The Crucifixion

WLUKE 23:33-43

HEN they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” They divided his garments by casting lots. The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.” Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you

will be with me in Paradise.”

REFLECTION

THE PROCESSIONS OF JESUS. Our liturgy today makes me reflect on three processions of Jesus. First, there is the processional entrance of Jesus into the holy city of Jerusalem. While on several occasions Jesus forbade the crowd from proclaiming him as the Davidic King and Messiah, Jesus seems to have finally encouraged the crowd to shout: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” This chant does not only express the joy of the crowd; it identifies Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. In their excitement, though, the people never quite understand that Jesus’ messianic identity is quite different from their dreams and expectations of a political and military restorer. Jesus processes astride a humble colt on which no one has ever ridden, not on a proud and powerful horse of a cavalier. And Jesus enjoys the procession. When the Jewish religious leaders ask him to silence the crowd, he declares that should the crowd grow silent, the very stones on the road would shout his praise. The second procession is the way of the cross, described in the Gospel of the Passion. Here, Jesus is not carried in triumph. He is the one who carries a heavy cross. There are shouts that accompany him. This time, the shouts express anger. The crowd probably feels shortchanged. The people thought that Jesus would put up a fight with Pilate, with the puppet King Herod, with the oppressive Temple priests. They welcomed him as their hope, but he seemed to have been cowed in the face of the traditional symbols of power. So, they now shout: “Away with this man. Crucify him! Crucify him!” Yes, the people do not fully understand Jesus. Still, Jesus enjoys the procession! He tells the women of Jerusalem who mourn and lament for him: “Do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children.” This day, the beginning of Holy Week, makes me think of a third procession: the contemporary and phenomenal procession of the suffering Christ known to many Filipinos as Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno. Here, the suffering Christ is carried and pulled by a sea of devotees shouting out their faith: “Viva, El Señor!” Sociologists and theologians argue that these devotees do not really know Jesus Nazareno. These devotees, who mostly come from the dregs of society, are seen as fanatics, thugs, thieves, and common criminals. I believe Jesus enjoys their company. He has blessed many of them whose only hope is in him. He has given them health, wealth, good opportunities, and the recovery of some loved ones. I hear the echo of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor and the poor in spirit, for theirs is the experience of God’s reign and power.