Word to the Wise
Saturday, March 23, 2024 - 5th Week of Lent - Sat
[Ezek 37:21-28 and John 11:45-56]I will take the children of Israel from among the nations to which they have come, and gather them from all sides to bring them back to their land. [Ezekiel] .....[Caiaphas] prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God....[John]
The immediate problem for the Jewish Sanhedrin was the troublemaker from Nazareth. They feared that Jesus would cause a riot or insurrection and lead to Roman intervention that would destroy Judaism. Which is exactly what would happen as the evangelist already knew since this gospel was composed nearly 30 years after the event. Except it would not be Jesus who would draw catastrophe, but a general rebellion in 66 AD that eventuated in Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD. However, the Christian community saw in the prophecies of Ezekiel and others the broad plan of salvation that was accomplished in Jesus. The evangelist quotes Jesus as saying: "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." [John 12:32]
How broad IS this plan? Some Christians see the plan as referring only to those who have an explicit faith in Jesus. Others would include Jews and Moslems. Still others are willing to accept the possibility that Jesus meant exactly what he said and leave the implementation to God and to faithful witness by Christians to all people of good will. At the time of Jesus' death and resurrection the number of people who believed in him was pitifully small. The development of the "Body of Christ" would take a long time and is still going on. The Church is the principal leader but faith can be found in persons outside of it as the gospels attest - the Syro-phoenician woman and the Roman Centurion at the cross, for example. We must accept mystery when it comes to claiming we know everything that God "has in mind." [Romans 11:34] Holy Week begins tomorrow with Palm Sunday. Its effects are still with us in our own faith and will continue to have an impact until the Lord comes again. AMEN