Good Friday, April 6, 2007

Scripture: 52:13-53,12. Psalm 31:2-6,12-17,25. Hebrews 4:14:14-16,5,7-9.
Passion Narrative of John chapters 18-19. Lectionary # 41:

Upon reading the hymn of the Suffering Servant (it is the most profound of
the four suffering servant hymns), I was moved by the great similarities to
the sufferings of Jesus expressed in our Passion Narratives. John's is the
most theological of the four Gospels and has the unexpected climax of
seeing the crucifixion not as a failure but as a success and a victory over
sin and death. The servamt hymn contains this breakthrough that the result
of the Suffering Servant "is not failure but success, and success inspite
of his sufferings." (Penna, A New Catholic Commentary on Scripture, p.594).
We are inspired by this magnificent prophetic complement to Our Lord's
sufferings. I also think that our four Passion Narratives were written in
the light of this hymn and other hymns similar to it. Jesus for the early
Jewish Christians in Jerusalem was the fulfillment of Second Isaiah in this
final hymn. In meditating on this profound inspirational and theological
prophecy we learn that suffering is not necessarily to be seen as a sign of
sinfulness on the part of the sufferer but as a free willed oblation and
atonement for others who have sinned. As we hear the Passion of John read
on this Good Friday we are led to see Jesus taking up his own cross and
being lifted upon it. Our following of the Master leads us to do the same
and to realize the victory of the Resurrection is symbolically seen in the
lifting up of Jesus on his Cross. This narrative may be based on an older
and different tradition than the Synoptics and has the deepest theological
insight into the death and resurrection of Jesus. For the Jewish
interpretation of the hymn that is so closely related to this theology, we
see that Israel as a corporate personality is to be this Suffering Servant.
Another scholarly Jewish interpretation sees Jeremiah as the servant and
finally the Talmud has Moses as the servant of suffering. We are able to
profit spiritually from all of these interpretations, but for us
Christians, it is at the foot of the Cross that we look up to Jesus
together as we are united with the Beloved Disciple and the Mother of Jesus
looking up at the Crucified Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Amen.