Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
PALM SUNDAY OF THE LORD'S PASSION (Cycle B)
Readings:
Isaiah 50:4-7
Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24
Philippians 2:6-11
Mark 14:1-15:47
Abbreviations: NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition), NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), RSVCE (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name, YHWH (Yahweh).
God reveals His divine plan for humanity in the two Testaments; therefore, we read and relive the events of salvation history in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that our Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Theme of the Readings: God's Servant is Christ the
King, Who Raises Us from Death to Life
This week, we approach the climax of the liturgical year,
when Jesus fulfilled everything anticipated and promised in the Old Testament.
As He told the Apostles, "For I tell you that this Scripture must be
fulfilled in me ... indeed what is written about me is coming to fulfillment" (Lk 22:37). Today, we commemorate Jesus's triumphal entry into the holy city of
Jerusalem to complete His work as humanity's Redeemer-Messiah in the spring of
30 AD.
The First Reading is from the third "Song of the Servant" in the Book of Isaiah. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the 8th century BC prophet Isaiah composed four songs describing the ideal Servant-Son of God. Jesus fulfills each of the prophetic songs. He is God's beloved Son who came, as Jesus said, "to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mt 20:28; Is 53:11). Human beings incur a debt to divine justice through their sins, the punishment of which is death. To liberate humanity from slavery to sin and death, Jesus paid the ransom and discharged the debt with the price of His blood. By dying in the place of the guilty, Jesus fulfills the Servant of Yahweh's prophetic mission, proclaimed in the First Reading. As He spoke God's words to the people, He submitted himself to their abuse.
The First Reading and the Responsorial Psalm foretell Jesus's humiliation and death on the altar of the Cross. Both readings give an accurate description of the abuse Jesus suffered as He submitted Himself without protest into the hands of His enemies. The prophecy of Psalm 22:1 begins with Jesus's fourth statement from the Cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (quoted in Hebrew in Mt 27:46 with a Greek translation and Mk 15:34 in Aramaic). Psalm 22:8-9 and 17-20 describe Jesus's abuse by His enemies and the physical agony of His crucifixion. The Gospel Reading repeats the abuse we read in the First Reading and Psalm 22. Jesus called out Psalm 22:1 from the Cross (Mk 15:34). He was mocked and beaten (Ps 22:7-8; 17-18; Mk 14:65; 15:15-20, 22-31). The Roman guards cast lots for His garment (Ps 22:19; Mk 15:24) as His enemies dared Jesus to prove His divinity by saving Himself (Ps 22:8; Mk 15:32). However, Psalm 22 ends in a declaration of triumph (Ps 22:23-24), just as Jesus's death on the Cross will end in His Resurrection victory!
Jesus is God's divine Son, and yet, as St. Paul reminds us in the Second Reading, Jesus humbled Himself for us by coming in human flesh to live among us. Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians that he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross (Phil 2:7-8). By His obedience, Jesus atoned for our disobedience and was exalted by the Father, who bestowed upon Him the name which is above every name and for which every knee should bend of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:9-11).
In the Gospel Reading, we relive Jesus's last hours, which ended with His betrayal and agony on the altar of the Cross. Crowned with thorns, He died the "King of the Jews" (Mk 15:18; Jn 19:19-22). Jesus is the Davidic Messiah-King who fulfills the eternal covenant God made with His ancestor David (2 Sam 7:16, 29; 23:5; 2 Chr 13:5; Ps 89:2-5; Sir 45:25) and whose coming God's holy prophets prophesied. However, as we make our journey through the days of Holy Week to Good Friday, we should remember that Jesus accepted this unspeakable suffering and violence out of love for us.
At the beginning of Holy Week, celebrating Jesus's triumphal entrance into Jerusalem and remembering His unjust execution will lead us to our Easter celebration of Christ's glorious resurrection from the grave. These events emphasize three related elements:
Commemoration of the Lord's Entrance into Jerusalem. The Order
of the Procession:
Antiphon Matthew 21:9 ~ Hosanna to the Son of
David, the King of Israel. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest (also see Mt 23:39 and Ps 118:26a). "Hosanna"
is a word of Hebrew origin (hosi-a-na) composed of two words that mean
"save now" or "save (we) pray" (cf., 2 Sam 14:4; Ps 106:47;
Is 25:9; 37:20; Jer 2:27; etc.). In the antiphon, we petition Jesus Christ, son of David and King
of Israel, to save us! The priest sprinkles the branches with holy water in
silence. Then, we proclaim the account of the Lord's entrance into Jerusalem as
the congregation processes into the Church.
Gospel Mark 11:1-10 ~ Jesus's Triumphal Entry
During the procession, the choir and the people sing the
following or other appropriate songs:
See the commentary on all the Scripture passages from the procession below. As the people process into the church, they sing a responsory psalm or another song that refers to the Lord's entrance into the holy city of Jerusalem.
Antiphon Matthew 21:9 ~ Our Procession Rite imitates the procession of Jesus and His disciples on Palm Sunday in the spring of AD 30. Coming from the village of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives due east of Jerusalem, on the road to Bethany, Jesus, and His disciples crossed the Kidron Valley and entered the walled city through the arched gate facing the Mount of Olives. It was the gate closest to the Temple Mount. In the Antiphon, we imitate the crowd that shouted acclamations from the Messianic Psalm 118:25-26 ~ LORD [Yahweh], save us [hosanna], we beg you LORD [Yahweh], give us victory! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD [Yahweh]!
The Reading from the Gospel Mark 11:1-10 ~ The Messiah's
Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem
1 When they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethpage and
Bethany at the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and said to
them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately on entering it, you
will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it
here. 3 If anyone should say to you, 'Why are you doing this?' reply, 'The
Master [Ho Kyrios = the Lord] has need of it and will send it back here at
once.'" 4 So they went off and found a colt tethered at a gate outside on the
street, and they untied it. 5 Some of the bystanders said to them, "What are
you doing, untying the colt?" 6 They answered them just as Jesus had told them
to, and they permitted them to do it. 7 So they brought the colt to Jesus and
put their cloaks over it. And he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks
on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the
fields. 9 Those preceding him, as well as those following, kept crying out:
"Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the
kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in the highest!"
[...] = term in the Greek text, IBGE, Vol. IV pages 129-30.
In Mark 11:1-10, Jesus prepared to enter Jerusalem. He sent two disciples to bring Him a donkey and her colt from the village of Bethpage (also see Mt 21:1; Lk 19:29). This action fulfilled prophecies of the prophets concerning the restoration of Israel:
The words "daughter Zion" refer to the holy city of Jerusalem and the covenant people as a whole. According to the prophecies, the Messiah would come not like a conquering king or military leader but humbly as a Savior to His people.
John's Gospel identifies this event as occurring the day after Jesus's dinner with Lazarus's family at Bethany (Jn 12:1-2, 12-19). According to tradition and in agreement with the Gospels, the Church celebrates the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem as Palm (Passion) Sunday. John 12:1 identifies the dinner as six days (as the ancients counted with no zero place value) before the Passover sacrifice, commanded by the Law to take place on the 14th of Nisan (Lev 23:4-5; Num 28:16). Therefore, Jesus had a Sabbath Saturday dinner with friends in Bethany. Six days from Saturday (with Saturday counting as day #1) makes the day of the Passover sacrifice Thursday of Jesus's last week, Nisan the 14th, according to the Law (Ex 12:6). Therefore, the day He rode into Jerusalem was the first day of the week we call Sunday, Nisan the 10th. That the Passover sacrifice took place on Thursday and the sacred meal that night after sundown agrees with over 2,000 years of Christian tradition. Jesus's crucifixion was the next day, on Friday, "Preparation Day" for the Saturday Sabbath (Mk 15:42; Jn 19:31).
On Sunday, the 10th of Nisan, the disciples followed Jesus's instructions and brought a young donkey that had never been ridden. They laid garments on the animal, and Jesus sat on the colt. His entry into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey was a deliberate and highly symbolic act prophesied by Jacob-Israel (Gen 49:10-12) and the 5th century BC prophet Zechariah (Zec 9:9). Jesus's symbolic action fulfilled the prophecy of the covenant with David that his kingdom would endure forever with a Davidic heir upon his throne (2 Sam 7:12-16; 23:5). Jesus riding into Jerusalem reminded the people of King David's son Solomon riding into Jerusalem on his father's mule on his coronation day (1 Kng 1:38-40). And they responded to Jesus's symbolic act: Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in the highest!" (Mk 11:9-10), and "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel" ( Jn 12:13 ).
John identifies the Saturday dinner as six days before the 14th, which makes Saturday the 9th of Nisan. Therefore, Sunday was the 10th. The 10th was the day that the Israelites chose the lambs and goat kids as Passover victims in Egypt, and also the day Joshua led the children of Israel across the Jordan River in the conquest of the Promised Land (Ex 12:3; Josh 4:19). Jesus is the true Passover victim that all other Passover lambs and goat kids prefigured. He is the new Joshua (who had the same name as Jesus in Hebrew). In His entry into Jerusalem, Jesus began His conquest to open the true Promised Land of Heaven to the faithful through His death and Resurrection.
Seeing Jesus, the crowd shouted acclamations from the Messianic Psalm 118:25-26 (NJB) ~ We beg you Yahweh, save us [hosanna], we beg you Yahweh, give us victory! Blessed in the name of Yahweh is he who is coming! "Hosanna" (hosi-a-na) is a Hebrew word composed of two words, literally meaning "save now" or "save (we) pray" (i.e., 2 Sam 14:4; Ps 106:47; Is 25:9; 37:20; Jer 2:27; etc.). "Hosanna" was used in the same way the English might shout out "God save the king," and this was the way the crowd shouted "Hosanna" as an acclamation of praise to the one greeted as the Messianic son and heir of King David.
Psalms 113-118 are the great Hallel ("praise God") Psalms. They were also called the Egyptian Psalms since 113-117 retell the Exodus story while 118 promises another liberator, an anointed one" or "messiah" coming to save the people.
The four Gospels describe Jesus's entry into Jerusalem as the triumphal arrival of a king or military ruler. Such a visit to the people by a ruler was, in Greek, a parousia, meaning "coming," "arrival," or "being present among the people." In the New Testament, the word expresses the Christian belief and expectation that Jesus will return to His people in the future (the Second Advent of Christ). It is the same term Christians used for the "presence" of Jesus Christ in the Eucharistic Banquet. The Old Testament describes the parousia of a king in the Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation in:
As already mentioned, the crowds did not miss the connection between Jesus's symbolic entrance and the entrance of King David's son, Solomon, into Jerusalem on the day of his coronation in the 10th century BC. Jesus received the same acclamation, with the people even referring to Him as "the son of David," quoting Psalm 118 from the passages referring to the promised Messianic king (Mk 11:10). St. John records that the crowds quoted from the Messianic Psalm 118:26 ~ Blessed is he who is coming in the name of the Lord (Jn 12:13; also see 1 Kng 2:38-40; Ps 118:25-27, Jn 12:13). Jesus told His disciples that the day would come when they would not see Him again until they said this verse (Mt 23:39). These are the exact words we repeat in the celebration of the Mass just before the Eucharistic procession.
In Matthew 21:10, some people in the crowd asked, "Who is this?" The question of Jesus's identity on the day of His triumphal entry is the same question facing each of us on this day of commemoration. True disciples recognize Jesus as God's prophet, priest, and king, who came to redeem His people and raise them from death to life (CCC 788). Can you profess with conviction that on that day in history, Jesus began completing His earthly mission, and He also came for you? He came to raise you from death to life in the Sacrament of Baptism so you might hear His voice in your heart and obey Mother Church on your journey to eternal salvation.
Psalm 24:1-10 ~ For a Solemn Entry into the Sanctuary (a
psalm of David)
Antiphon I: During the procession, the choir and people
sing the following, repeated between verses of Psalm 24 "The children of
Jerusalem welcomed Christ the King. They carried olive branches and loudly
praised the Lord: Hosanna in the highest."
1 The earth is the LORD'S, and all it holds; the world
and those who dwell in it. 2 For he founded it upon the seas, established it over
the rivers.
Repeat Antiphon I
3 Who may go up the mountain of the LORD? Who can stand
in his holy place? 4 The clean of hand and pure of heart, who has not given his
soul to useless things, what is vain.
Repeat Antiphon I
5 He will receive blessings from the LORD, a justice from
his saving God. 6 Such is the generation that seeks him, that seeks the face of
the God of Jacob.
Repeat Antiphon I
7 Lift up your heads O gates; be lifted you ancient
portals, that the king of glory may enter. 8 Who is this king of glory? The
LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in war.
Repeat Antiphon I
9 Lift up your heads, O gates; rise up, you ancient
portals, that the king of glory may enter! 10 Who is this king of glory? The
LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.
Repeat Antiphon I
In the Temple liturgy, the congregation sang this Psalm every first day of the week (our Sunday) in the Jerusalem Temple's twice-daily liturgical worship services. It was an encounter between Yahweh, the King of Glory, and the righteous believer who had come to worship God in His holy Temple. The poem, also attributed to David of Bethlehem, the ancestor of Jesus of Nazareth (Mt 1:1), begins by proclaiming the identity of Yahweh: He is the creator of the earth (verses 1-2). The psalm then enumerates the conditions in which people are allowed to approach the Lord in His Temple:
These can enter God's presence and receive His blessing (verses 3-6). The psalm ends with a profession of faith. The psalmist called upon the Temple to lift its gates and lintels so the King of Glory may enter (verses 7-8) and asked, "Who is this king of glory?" in two rhetorical questions before answering: "The LORD of Hosts [in Hebrew, "Yahweh Sabaoth"]; He is the King of Glory!" Because His sovereignty extends over the nations of the entire earth and every human being, He is worshipped as the King of Glory (verse 10)!
The Fathers of the Church saw this psalm applied to the Christian's soul as God's temple of the New Covenant in Christ Jesus (St. Ambrose, Expositio psalmi, 118.14; also see 1 Cor 3:10-17). God's Spirit enters the temple of the Christian's soul in the Sacrament of Baptism. Every Christian's prayer should be that they can, in faith, open the gates of their soul in faith so Christ, the King of Glory, will enter in, carrying with Him the triumph of His Passion.
Psalm 47:2-3, 5-10 ~ Yahweh the King of Israel is King of
the World
The congregation repeats Antiphon II between the verses of
Psalm 47 "The children of Jerusalem welcome Christ the King. They spread their
cloaks before him and loudly praised the Lord: Hosanna to the son of David!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
2 All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with
cries of gladness. 3 For the LORD, the Most High, to be feared, the great king
over all the earth.
Repeat Antiphon II
5 Who chose our heritage for us, the glory of Jacob, whom
he loves.
Repeat Antiphon II
6 God has gone up with a shout; the LORD, amid trumpet
blasts. 7 Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing
praise.
Repeat Antiphon II
8 For God is king over all the earth; sing hymns of
praise. 9 God rules over the nations; God sits upon his holy throne.
Repeat Antiphon II
10 The princes of the peoples assemble with the people of
the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God, highly exalted.
Repeat Antiphon II
In this psalm, we declare that God is the king of the entire earth and all its nations! The psalm offers two invitations to sing God's praises (verses 1 and 6), followed by why the people are involved in proclaiming their praise to God (verses 2-5 and 7-9). The first reason is that God is king over the earth, and the second is to offer liturgical praise because, as King of all nations, God unites us as one people (verses 7-9). Jewish liturgy recited this psalm on the Feast of the New Year (Rosh Hashanah). Christians identify with this psalm by reflecting on the kingship of Jesus Christ and the Universal ("Catholic") Church's authority over the people of every language, race, and nation (prophesied by the prophet Daniel in the Book of Daniel 7:13-14 and 27).
In the Apostolic Age, the Church saw verses 5-6: God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy; the LORD, amid trumpet blasts. 6 Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our king, sing praise as fulfilled in the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven (Acts 1:1-11; Heb 9:24-28). This psalm is also recited on the Feast of the Ascension, proclaiming Christ's universal kingship that transcends the world's kingdoms. The Church's character of universality is a gift from Christ whereby she seeks to fulfill her mission of reconciling all humanity to Christ and helping all nations attain their eternal destiny (Vatican II, Lumen gentium, 13). In reciting this psalm in our solemn procession on Palm Sunday, we offer our acclaim for Christ's divine kingship linked to the contemplation of our promised inheritance in the glory of the heavenly Jerusalem. There Jesus sits enthroned at the Father's right-hand side (mentioned twelve times in the New Testament: Lk 22:69; Acts 2:33; 7:55, 56; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Pt 3:22). We acknowledge that Jesus Christ is King of the entire earth and has sovereignty over its nations and peoples.
The Readings for the Liturgy of the Word:
Isaiah 50:4-7
Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24
Philippians 2:6-11
Mark 14:1-15:57
The First Reading Isaiah 50:4-7 ~ The Third Servant's
Song (God's Suffering Servant)
4 The Lord GOD [Adonai Yahweh] has given me a
well-trained tongue, that I might know how to answer the weary a word that will
awaken them. Morning after morning he wakens my ear to hear as disciples do; 5
the Lord GOD [Yahweh]opened my ear; I did not refuse, did not turn away. 6 I
gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who tore out my beard; my
face I did not hide from insults and spitting. 7 The Lord GOD [Yahweh] is my
help, therefore I am not disgraced; therefore, I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame. [...] = Literal
translation, IBHE, Vol. III, page 1706. GOD or LORD in capital letters
is the substitute for the Divine Name, YHWH, with vowels, Yahweh. The Hebrew
word "Adonai" means "Lord" and refers only to Yahweh, Lord of lords.
In the four "Servant Songs" from the book of the prophet Isaiah, God reveals His power by creating the earth (Is 40:12-31). He shows His determination to save humanity by His interventions in human history (Is 41:1-29). He then announces a new stage in His divine plan (Is 41:19). That new stage in bringing about His divine plan is to give a special mission to a mysterious figure referred to as the "Servant" of Yahweh" (Is 42:1). The Servant will make known and put into effect God's plan for the salvation of humanity.
The passage from our reading begins Isaiah's third "Servant's Song," which focuses on the Servant himself. The poem/song is in three parts, with each beginning with the words "The Lord Yahweh/Adonai Yahweh" (verses 4, 5, and 7), as the Servant speaks directly to us in verses 4-9:
Since the earliest age of the Church, Christians have seen the image of the "Suffering Servant" fulfilled in Jesus Christ. During His years of ministry, He faithfully taught about the coming of God's Kingdom (Mt 4:17; Mk 1:14-15; Lk 4:14-15). He did not resist His persecutors' insults, nor did He turn away from those who beat Him, slapped His face, or spit upon Him (cf. Mt 26:67-68; 27:26-31; Mk 14:65, 15:15; Jn 18:22; 19:1). Finally, they attempted to disgrace Him by crucifying Him like a common criminal (Mt 27:35-38; Mk 15:21-27; Lk 23:26-34, 38; Jn 19:17-24) and a man "condemned by God" because He "hung on a tree" (Dt 22:22-23). However, He was not disgraced; instead, He arose victorious as He prophesied on the third day (Mt 20:17-19; Mk 10:33-34; Lk 18:31-33), having defeated both sin and death (Mt 28:5-6; Mk 16:6; Lk 24:5-8; Jn 20:1-10).
Responsorial Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24 ~ King David's
Toda (thanksgiving) Psalm Prefiguring the Passion of Christ
The response is: "My God, my God, why have you
abandoned me?" (Ps 22:1)
8 All who see me mock me; they curl their lips and jeer;
they shake their head at me; 9 "He relied on the LORD [Yahweh]—let him deliver
him; if he loves him, let him rescue him."
Response:
17 Dogs surround me; a pack of evildoers closes in on me;
they have pierced my hands and my feet, 18 I can count all my bones. They stare
at me and gloat;
Response:
19 they divide my garments among them; for my clothing, they
cast lots. 20 But you, LORD [Yahweh], do not stray far off; my strength, come
quickly to help me.
Response:
23 Then I will proclaim your name to my brethren; in the
assembly, I will praise you: 24 "You who fear the LORD [Yahweh], give praise! All
descendants of Jacob, give honor; show reverence, all descendants of Israel!"
Response:
David's moving Palm contains not only Jesus's first statement from the altar of the Cross from Psalm 22:1 in the response (see Mt 27:46 and Mk 15:34) but also offers a vivid description of what took place during Jesus's crucifixion, an unknown form of capital punishment in David's day. The Persians invented crucifixion, but the Romans raised it to a deadly art. Psalm 22 prefigures the Passion of the Christ:
The psalm ends with the psalmist declaring that he will proclaim God's name in the liturgical assembly. Then he calls upon Yahweh's covenant people: "You who fear the LORD [Yahweh], praise him; all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him; revere him, all you descendants of Israel." It is the praise and glory we proclaim to Jesus Christ in our liturgical assembly as we remember His Passion and death that God the Father transformed into victory and glory. We, the universal Christian community of Jesus Christ, are now the true descendants of Jacob-Israel and the sacred assembly of the new Israel (Gal 3:29; CCC 877).
The Second Reading Philippians 2:6-11 ~ Meditating on the
Lord's Humility in His Suffering and Death
(Jesus Christ) 6 Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. 7 Rather, he emptied
himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human
in appearance, 8 he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross. 9 Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed
on him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus, every
knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, 11 and
every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Most Bible scholars believe verses 6-11 are from an early Christian hymn, perhaps written by St. Paul for the Christian community at Philippi in Macedonia. The passage speaks of Jesus's humility in emptying Himself of His divine glory (kenosis in Greek) to live a human life in which He experienced trials and suffering (verses 6-8). Paul was probably intentionally contrasting Jesus "in the form of God" with Adam "created in the image of God" (Gen 1:26).
Adam attempted to grasp equality with God through his sin of rebellion and pride in eating from the fruit of the forbidden tree that Satan said would make him god-like (Gen 3:5). The sin of Adam condemned humanity to live in sin. Jesus, however, is not "created in the image of God." He is entirely God and, at the same time, fully man, and in His humility, He was obedient to the Father in offering His life as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity. His reward was to defeat both sin and death to be raised by God to divine glory (8-11). His victory provided a way for humanity to be lifted through Him out of sin to receive the promise of eternal salvation in Heaven, inaccessible to humans since Adam's fall (CCC 536, 1026).
The Gospel of Mark 14:1-15:47 ~ The Passion of Jesus
Christ
(the short form is Mark 15:1-39)
Mark 14:1-2 ~ The Conspiracy Against Jesus
1 The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were to
take place in two days' time. So the chief priests and the scribes were
seeking a way to arrest him by treachery and put him to death. 2 They said,
"Not during the festival, for fear that there may be a riot among the people."
Passover and Unleavened Bread were two of seven God-ordained annual feasts (Leviticus 23) when the covenant people relived the historical event of their liberation from slavery in Egypt. The festivals covered eight days (from Nisan 14-21), as the ancients counted. God commanded Unleavened Bread (lasting seven days) observed as a pilgrim feast which every man of the covenant was obliged to attend (Ex 23:15; 34:18, 23; Dt 16:16; 2 Chron 8:13). Since His entry into the city, Jesus had been upsetting the religious leaders by teaching crowds of people at the Jerusalem Temple every day. They decided that Jesus must die, but they knew they could not arrest him when the crowds of pilgrims who believed in Him were present without causing a riot. In this passage, St. Mark sets the countdown to the day of the Passover sacrifice on Nisan 14. It is two days away (see the agreement in Mt 26:1-5). As the ancients counted without a zero-place value, counting the first day as day #1 is Wednesday. The next day will be the Passover sacrifice. St. John identified it as the sixth day from when Jesus had dinner with His friends in Bethany on Saturday, the day before He rode triumphally into the holy city on Sunday. Counting six days from the Saturday Sabbath dinner with Lazarus's family (day #1 as the ancients counted) makes the day of the Passover sacrifice a Thursday. The Gospels, therefore, agree that the Passover sacrifice was on Thursday of that holy week.
Mark 14:3-9 ~ Dinner at Bethany and Jesus's Third
Anointing
3 When he was in Bethany reclining at table in the house
of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil, costly
genuine spikenard. She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his head. 4
There were some who were indignant. "Why has there been this waste of perfumed
oil? 5 It could have been sold for more than three hundred days' wages and the
money given to the poor." They were infuriated with her. 6 Jesus said, "Let her
alone. Why do you make trouble for her? She has done a good thing for me. 7 The
poor you will always have with you, and whenever you wish, you can do good to
them, but you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could. She has
anticipated anointing my body for burial. 9 Amen, I say to you, wherever the
Gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory
of her."
The dinner on Saturday in John 12:1-8 was at Martha, Mary, and Lazarus's home in Bethany on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. The dinner on Wednesday of Jesus's last teaching day in Jerusalem was at the home of a man named Simon, a former leper, probably healed by Jesus. According to the Law, lepers could not keep company with healthy people and remained isolated from the population (Lev 13:45-46). The guests "reclined" at the dinner, indicating that this was a formal banquet. Reclining at a table was the privilege of free men. Slaves stood to eat, and women and children sat on the floor beside the couches. At this banquet honoring Jesus, an unnamed woman anointed Jesus's head. At the dinner on Saturday, Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus's feet. This event was His third anointing by a woman during His ministry (Lk 7:36-50; Jn 12:1-8; Mk 14:3-9).
Since Jesus and His Apostles spent every night either in Bethany or on the Mount of Olives (Mt 21:17; Mk 11:11), Jesus's good friends in Bethany probably took turns hosting dinners for Him and the Apostles. When Jesus ate dinner at the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus on Saturday, Mary anointed His feet (Jn 12:3). It was Jesus's second anointing. His first anointing was early in His ministry in Luke 7:36-38 by an unnamed sinful woman in the home of a proud Pharisee. There is a controversy among Bible scholars over how many times Jesus was anointed and the apparent discrepancy over what day St. John recorded Jesus's dinner in Bethany as opposed to the Synoptic Gospels. The accounts agree if there were two different dinners at Bethany the last week of Jesus's life and two different anointings, for a total of three different anointings during Jesus's ministry by three or possibly two women (Mary of Bethany may have anointed Christ twice: once on Saturday and a second time on Wednesday of His last week in Jerusalem). Each anointing of Christ symbolized the three holy offices He fulfilled as God's supreme Prophet, High Priest, and Davidic King (CCC 436):
When Jesus received Mary of Bethany's anointing on Saturday, Judas Iscariot complained about the waste of the ointment that could have been sold and the wages given to the poor (Jn 12:3-5). St. John records that Judas complained not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions (Jn 12:6). At the anointing on Wednesday, others repeated Judas's complaint (verse 4). Mary anointed Jesus's feet in the anointing on Saturday, but on Wednesday, the woman anointed His head (see Jn 12:3, Mt 26:7 and Mk 14:4).
There are many similarities between the two accounts of Jesus's anointings during His last week in Jerusalem in Matthew and Mark's Gospels during the Wednesday dinner at Bethany two days before the Passover sacrifice. The similarities indicate that Matthew and Mark were recording the same event. However, there are many differences when comparing Matthew and Mark's Wednesday anointing with the Gospel of John's account of the dinner and anointing at Bethany six days before the Passover in John 12:1-13 (see chart in handout #3 from the study on the Gospel of Mark Lesson #9.
All three accounts of Jesus's anointings use the same Greek word, muron, to describe the ointment, and the Gospels of John and Mark identify the bottle's cost as 300 denarii. This information suggests that the jar of ointment used on Saturday was the same jar used on Wednesday. Also, note the difference between Jesus's command to the woman concerning the jar of ointment. He told Mary "to keep it for the day of my burial" when she anointed His feet in the Gospel of John on Saturday, and His statement "she did it to prepare for the day of my burial" on Wednesday in St. Matthew's Gospel. Jesus told the disciples that she "has anointed my body beforehand for its burial" in St. Mark's Gospel on Wednesday when the unnamed woman anointed His head in both accounts in Matthew and Mark's Gospels as opposed to His feet at the Saturday dinner.
St. Mark includes a significant detail in Jesus's third anointing on Wednesday: She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his head (Mk 14:3b). It is reasonable to assume that Mary of Bethany, in obedience to Jesus's command on Saturday (Jn 12:7), kept the half-used jar of ointment, and on Wednesday, knowing that Jesus has prophesied His death, she broke open the bottle to get the last of the ointment to anoint His head (Mk 14:3). The Gospels of Matthew and Mark both record that the Wednesday dinner was after Jesus rode into Jerusalem and that "Jesus's hour had come." However, St. John's Gospel account of the dinner in 12:1-11 occurs before Jesus entered Jerusalem, and there is no mention of His "hour" or Judas's betrayal until John 12:23, 27. What is ironic about the woman disciple's action at the Wednesday dinner as opposed to the men's reaction is that she believes the prophecy of His coming death and takes action. The men, however, do not seem to understand and even protest her loving act.
Another important detail is that there were two dinners at Bethany. One was on Saturday (Jn 12:1-11) before Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and the other on Wednesday, His last teaching day in Jerusalem, when Judas betrayed Jesus to the chief priests (Mt 26:14-16 and Mk 14:3-9). Judas's betrayal of Jesus to the chief priests, recorded in John's Gospel after the Saturday dinner, is not mentioned. However, both the Gospels of Matthew and Mark record Judas's visit to the chief priests to betray Jesus after the Wednesday dinner (Mk 14:10-11) and before the Last Supper on Thursday. Luke also records Judas's betrayal just before the Last Supper (Lk 22:1-6). The Gentiles who came to hear Jesus's Gospel message of salvation on Wednesday in John 12:20-23 followed by His betrayal that signaled the "hour has come" for the Messiah's death and glorification.
Scripture records two different anointings during Jesus's last week in Jerusalem. However, the same woman may have performed those anointings, Jesus's faithful disciple, Mary of Bethany. In Jesus's earlier anointing on Saturday, He defended Mary and said, referring to the jar of ointment: "Let her keep this for the day of my burial..." (Jn 12:7). That day has come, and it is probably Mary who has broken open the jar to get the last of the nard to anoint Jesus's feet in preparation for His Passion.
Mark 14:10-11 ~ Judas Betrays Jesus
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went off to
the chief priests to hand him over to them. 11 When they heard him, they were
pleased and promised to pay him money. Then he looked for an opportunity to
hand him over.
Judas has walked away from the "Light" that is Christ into the darkness of sin. He loved money more than he loved Jesus. He followed Jesus, but he did not believe in Him. There is no way to defend his actions. Judas stands in contrast to the faith and purity of the soul of the other Apostles. He also serves as a warning that wolves will be among the sheep within the Church. We know of Judas's failings in John 8:44 and 12:6, which describe him as a thief and a murderer. Scripture also tells us that he was the Apostles's treasurer, but he embezzled money collected for the poor. When people complain about abuses committed by priests and sinners within the Church, we need to remember Judas. Would you have left Jesus because of Judas? Nor should one entertain thoughts of leaving the Church when wrong actions unveil a modern-day Judas.
Mark 14:12-16 ~ The Preparations for the Sacred Meal of
the Passover Sacrifice
12 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
when they sacrificed the Passover lamb*, his disciples said to him, "Where do
you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?" He sent two of his
disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you,
carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of
the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room where I may eat the
Passover with my disciples?"' Then he will show you a large upper room furnished
and ready. Make the preparations for us there." The disciples then went off,
entered the city, and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the
Passover.
*The word "lamb" is not in the Greek text of Mark 14:12;
modern translators added the term (IBGE, vol. IV, page 140). The Passover
victim could be a lamb or a goat kid (Ex 12:5b).
St. Mark identifies the day: On the first day of the Unleavened Bread, when they kill the Passover, his disciples said to him, "Where do you desire that going we may prepare that you may eat the Passover?" (Mk 14:12; literal Greek translation IBGE, vol. IV, page 140). The Old Testament lists Passover and the week-long celebration of Unleavened Bread as two separate feasts (i.e., Ex 12 -13; Lev 23:4-8; Num 28:16-25). Unleavened Bread was a "pilgrim feast" requiring the attendance of every covenant male (Ex 23:14-17; 34:18-23; Dt 16:5-17; 2 Chr 8:13). However, in Jesus's time, the names of the two feasts were used interchangeably to refer to the entire eight holy days covered by both festivals (one day for Passover and seven days for Unleavened Bread).
The Jewish priest-historian Flavius Josephus (37-100 AD) records that in his time, the term "Passover" came to mean the celebration of both feasts as one festival event: "As this happened at the time when the feast of Unleavened Bread was celebrated, which we call the Passover" (Antiquities of the Jews 14.2.1; also see 17.9.3; Jewish Wars, 5.3.1). Like Josephus, St. John refers to the two feasts as "Passover," as Jews still do today. Although modern Jews call it "Passover," they do not keep the Biblical one-day Passover feast. They keep the feast of Unleavened Bread from the 15th-21st because there is no Temple or sacrificial altar where the Passover victims can be offered in sacrifice.
Please note that in the Hebrew and Greek texts of the Old and New Testament, the victim is never referred to as the Passover "lamb," as it is in many English translations. The animal could be a lamb or a goat-kid. The instructions for selecting the victim in the first Passover in Egypt required the people to choose: A flock-animal, a perfect one, a male, a yearling shall be to you. You shall take from the sheep or from the goats. And it shall be for you to keep until the fourteenth day of this month. And all the assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it between the evenings [twilights] (literal translation, Ex 12:5-6, IBHE, Vol. I, page 170). The "twilights" are between dawn and dusk = high noon.
St. Luke tells us Peter and John Zebedee were the two disciples sent to prepare the room (Lk 22:8). The residents of Jerusalem generously opened their homes to Jewish pilgrims during the Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread. They also provided rooms for the Passover victim's sacred meal, which had to be eaten within the walls of the holy city on the first night after the Passover sacrifice. Sundown on the day of the sacrifice was the beginning of the next day, Nisan the 15th, the first day of the seven-day pilgrim Feast of Unleavened Bread. The owner of the banquet chamber must have already secured the Passover goat-kid or lamb for Jesus.
When Peter and John arrived at the house, they discovered an upper room was ready with the banquet tables and couches for reclining at the meal (Mk 14:15a). However, as Jesus told them, Peter and John still needed to make other necessary preparations (Mt 26:19). They had to have an adequate supply of red wine for the banquet's four ritual communal cups and the wine the guests would consume during the meal (Mishnah: Pesahim, 10:1C). They needed to ensure that there were stone vessels filled with enough water for the three ritual handwashings during the dinner. They also had to provide the other necessary foods for the meal and set up a roasting pit and spit of pomegranate wood to roast the Passover sacrifice (Mishnah: Pesahim, 7:1B).
In addition to those arrangements, Peter and John also had to personally inspect the premises to ensure that all leaven, a sign of sin, had been removed (Ex 13:7). According to Mosaic Law, before noontime, the day before the beginning of Unleavened Bread at sundown, the covenant people were required to do a thorough search of the rooms of their houses in Jerusalem to remove all leaven for the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Ex 13:6-7; Mishnah: Pesahim, 1:3-1:4).
The covenant people were also required to begin a fast at noon: "On the eve of Passover (meal) from just before the afternoon's daily whole offering, a person should not eat, until it gets dark" (Mishnah: Pesahim, 10:1A). The "afternoon's daily whole offering" was the afternoon liturgical worship service and sacrifice of the second Tamid unblemished male lamb. The "eve of Passover" refers to the evening Passover meal eaten on the first night of Unleavened Bread (the Mishnah and the writings of the Rabbis, after the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, only refer to the entire eight days as "Passover," as does the Gospel of John). The preparations were ready, and the Apostles were about to begin a journey that would reveal the fulfillment of the three times Jesus gave them the prophecy concerning His Passion and Resurrection in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (e.g., Mk 8:31-33; 9:30-32; 10:32-34).
Mark 14:17-21 ~ The Feast of Unleavened Bread and Jesus
Announces His Betrayer
17 When it was evening, he came with the Twelve. 18 And
as they reclined at table and were eating, Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, one
of you will betray me, one who is eating with me." 19 They began to be
distressed and to say to him, one by one, "Surely it is not I?" 20 He said to
them, "One of the Twelve, the one who dips with me into the dish. 21 For the
Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom
the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never
been born."
The Temple hierarchy always set the date of the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the 15th of Nisan according to the lunar calendar, on the night of the first full moon after the spring equinox (Ex 12:8; Lev 23:5; Num 28:16; Mishnah: Pesahim, 1:1; Philo, Special Laws, II, 151, 155).
And as they reclined at table and were eating
What were they eating? They were eating the traditional meal
of the feast of Unleavened Bread: unleavened bread, bitter herbs, the roasted
meat of the Passover victim, and the meat of the voluntary festival offering if
there was one (see Ex 12:8). It was also permissible to have a mixture of fruit
and wine called charoset/haroset, which represented the red clay of Egypt and
the sweetness of redemption.
Sharing a meal was a sign of communion among friends and with the Lord God (Gen 26:30; 31:54; 1 Sam 9:24 and Ex 24:9-11; Lev 7:11-21; Dt 12:4-7, 11, 26-27). At the sacred meal on the first night of Unleavened Bread, Jesus made an announcement. The joyous gathering must have become solemn as He spoke of His betrayal by one of the Twelve. His prediction fulfilled a psalm verse attributed to His ancestor, David, in Psalm 41:10 ~ Even the friend who had my trust, who shared my table, has scorned [lifted his heel against] me. The words in the brackets are the literal translation of a Semitic expression for "to do violence." Jesus used the same expression at the Last Supper in John 13:18, when He said, "I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, 'The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me.'" Also, see comments on such a betrayal in Sirach 37:1-2.
The words from Psalm 41:10 recall God's judgment against the Serpent in Genesis 3:15 concerning his relationship with the "seed of the woman," the future Redeemer-Messiah. God told the serpent, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; He will crush your head while you strike at His heel" (literal translation in Gen 3:15, IBHE Vol. 1). The pronoun "He" in the quote is indeterminate and in Hebrew can be translated as "he" or "she." Therefore, it can refer to Christ or His mother. Revelation 12:9 reveals the Serpent's identity; he is Satan. God told the Serpent/Satan that the "seed of the woman," who is Jesus Christ, would "crush his head" or destroy him, while the Serpent can only do violence to Jesus ("strike his heel"). In the film "The Passion of the Christ," the opening scene dramatizes this prophecy very effectively and recalls what St. John wrote in 1 John 3:8b ~ The son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil.
There are two reasons why Jesus made this announcement without revealing the name of His betrayer. First, it causes His disciples to search their hearts in an examination of conscience as they recall Jesus's prophecy of His Passion, death, and resurrection. They must ask themselves whether they will remain loyal or betray their Lord. Second, it allows Judas to confess, repent his evil intentions, and seek forgiveness. It was an opportunity for repentance that he did not take.
20 He said to them, "One of the Twelve, the one who dips
with me into the dish. 21 For the Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of
him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be
better for that man if he had never been born."
They were eating from a communal dish into which they had
all dipped their hands, so they did not know which one was the betrayer. The
Scripture Jesus refers to that foretells His death is probably
Isaiah 52:13-53:12. In betraying the Son of God, Judas condemned himself to eternal
damnation. But, just as Jesus opened the opportunity for Judas to confess and receive
forgiveness by His warning, Judas rejected the offer. Judas's actions fulfilled
prophetic Scripture, but it does not mean he did not have free will in his
decision. Judas took full responsibility for the wicked path he took. God's
divine plan anticipates human actions but does not cause them.
Jesus came to the feast dressed in the seamless linen tunic of a priest (Jn 19:23). The manner of His dress identifies the Last Supper as a liturgical service. The sacred meal opened with a traditional blessing of the food by the family's father or the feast's host. All the food they ate that night was symbolic of the first Passover liberation from death. It was a story that Jesus retold for the assembled guests as the host of the meal (Ex 13:8-10). In addition to the roasted lamb or goat-kid that represented the first Passover victims:
According to tradition, they were to ritually wash their hands three times during the meal. At one of the ritual hand washings (probably at the beginning), Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles to teach them the importance of humility in service to the Kingdom of Christ (Jn 13:4-17). They also sang the Hallel Psalms, also called the Egyptian Psalms (Ps 113-118), during the meal.
Some scholars incorrectly suggest that Jesus and His disciples celebrated the Last Supper a day or two earlier than the designated feast day. They also suggest He used a solar calendar instead of the liturgically required lunar calendar, thereby rejecting the Temple hierarchy's date. Other scholars propose that no sacrificed lamb or kid was present at the meal and that the Last Supper only consisted of the bread and wine transformed into Jesus's Body and Blood. These theories ignore the testimony of Matthew 26:26, Mark 14:22, Luke 22:15, and John 13:26, 30 that they were eating before Jesus took up the bread He identified as His Body. It also ignores the Scripture reference to a cup of wine passed to those at the meal in Luke 22:17-18 before Jesus offered the Bread of His Body and the Cup of His Blood (Lk 22:19-20). The cup in Luke 22:17-18 was most likely the second of the four ritual cups called the "Cup of Forgiveness."
It is unthinkable that Jesus did not celebrate this feast at its liturgically designated time and according to the covenant commands. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus supported every aspect of the Old Covenant Law, saying: Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt 5:17-19). Jesus's work to fulfill the Old Covenant was not completed until He pronounced the words, It is finished (it is fulfilled/accomplished) from the Cross (Jn 19:30). Until that pivotal moment in salvation history, obedience to the Law as it was intended to be fulfilled in the true meaning and expression of the commands, prohibitions, and rituals God established for His people at Mount Sinai was supported by Jesus as the "way of life" (Dt 30:15-20).
Jesus fully supported the authority of the priesthood in fulfilling the rites and rituals of the Sinai Covenant, which certainly included appointing the dates of the designated feast days. On His last day of teaching at the Temple in Jerusalem, Jesus addressed the issue of the authority of the Temple hierarchy: Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you" (Mt 23:1-3; emphasis added). Jesus would not have told the people to obey the hierarchy of the Church one day and then do the exact opposite by celebrating the Passover on a day other than that designated according to the liturgical calendar on the next day.
The theory that Jesus and His disciples used another calendar and celebrated their meal earlier on Thursday instead of Friday comes from a misunderstanding of John 19:28. After the members of the Sanhedrin took Jesus to the Roman governor, they refused to enter the Roman Praetorium. They insisted on remaining in the courtyard of Pilot's residence: And they themselves did not enter to Praetorium, in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover. In St. John's Gospel, the entire 8 days is called "Passover." And "eat the Passover," mentioned in this verse, must refer to the required Sacred Assembly at the Temple that morning at 9 AM when the people brought their festival communion sacrifices (hagigah), which they ate each day in a festive meal (Mishnah: Pesahim, 6:4A). They had to remain ritually pure to attend the Sacred Assembly and take part in the communion meal (Lev 7:19b-21). This verse could not be referring to the Passover sacrifice and meal for three reasons:
The motivation of some to say the Passover sacrifice took place on Friday instead of Thursday is to reconcile their misunderstanding of how the Jews counted days in John 12:1, their misunderstanding of John 18:28, and the difference between Jewish and Roman time in John 19:14. They also wanted to make Jesus's death to take place at the very hour of the sacrifice of the Passover lambs and kids in the Temple. They did not realize that if Passover fell on a Friday, the sacrifices would have begun earlier at one-thirty (Mishnah: Pesahim, 5:1B-D). They also do not realize that there was a sacrifice that perfectly coincides with Jesus's Passion. It was not the many thousands of Passover lambs and goat kids but the single sacrifice of an unblemished male Lamb known as the Tamid sacrifice. The Tamid was the covenant's most important sacrifice. It was the single sacrifice of two lambs, ritually sacrificed during the Liturgy of Temple worship. The first lamb was sacrificed with its blood poured out against the altar in a morning liturgy at 9 AM (the third hour) and again for the second lamb at 3 PM (the ninth hour) for the atonement and sanctification of the covenant people, and the hoped-for salvation of the entire human race (Ex 29:38-42; Num 28:3-8; see the entire section of the Mishnah:Tamid; Philo, Special Laws, I.35 [169]). Also, see the book, "Jesus and the Mystery of the Tamid Sacrifice," at www.amazon.com.
It is also ludicrous to suggest that only bread and wine were at the meal Jesus hosted. This theory completely contradicts all the Gospel accounts that refute the theory that Jesus and His disciples did not eat the required Passover meal under the Law of the Sinai Covenant before the gift of the Eucharist. In addition to Mark 14:17, 20 see:
Eating this sacrificial meal in the middle of the lunar month of Nisan at the time of the full moon was the last legitimate sacrificial meal of the Old Covenant. It was a sacred meal that Jesus transformed and fulfilled at the Last Supper, which became the first Eucharistic ("thanksgiving") banquet for the New Covenant people of God. It was necessary for the faithful remnant of Jews who became the restored Israel of the New Covenant to participate in this last Old Covenant ritual. They must comprehend its transformation and fulfillment as a true sacrificial meal in the offering of Christ the Lamb of God in the Eucharistic banquet of a New Covenant liturgy.
If the Last Supper did not take place during the legitimately designated meal of the Passover victim on the first night of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, then the Jews present at the meal could not have understood Jesus's offering of the unleavened bread and red wine as His Body and Blood to be a continuing sacrificial meal and not just a symbolic gesture. The suggestion that Jesus celebrated the Last Supper on a night other than the prescribed Passover feast erodes the belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the Eucharist as a genuine sacrificial meal.
Mark 14:22-26 ~ The Last Supper and the Institution of
the Eucharist
22 While they were eating, he took bread, said the
blessing [gave thanks], broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this
is my body." 23 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they
all drank from it. 24 He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed for many. 25 Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again
the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
26 Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. [...] = Greek
term, IBGE, vol. IV, page 141.
Notice that Jesus did not offer His disciples the New Covenant sacred meal of His Body and Blood until after they were already eating (verse 22; also see Mt 26:26; Lk 22:14-20). He offered the gift of the first Eucharistic banquet:
After consuming the Passover sacrifice, those assembled could eat no other food, but the last two communal cups of wine remained to pass to the guests. The third cup was the Cup of Blessing or Redemption, and the fourth cup that concluded the meal was the Cup of Consecration (also known as the Cup of Acceptance). However, for the second time, Jesus broke with the ritual traditions of the meal. The first time was when He washed the Apostles's feet at the beginning of the meal (Jn 13:4-10).
22 While they were eating, he took bread, said the
blessing [gave thanks], broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this
is my body."
The Greek verb translated as "gave thanks" is euchristeo.
It is the origin of the Church's name for the Sacrament of the Eucharist, which
commemorates the Last Supper. Thanksgiving, "Eucharistia," is also the Greek
for the Hebrew word "Toda," the sacred communion meal of peace with God
(Lev 7:11-21).
24 He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed for many.
The phrase "blood of the covenant" is the same phrase used in
the ratification of the Sinai Covenant in Exodus 24:8. All covenants were
consecrated and ratified by blood sacrifice; for example, see Noah's covenant
in Genesis 8:20-21; 9:11 and Abraham's in
Genesis 15:9-18. The Last Supper is
not only the New Covenant sacred meal but also a covenant ratification ceremony
in the presence of God the Son in the same way the representatives of the
covenant people ate in the presence of God at Mount Sinai (Ex 24:9-11). Those
present at the meal would also have recalled the prophet Jeremiah's promise
that one day God would bring about a New Covenant (Jer 31:31-34).
But take a moment to reflect on His statement, which is shocking. Not only does it suggest His violent death in the shedding of His blood, but He asks them to violate a prohibition of the Sinai Covenant concerning consuming blood. It is as shocking as His statement in the Bread of Life Discourse that caused many of Jesus's disciples to walk away from Him (Jn 6:60, 66) when He said: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day (Jn 6:54).
What Jesus told them made remaining in the Old Sinai Covenant impossible (see Gen 9:4; Lev 3:17; 7:26; 17:10-12, 14; 19:26; Dt 12:16, 23-28; 15:23). The blood of a living creature was the means God provided for the atonement of humanity's sins. Therefore, consuming blood was a prohibition for the people of God, and the punishment for the violation of this prohibition was ex-communication. How, then, could Jesus ask His disciples to do what was repeatedly forbidden by Mosaic Law? In 2 Peter 1:4, Peter explains that to drink the blood of animals would be base and demeaning, but to drink the Son of God's blood is to be elevated to a share in His own divine life.
Notice the oath Jesus swore in verse 25 that He would not drink wine again until He would drink it new in the Kingdom of God. Drinking wine is one of the symbolic images of the prophets, symbolizing joy, festivity, abundance, and covenant union (Ps 4:8; 23:5b; Is 62:9; Mt 27:27-28; Lk 22:20). The oath Jesus swore means He could not have passed the fourth communal cup that officially concluded the sacred meal. It was called the Cup of Consecration (or Acceptance), and it symbolically sealed and confirmed God's covenant with Israel for another year. In offering those gathered what He identifies as His Body and His Blood, Jesus fulfills what He promised in the Bread of Life Discourse in John 6:35-56. He gave them the living bread that came down from heaven with the promise that whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world (Jn 6:51). Jesus's gift of Himself carries the promise: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him (Jn 6:54-56; see CCC 610-11).
Mark 14:27-31 ~ Peter's Denial Foretold
27 Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will have your
faith shaken, for it is written: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep
will be dispersed.' 28 But after I have been raised up, I shall go before you
to Galilee." 29 Peter said to him, "Even though all should have their faith
shaken, mine will not be." 30 Then Jesus said to him, "Amen, I say to you, this
very night before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times." 31 But he
vehemently replied, "Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny
you." And they all spoke similarly.
Jesus quoted a prophecy of Zechariah ~ Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my associate [chosen], says the LORD of hosts. Strike the shepherd that the sheep may be dispersed [scattered] (Zech 13:7). How bitterly Peter and the others must have remembered their boasts as the tragic events of Jesus's Passion and death began to unfold. Before the double trumpet signal of the "cockcrow" at 3 AM, He predicted that Peter would betray Him three times. There were two trumpet signals at 3 AM: one from the Levitical guards of the Night Watch at the Temple and the other from the Roman Night Watch at the Antonia Fortress. See Jesus's identification of the names of the night watches in Mark 13:35: Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning [dawn].
Mark 14:32-42 ~ Jesus's Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane
32 Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he
said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." 33 He took with him Peter,
James, and John and began to be troubled and distressed. 34 Then he said to
them, "My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch." 35 He
advanced a little and fell to the ground and prayed that if it were possible,
the hour might pass by him; 36 he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible
to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will, but what you will."
37 When he returned, he found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Simon, are you
asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may
not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." 39
Withdrawing again, he prayed, saying the same thing. 40 Then he returned once
more and found them asleep, for they could not keep their eyes open and did not know
what to answer him. 41 He returned a third time and said to them, "Are you
still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough. The hour has come. Behold,
the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners. 42 Get up, let us go. See, my
betrayer is at hand."
It was probably about midnight when Jesus and His disciples departed from the house of the Last Supper, exiting the city of Jerusalem and crossing the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives. They went to a place called Gethsemane (oil press), which St. John describes as a garden and a place where Jesus often met with His disciples (Jn 18:1-2). In this garden, Jesus faced His covenant ordeal. A covenant ordeal is a test of obedience to God that often involves personal sacrifice. Abraham's covenant ordeal was God's command to offer his only "beloved son," Isaac, in sacrifice (Gen 22:1-2). In Jesus's covenant ordeal, God the Father asked His "beloved Son" (Mk 1:11) to offer Himself in sacrifice, and Jesus, in His humanity, must submit of His own free will. Remember that the first man faced a covenant ordeal in a decision to either remain obedient to the will of God for his life or to make his own destiny. Adam's test of obedience was also similar to Jesus's since both faced their covenant ordeals in a garden (Gen 2:8, 16-17; 3:6-7).
33 He took with him Peter, James, and John and began to
be troubled and distressed. 34 Then he said to them, "My soul is sorrowful even
to death. Remain here and keep watch."
Jesus took the same three Apostles aside that He took with
Him when He healed the Synagogue official's daughter (Mk 5:37) and in the
Transfiguration experience (Mk 9:2).
35 He advanced a little and fell to the ground and prayed
that if it were possible, the hour might pass by him; 36 he said, "Abba,
Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not
what I will, but what you will." 37 When he returned, he found them asleep. He
said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?
What is the "hour" (see Jn 12:27), and what is the "cup"?
For the significance of "the cup" imagery, see the chart on the recurring
symbolic images of the Old Testament prophets: Symbolic Images of the Old Testament Prophets.
Remember, Jesus has already judged the Temple, the religious hierarchy, and the
people of Jerusalem, finding all guilty of covenant failure. In the prophets's
symbolic images, the "cup of God's wrath" symbolized divine judgment for
rebellion against the Lord God by failing to obey His covenant commands and
obligations. See the book, "Jesus and the Symbolic Images of the Prophets."
The "hour" refers to the coming Passion of the Christ. This passage reminds us that Jesus is fully human, and His humanity shuddered at what He must face in offering His sinless self up in atonement for the sins of humanity. St. Luke tells us that He was in such agony that His sweat fell like drops of blood (Lk 22:44). But, of His own free will, Jesus submitted Himself to God's divine plan for Him and the world's salvation. "The cup" is the cup of His suffering that He told James and John Zebedee that they would drink in Mark 10:39. It is "the cup" of the full force of God's judgment on sin, which he now willingly accepts (Mk 14:36), fulfilling the prophecies in Isaiah 51:17 and Jeremiah 25:16-18,
The key word in this passage is to "watch," gregoreuo (Mark 14:34 and 37), a command Jesus first gave in His discourse on the coming tribulation in Mark 13:9 and repeats it now. It is a warning for His disciples in all generations and every age of man.
Mark 14:43-52 ~ The Arrest
43 Then, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the
Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who had come from
the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. 44 His betrayer had arranged a
signal with them, saying, "The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him and lead
him away securely." 45 He came and immediately went over to him and said,
"Rabbi," And he kissed him. 46 At this, they laid hands on him and arrested
him. 47 One of the bystanders drew his sword, struck the high priest's servant,
and cut off his ear. 48 Jesus said to them in reply, "Have you come out as
against a robber, with swords and clubs, to seize me? 49 Day after day I was
with you teaching in the Temple area, yet you did not arrest me; but that the
Scriptures may be fulfilled." 50 And they all left him and fled. 51 Now, a
young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They
seized him, 52 but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked.
Again, St. Mark announces that Jesus's betrayal is by one of His own, one of the Twelve. The chief priests, scribes, and elders comprised Judea's governing civil body, the Sanhedrin, for whom the reigning High Priest served as the president. Judas's prearranged signal of a greeting and kiss, both ordinary acts of respect and affection, became acts of betrayal that illustrated the depth of Judas' contempt for Jesus. When Judas, of his own free will, refused Jesus's invitation to repent but still received Jesus's offer of the "sop" for the honored guest at the meal of the Last Supper, he closed his heart to Jesus and gave over his soul to Satan (Jn 13:26-27).
St. John's Gospel relays the information that Peter attempted to protect Jesus by attacking the high priest's servant and cutting off his ear (Jn 18:10). He offered one last sign of His divine authority by healing the servant's severed ear (Lk 22:51). Jesus protested that they were treating Him like a robber but acknowledges that this was so "the Scriptures may be fulfilled," probably a reference to the "Suffering Servant" passages in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and to the suffering of all God's holy prophets for carrying out God's commission (see Jer 37:13-16).
All the Apostles ran away, including a young man clothed only in a linen cloth, not a tunic but a Greek-style garment called a toga. The incident with the young man is only in Mark's Gospel. Many of the Church Fathers believed the youth was St. Mark himself. Mark was the son of the Jewess, Mary of Jerusalem, and a Roman father; his name, Marcus, is Latin. Linen was a textile of the wealthy and influential (Jewish priests wore linen garments), and the young man was not wearing the tasseled cloak of an adult covenant member (Num 15:37-39; Dt 22:12; Mt 9:20). His escape in his naked condition recalls the words of the prophet Amos: the most stouthearted of warriors shall flee naked on that day, says the LORD (Amos 2:16).
Mark 14:53-59 ~ Jesus's Trial by the Sanhedrin
53 They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the
chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together. 54 Peter followed
him at a distance into the high priest's courtyard and was seated with the
guards, warming himself at the fire. 55 The chief priests and the entire
Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus in order to put him to
death, but they found none. 56 Many gave false witness against him, but their
testimony did not agree. 57 Some took the stand and testified falsely against
him, alleging, 58 "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this Temple made with
hands, and within three days I will build another not made with hands.'" 59
Even so, their testimony did not agree.
Mark places the narrative of Peter's covenant ordeal at either end of Jesus's trial before the Sanhedrin. He contrasts Peter's cowardliness with Jesus's acceptance of the cup of suffering and His courage and resolve to fulfill God's plan. The way the civil and religious leaders conducted the trial demonstrated their hypocrisy and the contempt they had for the Law. The entire trial was a travesty of justice:
The council disregarded the Law concerning giving false statements. Bearing false witness was forbidden in the Ten Commandments, and the penalty according to the Law was death (see Ex 20:16; Dt 5:20; 19:16-18). For this outrage against justice, the unjust sentence with which they condemned Jesus became a judgment on their dark souls.
When it was morning [dawn], all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor (Mt 27:1-2).
Jewish theologian Philo of Alexandria (c. 25 BC – AD 50) on
the Tamid sacrifice: Accordingly, it is commanded that every day the priests
should offer up two lambs, one at the dawn of the day, and the other in the
evening; each of them being a sacrifice of thanksgiving; the one for the
kindnesses which have been bestowed during the day, and the other for the
mercies which have been vouchsafed in the night, which God is incessantly and
uninterruptedly pouring upon the race of men.
The Works of Philo,
Special Laws, I.35 [169]
Note that the Jewish "evening" is our afternoon and begins at noon.
At dawn in the Temple, the morning Tamid lamb was led out from the Lamb Office to be inspected by the High Priest or his representative. If he judged the lamb "without fault," it was tied near the altar, where it remained until the hour of sacrifice. The afternoon Tamid lamb was brought to the altar at noon (Mishnah: Tamid) and followed the same procedure. The single sacrifice of the Tamid Lamb in two worship services is intimately tied to the Passion of the Christ (see the chart: jewish time division and the book "Jesus and the Mystery of the Tamid Sacrifice" at amazon.com).
Mark 15:1-15 ~ Jesus's Trial by the Roman Governor
1 As soon as morning came, the chief priests with the
elders and the scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council. They bound
Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. 2 Pilate questioned him,
"Are you the king of the Jews?" He said to him in reply, "You say so." 3 The
chief priests accused him of many things. 4 Again, Pilate questioned him, "Have
you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of." 5 Jesus gave him no
further answer so that Pilate was amazed. 6 Now, on the occasion of the feast,
he used to release to them one prisoner whom they requested. 7 A man called
Barabbas was then in prison along with the rebels who had committed murder in a
rebellion. 8 The crowd came forward and began to ask him to do for them as he
was accustomed. 9 Pilate answered, "Do you want me to release to you the king
of the Jews?" 10 For he knew that it was out of envy that the chief priests had
handed him over. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him
release Barabbas for them instead. 12 Pilate again said to them in reply, "Then
what do you want me to do with the man you call the king of the Jews?" 13 They
shouted again, "Crucify him." 14 Pilate said to them, "Why? What evil has he
done?" They only shouted the louder, "Crucify him." 15 So Pilate, wishing to
satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them, and after he had Jesus scourged,
handed him over to be crucified.
At dawn, the Sanhedrin condemned Jesus to die. In the Temple, the first Tamid lamb was led to the altar at dawn, where the High Priest or his representative inspected it. If it was declared "without fault," he condemned it to die in the morning worship service for the sanctification and atonement of the covenant people. It was also a Sacred Assembly for the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Num 28:17-18). Ironically, the religious hierarchy selected both the Tamid lamb and Jesus to die "for the sake of the people" (Jn 11:49-50).
The Sanhedrin did not have the power to condemn Jesus to death. In the Roman provinces, only the Roman government had the power over life and death (Jn 18:31). Therefore, they took Jesus to Pontius Pilate, who had come to Jerusalem from the governor's residence in Caesarea Maritima on the coast. The Gospel of John records that it was "about the 6th hour" Roman time (which according to our time would be between dawn and 7 AM) when Pilate sat in judgment over Jesus (Jn 19:14). St. John only uses Roman time and Roman geographic terms in his Gospel written from the Roman city of Ephesus for a Gentile Christian audience (e.g., he refers to the Sea of Galilee as the Sea of Tiberius). All the Gospels agree that the Jewish authorities took Jesus to Pilate at dawn and record that He was not intimidated by the High Priest or by the Roman governor. Jesus was in charge of His destiny.
Jewish nationalism was always a problem during the annual feasts; therefore, there was usually an additional Roman presence during the festivals to ensure peace. Pilate served as the governor of Judea since AD 26. All the Gospels record that Pilate was reluctant to condemn Jesus. In John's Gospel, Pilate declares Jesus "without fault" three times (Jn 18:38; 19:4, 6). Pilate realized the Jewish leaders condemned Jesus because of their jealousy (Mt 27:18; Mk 15:10), so he continued to bait them by referring to Jesus as "king of the Jews." Pilate knew it was the title by which the crowds acclaimed Jesus on His ride into Jerusalem.
8 The crowd came forward and began to ask him to
do for them as he was accustomed.
One wonders where this crowd came from in the early morning
hours. Most righteous Jews who attended the sacred Passover meal the night
before were either getting up or preparing for the required liturgical Sacred
Assembly at the Temple that began at 9 AM with the offering of the first Tamid
lamb (Lev 23:7; Num 28:18). Were these people cut from the same cloth as the
false witnesses who the religious leaders recruited for Jesus's trial?
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to
have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Ironically, the crowd demanded that Pilate release Barabbas
instead of Jesus. The name bar Abbas in Aramaic means "son of the
father." They preferred to have a robber/revolutionary and a murderer released
to them instead of the peaceful and innocent Jesus. Jesus was the true "Son of
the Father," the true Son of God, while Barabbas was a human father's son.
13 They shouted again, "Crucify him."
Crucifixion is the most horrific form of capital punishment.
The Romans only used this form of execution for non-Roman citizens accused of
heinous crimes, including treason against Rome (St. Peter was crucified, but
St. Paul, a Roman citizen, was beheaded). Jesus's crime was treason: fostering
insurrection against Rome by claiming to be the king of the Jews and the son of
God, both titles of the Roman emperor. The religious authorities wanted to have
Jesus crucified by the Romans to discredit Him as a common criminal. They also
wanted the Jews to see Jesus as one who was cursed by God by being "hung on a
tree" and, therefore, could not possibly be the Messiah (see Dt 21:22-23).
Having the Romans execute Jesus also protected them from the crowds of Jews who
believed Jesus was the Messiah.
They did not understand that Jesus was taking upon Himself the curses they deserved for disobedience to God and His covenant. St. Paul wrote Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree," that the blessing of Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Gal 3:13-14 quoting from Dt 21:22-23).
Mark 15:16-20 ~ Christ the King is Crowned with Thorns
16 The soldiers led him away inside the palace, that is,
the Praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort. 17 They clothed him in purple
and, weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him. 18 They began to salute him
with, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 19 and kept striking his head with a reed and
spitting upon him. They knelt before him in homage. 20 And when they had
mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, dressed him in his own
clothes, and led him out to crucify him.
Wherever the Roman governor had his residence was considered the seat of the Roman government. When visiting Jerusalem, Pilate stayed either in the Antonia Fortress adjacent to the northeast corner of the Temple area or the palace of Herod near the Jaffa Gate. Most Biblical scholars favor Herod's palace since Jesus was passed back and forth between Pilate and Herod Antipas in Luke 23:6-11.
Jesus's silence before Pilate and Herod (Lk 23:9) and the ridicule Jesus endured at the hands of the Roman soldiers fulfill Isaiah's prophecies of Yahweh's Suffering Servant:
The Gospels record that Jesus was condemned and died on Preparation Day, the Friday before the Saturday Sabbath when all work must be accomplished before sundown when the Sabbath rest began (Mt 27:62; Mk 15:42; Lk 23:54; Jn 19:14, 31, and 42).
Mark 15:21-32 ~ The Way of the Cross and the Crucifixion
21 They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a
Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and
Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 They brought him to the place of Golgotha, which
is translated Place of the Skull. 23 They gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but
he did not take it. 24 Then they crucified him and divided his garments by
casting lots for them to see what each should take. 25 It was nine o'clock in
the morning [the third hour] when they crucified him. 26 The inscription of the
charge against him read, "The King of the Jews." 27 With him, they crucified
two revolutionaries, one on his right and one on his left. 28 And Scripture was
fulfilled that says, 'And he was counted among the wicked.'* 29 Those passing
by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the
Temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself by coming down from the
cross." 31 Likewise, the chief priests, with the scribes, mocked him among
themselves and said, 'He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the
Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and
believe." Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.
*It is not in the earliest manuscripts; it is a quote
from Is 53:2. [...] = literal Greek translation, IBGE, Vol. IV, page 147.
A pilgrim attending the feast, Simon of Cyrene, was forced to carry Jesus's cross when He became too weak (Mt 27:32-33; Lk 23:26; Jn 19:17). Cyrene was an ancient Greek and later Roman city located on the coast in present-day Libya. It was the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities in the region and gave eastern Libya the classical name Cyrenaica, which it has retained to this day. St. Mark names the sons of Simon, suggesting they were well-known within the Christian community. The name of the place of execution was "Place of the Skull," Golgotha in Hebrew/Aramaic, not because the hill looked like a skull but because it was a burial site. According to the Law, the location was outside the city walls since nothing "unclean" like a dead body could remain with the holy city of Jerusalem (Lev 24:14; Num 15:35; Jn 19:20).
As the Tamid lamb awaited its sacrifice, it received a drink from a golden cup. Jesus, the Lamb of God, was also offered a drink. It was wine mixed with a narcotic to dull the pain, but He refused it. It was probably a custom based on Proverbs 31:6-7 in which a condemned criminal was offered a drug to dull the pain. Jesus refused to drink the wine because He vowed He would not drink wine again until He came into His kingdom (see Mk 14:25).
24 Then they crucified him and divided his
garments by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
What we know of the horrors of execution by crucifixion and the
information that the soldiers cast lots for Jesus's clothing evokes Davidic
Psalm 22. The entire psalm is a description of a crucifixion victim centuries
before the Persians invented this form of torture and death: As dry as a
potsherd is my throat; my tongue sticks to my palate; you lay me in the dust of
death. Many dogs surround me; a pack of evildoers closes in on me. So wasted
are my hands and feet that I can count all my bones. They stare at me and
gloat; they divide my garments among them; for my clothing, they cast lots
(Ps 22:16-18).
25 It was nine o'clock in the morning [the third
hour] when they crucified him.
Mark is the only Gospel writer to record the exact time of
Jesus's crucifixion. Matthew and Luke's Gospels only mention the darkness of a
total eclipse that began at noon after Jesus had been on the cross for some
time. Mark's Gospel identified the crucifixion at the third hour and the
darkness from the sixth to the ninth hour (noon to three PM) in 15:33. The darkness,
a symbol for evil and sin in Scripture, engulfed the world. The total eclipse
occurred:
St. Mark wrote that they crucified Jesus at the third hour (nine AM, see Mk 15:25), when the darkness came over the entire earth beginning in the sixth hour (noon, see Mk 15:33a). The darkness continued from noon until the ninth hour or three in the afternoon our time (Mk 15:33; Mt 27:45; Lk 23:44). It is contrary to nature's laws for the sun's total eclipse to occur during the spring equinox's full moon cycle or last several hours. Even secular writers recorded the strange event. Julius Africanus, a Christian historian of the late second and early third centuries AD, quoted a Roman scholar named Phlegon, who wrote a history in which he commented on the rare phenomenon of a solar eclipse during the full moon cycle at the time of Christ's crucifixion: "During the time of Tiberius Caesar an eclipse of the sun occurred during the full moon" (Julius Africanus, Chronography, 18.1 quoting from Phlegon's Chronicles).
The chief priests perfectly planned their attack against Jesus. That morning, all the Jews who faithfully observed the covenant, including Jesus's followers, were at the Temple for the required Sacred Assembly that began when the Temple gates opened at the third hour (nine AM). By the time the liturgical service was over, with its many Unleavened Bread communal sacrifices and personal communion offerings at the eleventh hour (five PM), Jesus was dead (Num 28:18-23).
At the Temple, the High Priest or his officiating priest sacrificed the first Tamid lamb as the Temple gates opened for the liturgical worship service of the Sacred Assembly at the third hour Jewish time (nine AM). At noon (the sixth hour Jewish time*), the priests led the second unblemished Tamid lamb to the altar. At the ninth hour Jewish time (three PM), the priest sacrificed the second Tamid lamb for the atonement and sanctification of the covenant people. *The sixth hour of Roman time was dawn (about six AM); the Roman day began counting hours at the first hour after midnight.
In the first Egyptian Passover, the people smeared the sacrificial victim's blood with a hyssop branch from the threshold to the doorposts and lintels of the houses, forming the sign of a cross and representing the safe entry and protection of those under the "sign" of the blood (Ex 12:22-24).1 It was also a "sign" that visually illustrated the price of redemption and salvation, symbolically pointing forward in salvation history to the sacrificial death of Jesus, the Lamb of God (see 1 Pt 1:2; Rom 5:8-9; Heb 9:13-14; 13:12). In His crucifixion, Jesus's precious blood was smeared on the cross beams and upright support of the Cross, becoming a "sign" of salvation and redemption. His smeared blood was a "sign," just as the blood of the first Passover victims was a "sign" of salvation and deliverance from the tenth plague. The entire event of the first Passover and the salvation of the Israelites prefigured the Passover of our Lord and the salvation of humanity from slavery to sin and physical death.
26 The inscription of the charge against him read,
"The King of the Jews."
Despite the chief priests's protests that the plaque should
read "He said he was King of the Jews," Pilate ordered that the plaque listing
the crime of the condemned person for Jesus should read "The King of the Jews"
in three languages: Aramaic, Greek, and Latin (Jn 19:19-22). The irony is that
it was the truth.
Mark 15:33-41 ~ The Death of Jesus
33 At noon [the sixth hour], darkness came over the whole
land until three in the afternoon [the ninth hour]. 34 And at three o'clock
[the ninth hour] Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema
sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
35 Some of the bystanders who heard it said, "Look, he is calling Elijah." 36
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed, and gave it to
him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down." 37
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 The veil of the Sanctuary was
torn in two from top to bottom. 39 When the centurion who stood facing him saw
how he breathed his last he said, "Truly, this man was the Son of God!" 40
There were also women looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary
Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome. 41
These women had followed him when he was in Galilee and ministered to him.
There were also many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.
The daily Tamid sacrifice was the most important of all the blood sacrifices of the Sinai Covenant. According to Mosaic Law, all other sacrifices could only be offered "in addition" to the Tamid (ordained 15 times in Num 28-29). According to Flavius Josephus, a chief priest in the first century AD, the afternoon Tamid was sacrificed at the ninth hour, or three in the afternoon (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 14.4.3 [65]). Despite the engulfing darkness, the afternoon Tamid's liturgy continued at the Temple by the light of the altar fire. But what is the connection between Jesus and the Tamid sacrifice? It was a single sacrifice of two lambs offered to God in perpetuity until the destruction of the Temple and the end of the Sinai Covenant (Ex 29:38-42; Num 28:3-8; Dan 11:31). The first Tamid lamb was offered in the morning at nine AM and the second in the afternoon at three PM, with each sacrifice accompanied by a red wine libation and an offering of unleavened bread (Ex 29:40-41).
The Hebrew word "Tamid" means "standing" as in continual or perpetual. It is significant how St. John described Jesus in his vision in Revelation 5:6. Jesus is the true Lamb of God, which every Tamid lamb down through the centuries only prefigured. St. John saw Jesus as the "Lamb Standing" (in Greek, Arion Hesketos) before the throne of God, continually offering up His perfect, unblemished sacrifice. Jesus's sacrifice, like the Tamid, was a single sacrifice of His humanity (morning Tamid) and His divinity (afternoon Tamid). His sacrifice is continually (the meaning of the word tamid) present on the altar of the New Covenant people of God with unleavened bread that becomes His glorified Body and a red wine libation that becomes His precious Blood. For more information concerning Christ's fulfillment of the Tamid Sacrifice, see the book "Jesus and the Mystery of the Tamid Sacrifice" at amazon.com.
Jesus, the unblemished Lamb of God, fulfilled all the different classes of the blood sacrifices of the old covenants. The Passover blood sacrifice was thousands of unblemished male lambs and goat-kids, offered once a year. However, the Tamid single sacrifice of two unblemished male lambs was offered daily for the expiation and sanctification of the covenant people (one in a liturgical worship service every morning and another in the afternoon). The only other single sacrifice of an unblemished male lamb was on the day of the Feast of Firstfruits on the first day after the Sabbath of the Holy Week of Unleavened Bread (Lev 9-12). All other festival sacrifices required multiple lambs. Both the Tamid and Firstfruits lambs were sacrifices uniquely fulfilled in Christ's Passion and Resurrection:
34 And at three o'clock [the ninth hour] Jesus cried out
in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me?"
According to the Gospels, Jesus made seven statements from
the altar of the Cross:
| Jesus's Last Seven Statements from the Cross | Scripture |
| 1. "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." | Lk 23:34 |
| 2. "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." | Lk 23:42 |
| 3. "Woman, behold, your son... Behold, your mother." | Jn 19:26-27 |
| 4. "Eli, Eli lema sabachthani," "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" = Hebrew | Mt 27:46 (*Ps 22:1a quoted in Hebrew) |
| "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani," "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" = Aramaic* | Mk 15:34 (Jesus quoted from Ps 22:1/2a in Aramaic) |
| 5. "I thirst." | Jn 19:28 |
| 6. "It is fulfilled."+ | Jn 19:30 |
| 7. "Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit." + | Lk 23:46 (Ps 31:5/6 quoted) |
| Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2012 | |
* Jesus alluded to Psalm 22 in
Mt 27:35, 39, and 43.
+ It is hard to know which of these two statements are His last words from the
Cross. Also, see the document on the Crucifixion: Crucifixion of Christ
35 Some of the bystanders who heard it said, "Look, he is
calling Elijah." 36 One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a
reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to
take him down." 37 Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
Some in the crowd were confused by His words, thinking Jesus
was calling on the prophet Elijah. St. John records that the "reed" upon which
the Roman guard offered Jesus the wine was a hyssop branch. Jesus drank the
wine and then cried out, "It is finished," before He took His last breath and
gave up His spirit (Jn 19:29).
It is significant that the reed was a hyssop branch and that Jesus drank this wine while He had refused wine earlier because of His vow not to drink wine until He came into His Kingdom (Lk 22:17). In the first Passover in Egypt, the people used a hyssop branch to smear the atoning blood of the first Passover victim around the doors of the houses Israelites as a "sign" of redemption and salvation (see Ex 12:22). It is fitting in Jesus's crucifixion that the soldier used a hyssop branch to give Jesus the wine that symbolized the "wine of God's wrath" in divine judgment (Is 51:17-22; Jer 25:15; Rev 16:19) that Jesus took upon Himself as God accepted His sacrifice and He entered into His Kingdom.
As Jesus prepared to enter His divine Kingdom, the wine He drank was also symbolic of the 4th Cup of the sacred Passover supper that He could not offer at the end of the meal. When the host offered the last cup at the end of the Passover meal, he said: "It is finished" (also translated as "It is fulfilled"). His words announced the fulfillment of the obligation for another year, and once again, the people were consecrated to the covenant with Yahweh. What is "finished/fulfilled" that Jesus announces from the Cross is the old Sinai Covenant (see Mt 5:18; Heb 8:6, 13). His words declare that there is now a new Passover sacrifice whose blood is offered for the purification of sins (Heb 9:22, 27-28) and a new sacred meal that will mark the continuation of a New Covenant in the blood of Christ, establishing a New Covenant in fellowship with God.
38 The veil of the Sanctuary was torn in two from
top to bottom.
The curtain torn from top to bottom covered the entrance to
the Temple's most sacred space where God's Presence dwelled with His people,
the Holy of Holies. Jewish priest-historian Flavius Josephus wrote that the curtain's
thickness was the width of a man's hand (Antiquities of the Jews, 3.7.7).
The tearing of the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies
was not a natural event. The ripping open of the curtain signified that the way
into God's Divine Presence in the heavenly Sanctuary that was closed since Adam
and Eve's sin was now opened and ready to receive the souls of the just, and
God the Father had accepted His Son's atoning sacrifice (see CCC 536 and 1026).
39 When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he
breathed his last he said, "Truly, this man was the Son of God!"
The Roman officer was the first to proclaim Jesus the Son of
God after the Crucifixion, a foreshadowing of the coming of the Gentiles into
the New Covenant Kingdom.
Mark 15:42-47 ~ The Burial of Jesus
42 When it was already evening, since it was the Day of Preparation,
the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a distinguished member of
the council, who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God, came and courageously
went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was amazed that he
was already dead. He summoned the centurion and asked him if Jesus had already
died. 45 And when he learned of it from the centurion, he gave the body to
Joseph. 46 Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down, wrapped him in the
linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. Then he
rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the
mother of Joses watched where he was laid.
The Jewish "evening" is our afternoon or early evening since the next day begins at sundown. Mark 15:42 and John 19:31 establish Jesus's crucified on Friday, called "Preparation Day" for the Saturday Sabbath. Roman governor Pilate was surprised that Jesus had died because it was not uncommon for a healthy crucifixion victim to last for three days.
Jesus's friends needed to get custody of His body as soon as possible on Friday afternoon. At sundown, the Sabbath would begin, and if they wanted to bury Him according to the Law and traditions of the Jews, He must be in the tomb before sundown. If they hadn't acted as soon as possible, the Romans would have cremated the body according to Roman customs. The tomb was new (not previously used) and belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, one of Jesus's disciples (Mt 27:57-60). The Gospel accounts do not mention that Jesus's disciples washed His body, as was the custom for a person who died a natural death because the blood of a person who died a violent death had to remain with the body. That the shroud was linen means it was costly. The women disciples watched to mark the tomb's location so they could return and continue the customary mourning rituals on the first day of the week after the Sabbath. When they returned, they discovered the miracle that completely altered the course of human history.
Catechism references for this lesson (* indicates
Scripture quoted or paraphrased in the citation):
Isaiah 50:4-7 (CCC 713);
50:4 (CCC 141)
Philippians 2:6-11 (CCC 2641, 2667); 2:6-9 (CCC 1850); 2:6 (CCC 449); 2:7 (CCC 472, 602, 705, 713, 876, 1224); 2:8-9 (CCC 908); 2:8 (CCC 411, 612, 623); 2:9-11 (CCC 449, 2812); 2:9-10 (CCC 434); 2:10-11 (CCC 201); 2:10 (CCC 633, 635)
Mark 14:12-25 (CCC 1339); 14:18-20 (CCC 474); 14:22 (CCC 1328); 14:25 (CCC 1335, 1403); 14:26-30 (CCC 474); 14:33-34 (CCC 1009); 14:36 (CCC 473, 2701); 14:38 (CCC 2849); 14:57-58 (CCC 585); 14:61 (CCC 443); 15:11 (CCC 597); 15:34 (CCC 603, 2605); 15:37 (CCC 2605); 15:39 (CCC 444)
Christ's life an offering to the Father (CCC 606-607)
Christ's desire to give his life for our salvation (CCC 542, 607)
The Spirit glorifies the Son, and the Son glorifies the Father (CCC 690, 729)
Christ ascended in glory as our victory (CCC 662, 2853)
The history of the covenants (CCC 56-64, 220, 715, 762, 1965);
also see the chart on Yahweh's Eight Covenants.
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2015; 5revised 2024 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.