⇒ Heb 4:15. ) Above all,
his human nature has been assumed by the divine person of the "Author of
life", the "Living One".437 (Acts 3:15; ⇒ Rev 1:17; ⇒ Jn 1:4; ⇒ 5:26. ) By accepting in his human will that
the Father's will be done, he accepts his death as redemptive, for "He
himself bore our sins in his body on the tree."438 (2 Pt 224; cf. ⇒ Mt 26:42. )
Christ's
death is a unique and definitive sacrifice
613
Christ's death is both the Paschal sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive
redemption of men, through "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world",439 (Jn 1:29; cf. ⇒ 8:34-36; ⇒ 1 Cor 5:7; ⇒ 2 Pt 1:19. ) and the sacrifice of the New Covenant, which restores man to
communion with God by reconciling him to God through the "blood of the
covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins".440
614
This sacrifice of Christ is unique; it completes and surpasses all other
sacrifices.441 (Heb 10:10. ) First, it is a gift from God the Father himself, for the Father
handed his Son over to sinners in order to reconcile us with himself. At the
same time, it is the offering of the Son of God made man, who in freedom and
love offered his life to his Father through the Holy Spirit in reparation for
our disobedience.442
Jesus
substitutes his obedience for our disobedience
615
"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's
obedience many will be made righteous."443 (Rom 5:19.) By his obedience unto death,
Jesus accomplished the substitution of the suffering Servant, who "makes
himself an offering for sin", when "he bore the sin of many",
and who "shall make many to be accounted righteous", for "he
shall bear their iniquities".444 (Is 53:10-12.) Jesus atoned for our faults and made
satisfaction for our sins to the Father.445
Jesus
consummates his sacrifice on the cross
616
It is love "to the end"446 (Jn 13:1. ) that confers on Christ's sacrifice its
value as redemption and reparation, as atonement and satisfaction. He knew and
loved us all when he offered his life.447 (Gal 2:20; Eph 5:2, 25. ) Now "the love of Christ controls
us because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have
died."448 (2 Cor 5:14. ) No man, not even the holiest, was ever able to take on himself
the sins of all men and offer himself as a sacrifice for all. the existence in
Christ of the divine person of the Son, who at once surpasses and embraces all
human persons, and constitutes himself as the Head of all mankind, makes
possible his redemptive sacrifice for all.
617
The Council of Trent emphasizes the unique character of Christ's sacrifice as
"the source of eternal salvation"449 (Heb 5:9. ) and teaches that "his most
holy Passion on the wood of the cross merited justification for us."450 (Council of Trent: DS 1529. ) and the Church venerates his cross as she sings: "Hail, O Cross, our only
hope."451 (LH, Lent, Holy Week, Evening Prayer, Hymn Vexilla Regis. )
Our
participation in Christ's sacrifice
618
The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the "one mediator between God
and men".452 (1 Tim 2:5. ) But because in his incarnate divine person he has in some way
united himself to every man, "the possibility of being made partners, in a
way known to God, in the paschal mystery" is offered to all men.453 (GS 22 # 5; cf. # 2. ) He
calls his disciples to "take up [their] cross and follow (him)",454 (Mt 16:24. ) for "Christ also suffered for (us), leaving (us) an example so that (we)
should follow in his steps."455 (I Pt 2:21. ) In fact, Jesus desires to associate with
his redeeming sacrifice those who were to be its first beneficiaries.456 ( Mk 10:39; ⇒ Jn 21:18-19; Col 1:24.) This
is achieved supremely in the case of his mother, who was associated more
intimately than any other person in the mystery of his redemptive suffering.457 (Lk 2:35.) Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.458 (St. Rose of Lima: cf. P. Hansen, Vita mirabilis (Louvain, 1668).)
IN
BRIEF
619
"Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures" (⇒ I Cor 15:3).
620
Our salvation flows from God's initiative of love for us, because "he
loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins" (⇒ I Jn 4:10). "God
was in Christ reconciling the world to himself" (⇒ 2 Cor 5:19).
621
Jesus freely offered himself for our salvation. Beforehand, during the Last
Supper, he both symbolized this offering and made it really present: "This
is my body which is given for you" (⇒
Lk 22:19).
622
The redemption won by Christ consists in this, that he came "to give his
life as a ransom for many" (⇒
Mt 20:28), that is, he "loved [his own] to the end" (⇒ Jn 13:1), so that they
might be "ransomed from the futile ways inherited from [their]
fathers" (⇒
I Pt 1:18).
623
By his loving obedience to the Father, "unto death, even death on a
cross" (⇒
Phil 2:8), Jesus fulfills the atoning mission (cf ⇒ Is 53:10) of the suffering Servant, who
will "make many righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities" (⇒ Is 53:11; cf. ⇒ Rom 5:19).
GO TO:
ARTICLE 4
PARAGRAPH 1: JESUS AND ISRAEL
PARAGRAPH 2: JESUS DIED CRUCIFIED
PARAGRAPH 3: JESUS CHRIST WAS BURIED
Copyright © 2020 by Ekklesia Katholos (9:31)
ARTICLE 4
PARAGRAPH 1: JESUS AND ISRAEL
PARAGRAPH 2: JESUS DIED CRUCIFIED
PARAGRAPH 3: JESUS CHRIST WAS BURIED
CHAPTER TWO
Copyright © 2020 by Ekklesia Katholos (9:31)
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