Homily — 25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Fr. Timothy W. Castor

On three separate occasions during his earthly ministry, our Blessed Lord Jesus foretold his coming death and resurrection. The first time was right after Peter’s profession of faith—"you are the Christ, the Son of the living God"—and just before his Transfiguration. On this occasion, Jesus tells his disciples, "the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." Peter rebuked the Lord and said such a thing would never happen to him. Jesus’ response to Peter’s rebuke is swift and decisive; it shows that his death and resurrection is the very purpose for which he came into the world: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men."

The second time Jesus foretells his passion is the account we heard in today’s Gospel. "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men," Jesus says, "and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise." This is shortly after the Transfiguration, and this time Peter and the rest of the disciples remain silent. Matthew tells us that the disciples were distressed at the saying, while Mark and Luke simply write that they did not understand and were afraid to ask him what he meant.

But, even though the disciples were afraid to ask, I believe it is a question worth asking. What did Jesus mean what he said that the Son of man would be handed over? Handed over by whom and to whom? And why was he handed over? These questions are worth asking because they are related to an age-old controversy in the Church—the controversy over who is responsible for the death of Jesus. This controversy has been rekindled in recent days over, of all things, a Hollywood movie. Some of you may be following the story of Mel Gibson’s new movie on the Passion of Jesus Christ which he hopes to release next year. He’s having some problems with this because some people (who haven’t even seen the film) have charged him with anti-Semitism—they contend that his movie accuses the Jews of putting Jesus to death. He says he’s simply being faithful to the Gospel account, and those who have actually seen the rough cut of the film agree with this and say there is nothing anti-Semitic about it. Well, what does the gospel actually say?

The third time Jesus reveals his passion is while he and his disciples are making the final trip to Jerusalem. And this time he is very specific about the persons to whom he is handed over. "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem;" he says, "and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles; and they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise." The Greek word which is translated "handed over" (paradidwmi) is also translated "betray" or "deliver". St. Matthew’s account of the passion gives us a whole chain of betrayal. The chain seems to begin with Judas, the traitor, who, in the Garden of Gethsemane, hands Jesus over to the chief priests and scribes. After he is falsely accused and condemned, he is delivered—handed over—to Pontius Pilate. Now he is in the hands of Gentiles, and Pilate tries to distance himself from his responsibility through the pitiful gesture of washing his hands. Nevertheless, it is he who finally hands Jesus over to the soldiers who put him to death.

So it would seem that Jesus passed through many hands on his way to the Cross. The men of which he speaks in today’s gospel—the men who put him to death—include both Jews and Gentiles, and even his own friend and disciple. It was not just one person, or even one nation that was responsible for Christ’s death; all peoples share in the responsibility, because, ultimately, it is the sins of the whole world for which Christ died. But where did all begin? We know where the buck stopped (the buck stopped with Pilate and the Roman soldiers); where did the buck start? Who was really behind the Crucifixion—the central event of salvation history?

Was it Satan? Certainly, the jealousy and hatred of the old deceiver inspired the animosity of the Jewish leaders and was the guiding force in the treachery of Judas. Satanic powers were at work when Pilate unjustly condemned our Lord to death and when the soldiers mocked him and spit upon him and nailed him to the Cross. But the devil did all this only because he was permitted to do so. There was someone else behind the handing over of Jesus, and you might be surprised to learn who it was.

St. Paul writes in the eighth chapter of Romans, "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?" That’s right, it was God the Father who planned this all along and who handed over his own Son to be the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. And because Jesus is the Son of God, of one substance with the Father, he was in on this plan too. He willingly allowed himself to be handed over, laying down his own life for his sheep. Why did Jesus lay down his life; why was he handed over? The answer can be found in the Gospel from last week, the Feast of the Holy Cross: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that he who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life."

It was God’s love for us sinners that sent the Son of God to the Cross. In the natural order, sinful men, through a chain of betrayal, condemned our Lord to death. In the mystical order, it was the sins of the whole world—including your sins and mine—that brought about the handing over of Jesus to death on the Cross. But, thanks be to God, his death is not the end of the story. Each of the three times that Jesus foretells his Passion, he also foretells his resurrection from the dead. Our Lord is in complete control of his own destiny! Just as he lays down his life in obedience to the Father and in love for sinful humanity, so he takes up his life again to give us new life.

I have not seen Mel Gibson’s new movie. But if this is the story it tells—and those who have seen it assure us that it is—then it is a story of love, not of hate. Jesus’ death and resurrection offers salvation for all peoples and all nations; no one is excluded. But it is well to remember that just as our sins handed Jesus over to death, so, if we continue in sin, we will continue to betray him. So may the Lord free us from the selfish ambition which clouded the minds of the disciples and from all sins which keep us from participating in the true life of the resurrection.

© 2003, The Rev. Timothy W. Castor