Readings:

Is. 52:13-53:12; Ps. 31; Heb. 4:14-16, 5:7-9; Jn. 18:1-19:42

Today, we reach the climax of the Easter Triduum as we focus on our Blessed Lord’s Suffering and Death on the cross. The cross is at the center of our Christian life; it is at the center of our Triduum. As I was preparing for my Good Friday homily, several scriptures stood out to me. First, from the prophet Isaiah, who says, “See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted” (Is. 52:13). In Jesus, lifted high on the Cross, we see the fulfillment of this prophecy. The prophet Isaiah, however, begins with this rather triumphant image of being raised high as if a king ascending his throne, but then goes on to describe, in a paradoxical way, what the Suffering Servant must first undergo. He says, “Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear” (Is. 53:11). In other words, Jesus had to suffer the way he did to accomplish the work of redemption. And this suffering was not in vein, nor was it for his own sake, rather, he offers himself as a total sacrifice to God in expiation for the sins of the world. The Cross of Christ, therefore, becomes the Tree of Life, and indeed the Throne of Grace. St. Paul says, “So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help” (Heb. 14:16). In a few moments, we will all approach the Throne of Grace, the Cross, to venerate the sign of our salvation.

Part of my meditation on the Passion Narrative from the Gospel of John was the importance of service. Whom do we serve? On the night of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, something that culturally would have been beneath Jesus, but he insists, saying, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me” (Jn. 13:8b). He models for his disciples what he himself taught, namely, “[T]he Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28). And in order for that ransom to be paid, Jesus had to be handed over.

At that time, a man named Caiaphas was high priest in Jerusalem. Judas had accepted 30 pieces of silver from Caiaphas to lead them to Jesus, but when they arrived at the garden, there is something interesting about the behavior of the guards. As soon as Jesus identifies himself as “I AM,” they turned away and fell to the ground. Could it be that even Caiaphas’ own guards were convinced that Jesus was the Christ? Then something jarring happens, Peter takes his sword and strikes the high priest’s slave, and cuts off his right ear. John tells us this man’s name was Malchus, which means “king.” What is John trying to tell us about this exchange? We just heard from the prophet Isaiah that the Suffering Servant will startle many nations, and because of him kings shall stand speechless. Here is Malchus, a name that means king, yet he is himself a slave to the high priest, a slave to the agenda, a slave sent to capture the Son of the Most High God. If he has one ounce of faith, perhaps he may be freed of his slavery to the establishment and embrace the truth of Christ; perhaps he may escape a life where the high priest is imposed upon him, and he may freely choose to follow the true High Priest. As St. Paul says, “We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens.” Did Malchus see this in Jesus? Do we see this in Jesus? Whom do we serve?

One last word about Malchus losing his ear. In the Book of Deuteronomy, when someone submitted to being a slave, their master would take an awl and put it through the slave’s ear into a door. That would leave two marks, one in the slave’s ear and the other in the master’s door, and those two marks would line up as a testimony of their contract. When Peter saw Malchus bowing before Jesus when he says “I AM,” was Peter seeking to liberate Malchus from his slavery to Caiaphas by removing the evidence of his contract? But, Jesus tells Peter to stand down, saying, “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?” There is only one way to liberate the world from sin, and it will not be through aggression. Rather, Jesus willingly submits to being tortured and crucified, “Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter” (Is. 53:7a). As he is disfigured from his Passion, he takes upon himself the disfiguring sins of the whole world and is raised high for all to see.

After Jesus was crucified and he entrusted his mother to the care of the disciple whom he loved, Jesus says, “It is finished.” This last word of Jesus applies only to his redemptive work, which is to appease the wrath of the Father for the sins of the world. Jesus will no longer suffer and die for sin. It is finished once and for all.

And so, this Good Friday, we focus on the sign of our salvation, the tree of torture become the Tree of Life. As we venerate the cross, we venerate the sacrifice of Jesus, who frees us from sin and is the source of eternal salvation. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.