The following excerpt comes from today?s reading in 40 Days to the Cross: Reflections from Great Thinkers (currently on sale during Lent).
Confession: Psalm 103:8?14
Yahweh is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger and abundant in loyal love.
He does not dispute continually,
nor keep his anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor repaid us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so his loyal love prevails over those who fear him.
As far as east is from west,
so he has removed far from us the guilt of our transgressions.
As a father pities his children,
so Yahweh pities those who fear him.
For he knows our frame.
He remembers that we are dust.
Reading: Mark 14:53?65
And they led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. And Peter followed him from a distance, right inside, into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the officers and warming himself by the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death, and they did not find it. For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony was not consistent. And some stood up and began to give false testimony against him, saying, ?We heard him saying, ?I will destroy this temple made by hands, and within three days I will build another not made by hands.??? And their testimony was not even consistent about this. And the high priest stood up in the midst of them and asked Jesus, saying, ?Do you not reply anything? What are these people testifying against you?? But he was silent and did not reply anything. Again the high priest asked him and said to him, ?Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?? And Jesus said, ?I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.? And the high priest tore his clothes and said, ?What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?? And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him with their fists, and to say to him ?Prophesy!? And the officers received him with slaps in the face.
Reflection
Admire the self-command of the disciples, who relate these things with exactness. Here, we clearly see their disposition as they truthfully relate the things that seem to be scornful. Disguising nothing, nor being ashamed, they rather account it a great glory (as indeed it was) that the Lord of the universe should endure to suffer such things for us. This shows both His unutterable tenderness and the inexcusable wickedness of those men.? For neither did Christ fail in gentleness, nor they of insolence and cruelty in what they did and said. These things the prophet Isaiah foretold, proclaiming beforehand and by one word intimating all this insolence. For ?like as many were astonished at you,? he said, ?so shall your form be held inglorious of men, and your glory of the sons of men? (Isa 52:14 [paraphrase]).
? Indeed, they inflicted the blows that are most insulting of all?buffeting, smiting with the palms of their hands, and adding to these blows the insult of spitting at Him. And with words teeming again with much derision they spoke, saying, ?Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that stuck you?? (Matt 26:68 NRSV) because the multitude called Him a prophet.
But another disciple said that they covered His face with His own garment, and did these things, as though they had in the midst of them some vile and worthless fellow.?
These things let us read continually; these things let us hear again; these things let us write in our minds, for these are our honors. In these things do I take a pride, not only in the thousands of dead He raised, but also in the sufferings which He endured. These things Paul puts forward in every way?the cross, the death, the sufferings, the revilings, the insults, the scoffs. And now he says, ?Let us then go ? bear the abuse he endured? (Heb 13:13 NRSV); and now, ?who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame? (Heb 12:2 NRSV).
?John Chrysostom
Homilies of St. John Chrysostom
Response
What does it mean to you that Christ suffered scorn and reproach for your sake? Jesus was brought outside of Jerusalem to die?like a criminal. Paul says ?we must go outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured? (Heb 13:13). What does it mean to you?that no matter how much shame you might feel?you must follow Christ? How is this radically present in your life?
