During today’s Mass, we have symbolically joined our voices with those who condemned Jesus as we cried out: “Crucify him! Crucify him!” (see Luke 23:21). We proclaim these words every year on Palm Sunday and then again on Good Friday, but if you’re like me, then doing so always causes some discomfort.
These words were first shouted to Pontius Pilate by some of the elders of the people, a few of the chief priests and a number of the scribes, and what they demanded were the result of a long-running conflict those “religious leaders” had been having with Jesus and his followers. Jesus had often and strongly criticized them because of their lack of true faith and their hypocrisy.
It’s then no surprise the events recorded in today’s Gospel demonstrate those same men spoke outright lies to Pilate when they brought to him their charges against Jesus. They said: “We found this man misleading our people; he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar, and maintains that he is the Christ, a king” (see Luke 23:2). The irony of this charge is they themselves had misled the people by not acknowledging Jesus for whom he truly was; they had been the most vociferous opponents of payment of taxes to Caesar, and furthermore, there is no record anywhere of Jesus ever actually proclaiming himself to anyone to have been a “king.” This is why we are sure they spoke with outright lies.
On this point, the Eighth Commandment comes to my mind; it reads “you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (see Exodus 20:16). And so how could it have happened that “religious leaders” would have been so blinded from the truth? How could it have happened that they would have been so willing to violate one of the Commandments, and the precepts of their own faith, in order to falsely accuse Jesus? After all, weren’t they members of the most wise and learned group of religious people, and therefore shouldn’t they have been the most receptive to the arrival of the long awaited Messiah? But instead, the events of the original Palm Sunday only exacerbated that long-running conflict between them and Jesus, and that day contributed greatly to the moment when those words “crucify him . . . crucify him” were angrily shouted.
As we reflect on all of this, we have the opportunity to examine the depths of our own faith commitments–and the impact they have on the ways we relate to other people. Are we ever tempted to be like those “religious leaders” who were in constant conflict with Jesus and his followers? Is it possible that our own “wisdom” can blind our ability to truly respect the perspectives and faith experiences of others, even when we don’t agree? At times do we just put on a good “show” of religiosity, but really have shallow or little faith in our hearts? And in the worst case scenarios, do we resort to lying about others in order to assert our own agendas and/or maneuvers for power? Against Jesus, do we essentially shout “crucify him . . . crucify him” with our thoughts, our actions and/or our symbolically synonymous words?
My friends, instead of these, and as followers of Jesus, may we always live up to the true demands of our faith–especially with regard to the ways that we treat others! May those words “crucify him . . . crucify him” truly cause us discomfort as we acknowledge our own faults and failings, and may they in turn always motivate us to turn away from sin and to believe in the Gospel
Praise God! Friar Timothy
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