Word to the Wise
Saturday, March 23, 2013 - 5th Week of Lent - Sat
[Ezek 37:21-28 and John 11:45-56]Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, "What are going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation."........So from that day on they planned to kill him.
I recommend strongly that you read from the beginning of the particular chapters represented in today's scripture: Ezekiel 37 and John 11. Otherwise the passages given for the day do not receive their full meaning. The passage from Ezekiel today follows the vision of the "dry bones!" The passage from John follows the raising of Lazarus from the dead! In Lazarus' case, this becomes a kind of "last straw" for the religious authorities in Jerusalem. Caiaphas, the high priest, provides the Sanhedrin (a kind of ruling council) with a rationale. If they don't get rid of Jesus, the whole Jewish nation will suffer. The evangelist presents this as an unintentional prophecy on the part of Caiaphas. He was speaking of political expediency but the early Christian community saw his words as a prophecy about the salvific effect of Jesus' death! Indeed, the Romans did come and destroy the Jewish temple and nation, but this took place as a result of the Jewish revolt 66-70 AD nearly 30 years after Jesus' death. The early Christian community saw itself as the "true Israel" that was saved by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Giving new life to the "dead" would be a significant theme and the new "temple" would be the person of Jesus himself, not the building envisioned by Ezekiel! [cf. John 2:19-21].
The challenge in the Gospel of John is to participate in the "action on the ground" while understanding the interpretation given by the evangelist to these events and at the same time being aware of our own reactions. This is especially true in the events of Holy Week, when everything that has happened up to that point in the gospel now takes on its true and lasting significance. It is a wonderful opportunity to deepen our understanding of the Lord's passion, death and resurrection. Don't miss it! AMEN