WHO IS THIS?

20170409 WHO IS THIS?

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Red.

This gospel is read at the procession with palms before Mass:

Gospel	Matthew 21:1-11 ©
Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!

When they drew near to Jerusalem

and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives,

Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them,

‘Go into the village facing you,

and immediately you will find an ass tied,

and a colt with her: untie them and bring them to me.

If anyone says anything to you, you shall say,

“The Lord has need of them,”

and he will send them immediately.’

This took place to fulfil

what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

‘Tell the daughter of Sion,

Behold, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on an ass,

and on a colt, the foal of an ass.’

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them;

they brought the ass and the colt,

and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon.

Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road,

and others cut branches from the trees

and spread them on the road.

And the crowds that went before him

and that followed him shouted,

‘Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest!’

And when he entered Jerusalem,

all the city was stirred, saying, ‘Who is this?’

And the crowds said,

‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.’

The following are the readings at the Mass itself:

First reading

Isaiah 50:4-7 ©

The Lord has given me

a disciple’s tongue.

So that I may know how to reply to the wearied

he provides me with speech.

Each morning he wakes me to hear,

to listen like a disciple.

The Lord has opened my ear.

For my part, I made no resistance,

neither did I turn away.

I offered my back to those who struck me,

my cheeks to those who tore at my beard;

I did not cover my face

against insult and spittle.

The Lord comes to my help,

so that I am untouched by the insults.

So, too, I set my face like flint;

I know I shall not be shamed.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 21(22):8-9,17-20,23-24 ©

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

All who see me deride me.

  They curl their lips, they toss their heads.

‘He trusted in the Lord, let him save him;

  let him release him if this is his friend.’

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Many dogs have surrounded me,

  a band of the wicked beset me.

They tear holes in my hands and my feet

  I can count every one of my bones.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

They divide my clothing among them.

  They cast lots for my robe.

O Lord, do not leave me alone,

  my strength, make haste to help me!

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

I will tell of your name to my brethren

  and praise you where they are assembled.

‘You who fear the Lord give him praise;

  all sons of Jacob, give him glory.

  Revere him, Israel’s sons.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Second reading

Philippians 2:6-11 ©

His state was divine,

yet Christ Jesus did not cling

to his equality with God

but emptied himself

to assume the condition of a slave

and became as men are;

and being as all men are,

he was humbler yet,

even to accepting death,

death on a cross.

But God raised him high

and gave him the name

which is above all other names

so that all beings

in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld,

should bend the knee at the name of Jesus

and that every tongue should acclaim

Jesus Christ as Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Gospel Acclamation

Phil2:8-9

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Christ was humbler yet,

even to accepting death, death on a cross.

But God raised him high

and gave him the name which is above all names.

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

EITHER:

Gospel

Matthew 26:14-27:66 ©

The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew

Key: N. Narrator. ✠ Jesus. O. Other single speaker. C. Crowd, or more than one speaker.

  N. One of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said,

  O. What are you prepared to give me if I hand him over to you?

  N. They paid him thirty silver pieces, and from that moment he looked for an opportunity to betray him.

  Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus to say,

  C. Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the passover?

  N. He replied:

  ✠ Go to so-and-so in the city and say to him, ‘The Master says: My time is near. It is at your house that I am keeping Passover with my disciples.’

  N. The disciples did what Jesus told them and prepared the Passover.

  When evening came he was at table with the twelve disciples. And while they were eating he said:

  ✠ I tell you solemnly, one of you is about to betray me.

  N. They were greatly distressed and started asking him in turn,

  C. Not I, Lord, surely?

  N. He answered,

  ✠ Someone who has dipped his hand into the dish with me will betray me. The Son of Man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will, but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!

  N. Judas, who was to betray him, asked in his turn,

  O. Not I, Rabbi, surely?

  N. Jesus answered:

  ✠ They are your own words.

  N. Now as they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said:

  ✠ Take it and eat; this is my body.

  N. Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them, saying:

  ✠ Drink, all of you, from this, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, which is to be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. From now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in the kingdom of my Father.

  N. After psalms had been sung they left for the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them,

  ✠ You will all lose faith in me this night, for the scripture says: I shall strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered, but after my resurrection I shall go before you to Galilee.

  N. At this, Peter said,

  O. Though all lose faith in you, I will never lose faith.

  N. Jesus answered him,

  ✠ I tell you solemnly, this very night, before the cock crows, you will have disowned me three times.

  N. Peter said to him,

  O. Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.

  N. And all the disciples said the same.

  Then Jesus came with them to a small estate called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples,

  ✠ Stay here while I go over there to pray.

  N. He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him. And sadness came over him, and great distress. Then he said to them,

  ✠ My soul is sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here and keep awake with me.

  N. And going on a little further he fell on his face and prayed:

  ✠ My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it.

  N. He came back to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter:

  ✠ So you had not the strength to keep awake with me one hour? You should be awake, and praying not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

  N. Again, a second time, he went away and prayed:

  ✠ My Father, if this cup cannot pass by without my drinking it, your will be done!

  N. And he came back again and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy. Leaving them there, he went away again and prayed for the third time, repeating the same words. Then he came back to the disciples and said to them,

  ✠ You can sleep on now and take your rest. Now the hour has come when the Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up! Let us go! My betrayer is already close at hand.

  N. He was still speaking when Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared, and with him a large number of men armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and elders of the people. Now the traitor had arranged a sign with them. He had said,

  O. ‘The one I kiss, he is the man. Take him in charge.’

  N. So he went straight up to Jesus and said,

  O. Greetings, Rabbi.

  N. and kissed him. Jesus said to him,

  ✠ My friend, do what you are here for.

  N. Then they came forward, seized Jesus and took him in charge. At that, one of the followers of Jesus grasped his sword and drew it; he struck out at the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear. Jesus then said,

  ✠ Put your sword back, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father who would promptly send more than twelve legions of angels to my defence? But then, how would the scriptures be fulfilled that say this is the way it must be?

  N. It was at this time that Jesus said to the crowds,

  ✠ Am I a brigand, that you had to set out to capture me with swords and clubs? I sat teaching in the Temple day after day and you never laid hands on me.

  N. Now all this happened to fulfil the prophecies in scripture. Then all the disciples deserted him and ran away.

  The men who had arrested Jesus led him off to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. Peter followed him at a distance, and when he reached the high priest’s palace, he went in and sat down with the attendants to see what the end would be.

  The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus, however false, on which they might pass the death sentence. But they could not find any, though several lying witnesses came forward. Eventually two stepped forward and made a statement,

  O. This man said: ‘I have power to destroy the Temple of God and in three days build it up.’

  N. The high priest then stood up and said to him,

  O. Have you no answer to that? What is this evidence these men are bringing against you?

  N. But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him,

  O. I put you on oath by the living God to tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.

  N. Jesus answered:

  ✠ The words are your own. Moreover, I tell you that from this time onward you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.

  N. At this, the high priest tore his clothes and said,

  O. He has blasphemed. What need of witnesses have we now? There! You have just heard the blasphemy. What is your opinion?

  N. They answered,

  C. He deserves to die.

  N. Then they spat in his face and hit him with their fists; others said as they struck him,

  C. Play the prophet, Christ! Who hit you then?

  N. Meanwhile Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came up to him and said,

  O. You too were with Jesus the Galilean.

  N. But he denied it in front of them all, saying:

  O. I do not know what you are talking about.

  N. When he went out to the gateway another servant-girl saw him and said to the people there,

  O. This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.

  N. And again, with an oath, he denied it:

  O. I do not know the man.

  N. A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter,

  C. You are one of them for sure! Why, your accent gives you away.

  Then he started calling down curses on himself and swearing:

  O. I do not know the man.

  N. At that moment the cock crew, and Peter remembered what Jesus had said, ‘Before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.

  When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people met in council to bring about the death of Jesus. They had him bound, and led him away to hand him over to Pilate, the governor.

  When he found that Jesus had been condemned, Judas his betrayer was filled with remorse and took the thirty silver pieces back to the chief priests and elders, saying:

  O. I have sinned. I have betrayed innocent blood.

  N. They replied:

  C. What is that to us? That is your concern.

  N. And flinging down the silver pieces in the sanctuary he made off and hanged himself. The chief priests picked up the silver pieces and said,

  C. It is against the Law to put this into the treasury: it is blood-money.

  N. So they discussed the matter and bought the potter’s field with it as a graveyard for foreigners, and this is why the field is called the Field of Blood today. The words of the prophet Jeremiah were then fulfilled: And they took the thirty silver pieces, the sum at which the precious One was priced by children of Israel, and they gave them for the potter’s field, just as the Lord directed me.

  Jesus, then, was brought before the governor, and the governor put to him this question:

  O. Are you the king of the Jews?

  N. Jesus replied,

  ✠ It is you who say it.

  N. But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders he refused to answer at all. Pilate then said to him,

  O. Do you not hear how many charges they have brought against you?

  N. But to the governor’s complete amazement, he offered no reply to any of the charges.

  At festival time it was the governor’s practice to release a prisoner for the people, anyone they chose. Now there was at that time a notorious prisoner whose name was Barabbas. So when the crowd gathered, Pilate said to them,

  O. Which do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?

  N. For Pilate knew it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. Now as he was seated in the chair of judgement, his wife sent him a message,

  O. Have nothing to do with that man; I have been upset all day by a dream I had about him.

  N. The chief priests and the elders, however, had persuaded the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus. So when the governor spoke and asked them,

  O. Which of the two do you want me to release for you?

  N. they said,

  C. Barabbas.

  N. Pilate said to them:

  O. But in that case, what am I to do with Jesus who is called Christ?

  N. They all said:

  C. Let him be crucified!

  N. Pilate asked:

  O. Why? What harm has he done?

  N. But they shouted all the louder,

  C. Let him be crucified!

  N. Then Pilate saw that he was making no impression, that in fact a riot was imminent. So he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd and said,

  O. I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your concern.

  N. And the people, to a man, shouted back,

  C. His blood be on us and on our children!

  N. Then he released Barabbas for them. He ordered Jesus to be first scourged and then handed over to be crucified.

  The governor’s soldiers took Jesus with them into the Praetorium and collected the whole cohort round him. Then they stripped him and made him wear a scarlet cloak, and having twisted some thorns into a crown they put this on his head and placed a reed in his right hand. To make fun of him they knelt to him saying,

  C. Hail, king of the Jews!

  N. And they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head with it. And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the cloak and dressed him in his own clothes and led him away to crucify him.

  On their way out, they came across a man from Cyrene, Simon by name, and enlisted him to carry his cross. When they had reached a place called Golgotha, that is, the place of the skull, they gave him wine to drink mixed with gall, which he tasted but refused to drink. When they had finished crucifying him they shared out his clothing by casting lots, and then sat down and stayed there keeping guard over him.

  Above his head was placed the charge against him; it read: ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’ At the same time two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.

  The passers-by jeered at him; they shook their heads and said,

  C. So you would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days! Then save yourself! If you are God’s son, come down from the cross!

  N. The chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him in the same way, saying:

  C. He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the king of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He puts his trust in God; now let God rescue him if he wants him. For he did say, ‘I am the son of God.’

  N. Even the robbers who were crucified with him taunted him in the same way.

  From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice,

  ✠ Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?

  N. That is, ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’ When some of those who stood there heard this, they said,

  C. The man is calling on Elijah.

  N. and one of them quickly ran to get a sponge which he dipped in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink. The rest of them said:

  C. Wait! See if Elijah will come to save him.

  N. But Jesus, again crying out in a loud voice, yielded up his spirit.

  Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

  At that, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom; the earth quaked; the rocks were split; the tombs opened and the bodies of many holy men rose from the dead, and these, after his resurrection, came out of the tombs, entered the Holy City and appeared to a number of people. Meanwhile the centurion, together with the others guarding Jesus, had seen the earthquake and all that was taking place, and they were terrified and said,

  C. In truth this was a son of God.

  N. And many women were there, watching from a distance, the same women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and looked after him. Among them were Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

  When it was evening, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, called Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate thereupon ordered it to be handed over. So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean shroud and put it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a large stone across the entrance of the tomb and went away. Now Mary of Magdala and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the sepulchre.

  Next day, that is, when Preparation Day was over, the chief priests and the Pharisees went in a body to Pilate and said to him,

  C. Your Excellency, we recall that this impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I shall rise again.’ Therefore give the order to have the sepulchre kept secure until the third day, for fear his disciples come and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ This last piece of fraud would be worse than what went before.

  N. Pilate said to them:

  O. You may have your guard. Go and make all as secure as you know how.

  N. So they went and made the sepulchre secure, putting seals on the stone and mounting a guard.

WHO IS THIS?

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ MT 21:1-11;  IS 50:4-7;  PHIL 2:6-11; MT 26:14-27:66]

“And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil. ‘Who is this?’ people asked.”  Today, as we celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the place where He His ministry wpuld culminate, we cannot but also ask this question, “Who is this?”  Undeniably, the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was meant to be Jesus’ challenge to the people regarding His real identity.  He had been healing the sick, teaching them about the love and mercy of God, exorcising evil spirits, performing miracles, multiplying loaves and calming the storms.  In every miracle, the question needed to be asked of the bystander is, “Who is this?”  The clarity and understanding of the truth of this declaration will determine our salvation.  This explains why Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is seen as the judgment of God on the people and also the day of salvation.  Our answer to the identity of Jesus will determine whether we will be saved or not. Our profession of faith in Jesus will define the way we live our lives accordingly.

So, “Who is this?” For the ordinary people, Jesus was just a miracle worker.  He performed many spectacular signs.  Most of all, He was a great healer.  He healed many people with all kinds of infirmities.  So they went to Him for healing.  But did they see that His healing miracles were meant to be signs of His true identity?  We too come to Jesus often. Again, many come for their prayers to be answered, their petitions to be heard and for healing of all kinds of affliction.  But beyond seeing Jesus as our healer, do we see Him as anything more than that?  Is Jesus simply our dispensing machine? Is He simply a great performer, like how Herod was so desperate to see Jesus perform some spectacular miracles for him to see?  But that is what many of us do.  We keep going for visions and apparitions and miracles, one after another.

In truth, in the understanding of the evangelist, in confessing that Jesus is the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee, it means that He is not just any other prophet but He is the Word of God that delivers God’s message to us.  He is the last emissary of God bringing to us the definitive Word.  In Jesus, the word of God has been spoken.   Jesus was not just a teacher, a philosopher, a good man, a miracle worker, a social reformer or a revolutionary, but He brought us God’s final and decisive word.  In Jesus, in His miracles, in His life, and in His death, He mediates to us the Word of God.  This final word was given at His death on the cross and His resurrection.  In Christ, God had said all that could be said.  He is the definitive Word of God in person.

Those who were without faith saw Him as their opponent and competitor, a nuisance who caused social disorder and religious confusion.  In the passion story, we read how Jesus was accused of blasphemy, insulting the name of God.  He was also accused of staging a rebellion to overthrow the political powers.  He was condemned as a political criminal.  Indeed, the offence was listed as, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

Ironically, this title given to Jesus is correct but wrongly understood.  All throughout the trial, St Matthew portrayed Jesus as a king. The royal characteristic of Jesus was brought out in the triumphal entry, the discourse between Pilate and Jesus about kingship and power, the wearing of the scarlet clothes which is a symbol of royalty, the mocking of the Roman soldiers, the bystanders, and finally in the title given to Him on the cross.   Nevertheless, all these were presented in a paradoxical manner because the royalty of Jesus is not that of the world but of service in humiliation and death.   It is a servant and suffering King.  He is the King of kings because Jesus was faithful to Himself and His mission right to the end.  Unlike Pilate and the religious leaders, He was faithful to the truth.  Truly, He is worthy to be greeted as we do now also at mass, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heavens!”  He was exercising the Kingship of Yahweh as He was the Son of David who was to bring about the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

Only at the cross, was this truth about His identity revealed. In the first place, on the cross, Jesus identified Himself with every man.  He suffered like any man and more.  He had been tempted in every way like us all, with glory, power and self-indulgence.  He carried all our illnesses in Him.  He suffered humiliation, betrayal, rejection, slander, insults and disappointment.  Above all, He suffered the death of a sinner who was alienated from God.   At the cross, He experienced what it meant to be separated from the author and origin of life and love.  That separation between the source of His life resulted in death, not just in the biological sense but in the theological sense of darkness, meaninglessness and emptiness.  Isn’t this what most people go through when they live a sinful life, of anger, restlessness, dissatisfaction, separation from people, depression and self centredness?

But He died not just for us but for God, His Father.  For the love of His Father, Jesus endured the most bitter consequences of sins.   By suffering with us in our sins and pain including death, Jesus overcame sin and the power of death.  That is why it is said that the cry of Jesus on the cross is the central redemptive event.  “Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’”  This cry enhances the scandal of the cross.  In these words, He revealed the Father’s love and mercy for us.  God emptied Himself by crossing to the side of sinners, to experience what the sinner is going through so that He could save them by being identified with them in their struggles and pain.  This is what St Paul said, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  (2 Cor 5:21)  By His death, Jesus liberates us from eternal death because in Christ, God forgives us all our sins, for He knows our weakness and our folly.

Most of all, the passion did not end up simply with His death but with the resurrection.  The letter of St Paul to the Philippians situates the death of Jesus in context.  Christ emptied Himself twice, first of His divinity at the incarnation and then of His life in death.  But this passage of self-emptying will lead to final exaltation. Christ ultimately triumphed over sin and death.  He is exalted above all creation.  The cross truly exemplifies the culmination of the self-emptying of God in humiliation, beginning with the incarnation, and continuing throughout His life in obedience to His Father’s will even unto death.   The final conclusion that we will need to arrive at is that Jesus exalted above all is now acclaimed and worshipped “as Lord to the glory of God the Father.”   With the centurion, we say, “In truth this was a son of God.”

Having heard the Passion Story, what about us? Are we ready to profess that Jesus is our King and our Lord?  Are our hearts converted?  The gauntlet is thrown at us. “Who is this?”  If He were the Son of God and our Saviour, then are we to stand by Him?  Or will we be like the apostles who betrayed Jesus.  One sold Him for material gain.  Another denied Him before a maid and some servants.  Many abandoned Him in His time of loneliness and need.  Many even put Him down by slandering Him, accusing Him of being helpless and useless.   Are we fair weather friends of Jesus, like the crowd, coming to Him only when He can give us what we need?

If we say that Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, then we must follow Him in His passion of self-emptying and humility. We must be ready to forgive our enemies, die to our sins, live in the truth and be faithful to the gospel values taught by our Lord.  It means also being ready to do His will, which would entail carrying the cross of service, being misunderstood and unappreciated.  Like the suffering servant, are we ready to proclaim the truth in and out of season, even when people no longer wish to believe in us or hear us?

Today, we must show that Jesus is our king by pledging our loyalty to Him, not just by carrying palms but by living out His life of self-emptying and identifying with the sufferings and struggles of our fellowmen.  With Christ, we are called to give hope and courage to those who are hopeless and helpless in their lives.  We have no excuse, unlike the apostles, because then they had not seen the resurrection. We have the benefit of the hindsight of His resurrection.  So we must now make up our mind and choose to be with Jesus our king, in His death and in His resurrection.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved