A Call to Silence

A Righteous Victim

A Commentary on the Passion Gospel of Mark 14:32-15:47
Palm/Passion Sunday (Yr. B)
April 13, 2003

The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt

St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino, CA

We began today's liturgy with the blessing of the palms, the singing of All Glory Laud and Honor, and the reading of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The atmosphere is one of hope and exultation. But now, the mood of the liturgy begins to change as we read about Jesus betrayal, arrest, capture, trial, sentencing, torture, crucifixion, and burial. This change in moods reflects our own experience in life where we experience both times of joy and celebration and times of suffering and distress. But since we already know the end of the passion story, since we know that death is not the final outcome, since we anticipate the resurrection, we Christians do not lose hope in the face of darkness. Though (like Jesus), we may cry out in times of great suffering, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me", these are not our final words because we hold onto hope.

Each year on Palm (or Passion) Sunday, we read a different passion story from one of the gospels: Matthew, Mark, or Luke. This year, we read Mark's version of the trial and execution of Jesus. In the first half of Mark's gospel, Jesus is presented as a man of extraordinary power; one who preaches the good news, heals the sick, and exorcises the demons. But at the end of Mark's gospel, Jesus is presented as a righteous victim, one who is identified with suffering humanity, one who is not in control. In spite of his tremendous faith and his commitment to the kingdom of God, Jesus was deeply grieved at what was to come. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he prayed that if it were God's will, then he would like to be spared from this fate of crucifixion.

Mark's gospel does not present the gory details of Jesus' death. It was not Mark's intention to "milk the story" in order to created melancholy, sympathetic sadness, and tears from the audience. Faith is not about "feeling bad" for Jesus and preaching is not about manipulating emotions. According to Jesus' own statement, he would suffer many things, be rejected, and killed. This passion story is a story about the struggle for power. This story about power is not only a unique story about the death of Jesus, but it reflects a more universal story about the pull and presence of darkness in the world. The trial of Jesus was one of injustice. This injustice was perpetrated by a hasty trial and a death sentence in spite of a lack of agreement among his accusers. Justice can be as difficult to obtain today as it was in 1st century Palestine. Mandatory, swift sentencing and an impatience to rush to justice, results in the destruction of many innocent victims.

Who killed Jesus? The responsibility for the death of Jesus lies at the feet of those who participate in the deceit and power politics that permit the casual sacrifice of innocent persons. This kind of killing continues today and we are worse off because of it. Courage and faithfulness to the gospel means that we learn from it and do not repeat the history of injustice and cruelty. Please remember this as we read the passion story and meditate on its meaning during the ringing of the bell. (i.e. following the gospel)

Updated 4/13/03

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