20250418 VICARIOUS SACRIFICE OF CHRIST’S DEATH
18 April 2025, Good Friday
First reading |
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 |
The servant of the Lord, an expiatory Sacrifice
See, my servant will prosper,
he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights.
As the crowds were appalled on seeing him
– so disfigured did he look
that he seemed no longer human –
so will the crowds be astonished at him,
and kings stand speechless before him;
for they shall see something never told
and witness something never heard before:
‘Who could believe what we have heard,
and to whom has the power of the Lord been revealed?’
Like a sapling he grew up in front of us,
like a root in arid ground.
Without beauty, without majesty we saw him,
no looks to attract our eyes;
a thing despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering,
a man to make people screen their faces;
he was despised and we took no account of him.
And yet ours were the sufferings he bore,
ours the sorrows he carried.
But we, we thought of him as someone punished,
struck by God, and brought low.
Yet he was pierced through for our faults,
crushed for our sins.
On him lies a punishment that brings us peace,
and through his wounds we are healed.
We had all gone astray like sheep,
each taking his own way,
and the Lord burdened him
with the sins of all of us.
Harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly,
he never opened his mouth,
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter-house,
like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers
never opening its mouth.
By force and by law he was taken;
would anyone plead his cause?
Yes, he was torn away from the land of the living;
for our faults struck down in death.
They gave him a grave with the wicked,
a tomb with the rich,
though he had done no wrong
and there had been no perjury in his mouth.
The Lord has been pleased to crush him with suffering.
If he offers his life in atonement,
he shall see his heirs, he shall have a long life
and through him what the Lord wishes will be done.
His soul’s anguish over
he shall see the light and be content.
By his sufferings shall my servant justify many,
taking their faults on himself.
Hence I will grant whole hordes for his tribute,
he shall divide the spoil with the mighty,
for surrendering himself to death
and letting himself be taken for a sinner,
while he was bearing the faults of many
and praying all the time for sinners.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 30(31):2,6,12-13,15-17,25 |
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
In you, O Lord, I take refuge.
Let me never be put to shame.
In your justice, set me free,
Into your hands I commend my spirit.
It is you who will redeem me, Lord.
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
In the face of all my foes
I am a reproach,
an object of scorn to my neighbours
and of fear to my friends.
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Those who see me in the street
run far away from me.
I am like a dead man, forgotten in men’s hearts,
like a thing thrown away.
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
But as for me, I trust in you, Lord;
I say: ‘You are my God.
My life is in your hands, deliver me
from the hands of those who hate me.
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Let your face shine on your servant.
Save me in your love.’
Be strong, let your heart take courage,
all who hope in the Lord.
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Second reading |
Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9 |
The Lord burdened him with the sins of all of us
Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must never let go of the faith that we have professed. For it is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.
During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation.
VICARIOUS SACRIFICE OF CHRIST’S DEATH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISA 52:13 – 53:12; HEB 4:14-16; 5:7-9; JOHN 18:1 – 19:42]
When you read today’s scripture readings, especially the first reading, what was it that struck you? Isaiah said, “And yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried. But we, we thought of him as someone punished, struck by God, and brought low. Yet he was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins. On him lies a punishment that brings us peace, and through him his wounds we are healed. By force and by law he was taken; would anyone plead from the land of the living; for our faults struck down in death.” Indeed, the scripture readings bring out the vicarious sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. Jesus suffered and died a vicarious death for the salvation of us all. “We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and the Lord burdened him with the sins of all of us. They gave him a grave with the wicked, a tomb with the rich, though he had done no wrong and there had been no perjury in his mouth.”
But the world today does not seem to agree with that. We no longer accept vicarious sacrifices. The sinner must be punished personally. We do not allow any proxies. For example, in a traffic accident or any criminal offence, even if someone were willing to take the place of another, it is an offence. Society demands that the offender be personally penalized and not someone else who is not the offender. This is because society has no confidence that the person would learn from his mistakes unless he is personally punished. Why? Because a vicarious sacrifice in the logical understanding of the world does not teach or change a person. In fact, it can only perpetuate his crimes because he has never learnt his lesson the hard way. A case in point is the story of Charlie Brown who did not do his school homework. He waited anxiously and prayed for the school bell to ring quickly so that the teacher would not ask him questions. Just before the teacher came to him, the bell rang in the nick of time. He felt so relieved but instead of going back home to study, he went to play ball. The next day, the same process happens all over again. We never learn unless we pay the price for our mistakes.
What about mistakes that are not criminal in nature that our loved ones or subordinates make? Can bosses assume responsibility for their mistakes? This is not only possible but even necessary. The fact that at the end of the day, anyone who heads the organization must always answer for it because it is his or her task to instruct, train, or supervise his or her subordinates properly. As it is said, the buck stops at the head of the organization or department. In many places, they are pressured to resign because it is presumed that he or she is not competent enough to ensure that all things are operating well. This does not seem fair because how could the head ensure that everything will always be in tip-top readiness. Most of the time, it is not his fault but that of the subordinates. But he has to take the rap ultimately for any inconveniences he has caused to the public, and the ensuing negative publicity for his organization.
In the understanding of the Church and the scriptures, we believe in vicarious sacrifice, especially when it is made by the head of a community or an organization. Jesus as the representative of the new community, the new People of Israel, offered Himself as an atoning sacrifice for us all. As Isaiah wrote, “The Lord has been pleased to crush him with suffering. If he offers his life in atonement, he shall see his heirs, he shall have a long life and through him what the Lord wishes will be done.” The Lord said, “By his sufferings shall my servant justify many, taking their faults on himself. Hence I will grant whole hordes for his tribute, he shall divide the spoil with the mighty, for surrendering himself to death and letting himself be taken for a sinner, while he was bearing the faults of many and praying all the time for sinners.”
How can a vicarious sacrifice save humanity? Shouldn’t the offender be personally punished so that he could learn from his mistakes and cease repeating it, if not out of conviction that it is wrong, at least out of fear for the punishment that awaits him? Well, it is debatable. When a person is punished for his mistakes, he can become more resentful of the world, for in the first place, he blames society for making him what he is. So instead of repenting, his heart can become even more bitter. And even if he does not repeat his offence again after his release from prison, he will take his revenge upon others by demanding the same proportionate punishment that he had suffered.
In truth, when we look at those who made mistakes and suffered, few are converted and become better persons solely because of the punishments inflicted on them. Rather, it is always the compassion, the love and care of the Prison Wardens, those in the Prison Ministry ministering to them, and the counsellors who offered them a new perspective of life that moves them to change. Indeed, the more effective way of winning a person over completely is through unconditional love and forgiveness. This is precisely the way God deals with us when we sin. God does not take revenge or even exact punishment for our sins but He assumes our sufferings instead.
Christ in His compassion for us, chose to die in our place and not just on our behalf. He was made responsible for the sins of this world. Jesus suffered and died for the guilty, not for the innocent. The letter to the Hebrews says, “For it is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin.” Jesus suffered and died for us. Jesus took our sins and the consequences of our sins upon Himself so that we can be moved to repentance of our sins. He carried our sins in His body to show us that forgiveness is the way to heal ourselves when we are powerless over evil. Jesus shows that forgiveness is greater than revenge, seeking the salvation of others is greater than seeking justice. Jesus shows us that vicarious sacrifice is the way to demonstrate one’s love for His people. Indeed, as Hebrews remarked, “although he was son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey the source of eternal salvation.” Consequently, the author of Hebrews exhorts us, “Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.”
But can a vicarious sacrifice change life and convert sinners and those who have done wrong? Or will it only perpetuate the crime, just as in the case of a paedophile, or a drug addict, or a molester? What about us? Why do we continue to sin? Isn’t it true that we also take the vicarious sacrifice of Jesus for granted, showing that it has no effect on our life? Take for example, the sacrament of reconciliation. We make confessions without any sincerity to change our life. It is just a routine. So we say, “I try not to sin again” because we are not that determined. So it seems a vicarious sacrifice does not transform life!
So what does it take to make a vicarious sacrifice transforming and healing? Only when we see it with our eyes and embrace it in our hearts. This was the case of Peter who repented when Jesus looked into his eyes when he lied the third time. (Lk 22:61f) So, too, the centurion who witnessed his death and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” (Mt 26:54) So, too, for John who witnessed, “one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water.” The truth is that we are moved when someone suffers innocently for us. There is nothing like an unjust suffering. This is why when leaders take the buck for the mistakes that their subordinates make, they gain their confidence even more. Most of us will not forget someone who suffers in our place, such as when someone gives us their kidney when we are suffering from kidney failure, or saves us from bankruptcy. We will be grateful to them because they are compassionate and we know that they are not here to punish or penalize us but to help us to grow and learn so that we can avoid more serious mistakes that can cost sufferings to innocent people. So it is not that vicarious sacrifices cannot change lives. Rather, it is because we remain unmoved as we are detached from the reality of the events. For this reason, the Church invites us during Good Friday, to meditate on the passion of our Lord so that we will be moved by His suffering, love and mercy for us. Indeed, seeing is transforming. Hence, the song asks of us, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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