We glory in your cross, O Lord , , , for by virtue of your cross, joy has come into the whole world.
1st
Reading: Isaiah 52:13—53:12
This long passage is the fourth of the Servant Songs
of Second Isaiah (the others are 42:1-4, 49:1-6, and 50:4-9). This final song,
by far the longest of the four, is often called “The Song of the Man of Sorrows.”
In each of the songs the servant is not identified. Typical of Jewish interpretations are to see
in the figure of the servant the nation itself.
Christians have taken these songs to be prophecies of the Messiah, thus
the servant is Jesus. This fourth of the songs is a proclamation of the
servant’s victory, but it is a victory through suffering, not only his own
suffering but his suffering with others and on their behalf. It is a primary text for understanding the
salvation of sinful human kind as having been achieved by the substitution of
an innocent as the sacrifice required for sin.
It should be emphasized that this is not the only way of understanding
how the atonement works in the scriptures.
52:13 See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted
and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14 Just
as there were many who were astonished at him—so marred was his appearance,
beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals—15 so he shall startle many nations; kings
shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them
they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. 53:1 Who has believed what we have heard? And to
whom has the arm of the Lord been
revealed? 2 For he grew up before
him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or
majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should
desire him. 3 He was despised and
rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as
one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no
account. 4 Surely he has borne our
infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck
down by God, and afflicted. 5 But
he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was
the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
all turned to our own way, and the Lord
has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He
was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb
that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is
silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By
a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression
of my people. 9 They made his grave
with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet
it was the will of the Lord to
crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see
his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. 11 Out of his anguish he shall see light; he
shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant,
shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will allot him a portion with
the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out
himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin
of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Psalm 22
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? *
and are so far from my cry
and from the words of my distress?
2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; *
by night as well, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are the Holy One, *
enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
4 Our forefathers put their trust in you; *
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 They cried out to you and were delivered; *
they trusted in you and were not put to shame.
6 But as for me, I am a worm and no man, *
scorned by all and despised by the people.
7 All who see me laugh me to scorn; *
they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,
8 “He trusted in the Lord;
let him deliver him; *
let him rescue him, if he delights in him.”
9 Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, *
and kept me safe upon my mother’s breast.
10 I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; *
you were my God when I was still in my mother’s
womb.
11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, *
and there is none to help.
12 Many young bulls encircle me; *
strong bulls of Bashan surround me.
13 They open wide their jaws at me, *
like a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water;
all my bones are out of joint; *
my heart within my breast is melting wax.
15 My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd;
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; *
and you have laid me in the dust of the grave.
16 Packs of dogs close me in,
and gangs of evildoers circle around me; *
they pierce my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.
17 They stare and gloat over me; *
they divide my garments among them;
they cast lots for my clothing.
18 Be not far away, O Lord; *
you are my strength; hasten to help me.
19 Save me from the sword, *
my life from the power of the dog.
20 Save me from the lion’s mouth, *
my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls.
21 I will declare your Name to my brethren; *
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.
22 Praise the Lord, you
that fear him; *
stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel;
all you of Jacob’s line, give glory.
23 For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;
neither does he hide his face from them; *
but when they cry to him he hears them.
24 My praise is of him in the great assembly; *
I will perform my vows in the presence of those who
worship him.
25 The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *
“May your heart live for ever!”
26 All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the Lord,
*
and all the families of the nations shall bow
before him.
27 For kingship belongs to the Lord;
*
he rules over the nations.
28 To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; *
all who go down to the dust fall before him.
29 My soul shall live for him;
my descendants shall serve him; *
they shall be known as the Lord’s for ever.
30 They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *
the saving deeds that he has
done.
2nd
Reading: Hebrews 10:16-25
The Letter to the Hebrews (by an unknown writer) uses the image as the
new and eternal high priest, who has entered the sanctuary (the holy of holies)
and bids us, as those who now “share in his eternal priesthood” (words from our
Rite of Baptism) to follow him there, with “a full heart in full assurance of
faith.” Yet this experience of
forgiveness and purity is not an end in itself.
We are to “provoke” (i.e., “call forth”) love and seek encouragement
through our gatherings in Jesus’ name.
10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days,” says the Lord: “I
will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,” 17 he also adds, “I will remember their sins and
their lawless deeds no more.” 18 Where
there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 19 Therefore, my friends, since we have
confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened
for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21 and since we have a great priest over the house
of God, 22 let us approach with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an
evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast to the confession of our
hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to provoke one
another to love and good deeds, 25 not
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Passion
Gospel: John 18:1—19:37
John’s story of the Passion and Death of
Jesus differs in many ways from Mark, Matthew, and Luke. In John, Jesus is the confident one through
all this crisis. It is as if he were in
charge, rather than those who are bringing charges against him. Even on the cross, Jesus’ final words are “It
is finished,” in stark contrast to Matthew’s & Mark’s, “My God, why have
you forsaken me?” Troubling in this
Gospel, has always bee those passages which tend toward the later obsession of
the church that the Jews were guilty of Jesus death. John 19:15 is an
example. Whenever the translation is “the
Jews,” the reference can actually be to a segment of the Jewish population,
such as the religious authorities. One
cannot and should not use this, or any other New Testament writing to cast an
eternal guilt on the Jewish people for the death of Jesus. Overall John portrays triumphant Jesus, ultimately
even triumphant over death. If John has
an atonement theory it is the victory of Jesus over the powers of darkness and
death.
18:1 Jesus went out with his
disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which
he and his disciples entered. 2 Now
Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there
with his disciples. 3 So Judas
brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests
and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them,
“Whom are you looking for?” 5 They
answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed
him, was standing with them. 6 When
Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking
for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus
answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men
go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word
that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” 10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,
struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was
Malchus. 11 Jesus said to Peter,
“Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father
has given me?” 12 So the soldiers,
their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they took him to Annas, who was the
father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the
Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. 15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed
Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus
into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but
Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to
the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought
Peter in. 17 The woman said to
Peter, “You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am
not.” 18 Now the slaves and the
police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing
around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming
himself. 19 Then the high priest
questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20 Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to
the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the
Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to
them; they know what I said.” 22 When
he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face,
saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23
Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong.
But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the
high priest. 25 Now Simon Peter was
standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his
disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, a
relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in
the garden with him?” 27 Again
Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. 28 Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to
Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not
enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat
the Passover. 29 So Pilate went out
to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered, “If this man were not a
criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves
and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted
to put anyone to death.” 32 (This
was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was
to die.) 33 Then Pilate entered the
headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the
Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you
ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your
own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you
done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My
kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my
followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But
as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate
asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For
this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he
had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case
against him. 39 But you have a
custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release
for you the King of the Jews?” 40 They
shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit.
19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had
him flogged. 2 And the soldiers
wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple
robe. 3 They kept coming up to him,
saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look,
I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of
thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the police saw
him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him
yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according
to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 Now when Pilate heard this, he was more
afraid than ever. 9 He entered his
headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no
answer. 10 Pilate therefore said to
him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to
release you, and power to crucify you?” 11 Jesus
answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you
from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater
sin.” 12 From then on Pilate tried
to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no
friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against
the emperor.” 13 When Pilate heard
these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place
called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14
Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about
noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15
They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!”
Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We
have no king but the emperor.” 16 Then
he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; 17 and carrying the cross by himself, he went
out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called
Golgotha.
18 There they crucified him, and with him two
others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also had an inscription written and
put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription,
because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was
written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 Then
the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the
Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I
have written.” 23 When the soldiers
had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts,
one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless,
woven in one piece from the top. 24 So
they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who
will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my
clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” 25 And that is what the soldiers did.
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s
sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple
whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your
son.” 27 Then he said to the
disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into
his own home. 28 After this, when
Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the
scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29 A
jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine
on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30
When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then
he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did
not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because
that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the
legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs
of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he
was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34
Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at
once blood and water came out. 35 (He
who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true,
and he knows that he tells the truth.) 36 These
things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones
shall be broken.” 37 And again another
passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”
The
Scripture quotations (except for the psalm) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the
Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ
in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.
All rights reserved. The Psalm
translation is from The Book of Common
Prayer. Commentaries copyright © 2017,
Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY
14843, www.epiphanyesources.com. All
rights reserved. Permission is given to reprint and/or modify for
congregational use.
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