From the Sunday Note, with additional reflections:
The rulers sneered at Jesus 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 Christ?
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.”
Gospel for this Sunday, Luke 23:35-43
Just a few notes about our Gospel, which at first glance might seem an odd choice for the final Sunday of the liturgical year, which celebrates Jesus as “King of the Universe.”
- By “save himself” and “save yourself,” said by the rulers, the soldiers, and one condemned criminal, they all mean “let’s see you escape dying and live more of your life.” They have no sense of a meaningful afterlife.
- No doubt Pilate resented being maneuvered into crucifying Jesus by the local bigwigs who felt Jesus some kind of a threat. He didn’t sense Jesus as a threat to his rule—but it was easier to condemn him to death than face riots stirred up by those locals. That might undermine his support back in Rome. So, he gave them what they demanded—but sent them a warning, too. The sign specifying the condemned man’s crime was carefully worded in a way Pilate knew those local leaders would perceive as a concrete threat to themselves. “I wrote the sign just so that my Roman troops and I can re-use it for any of you who start feeling “kingly” yourselves.” Something like that happened, too, in spades, under Vespasian and Titus.
- “Paradise” is the word used in Genesis for the Garden of Eden, God’s original life space for humankind. Jewish teachers of the 150-200 years before Christ began to work out a deepening understanding of the afterlife that for the first time included bodily resurrection. They used “Paradise” to mean the abode of righteous human spirits between the time of their earthly death and the time of the general resurrection of their bodies. That is the understanding shown here: the repentant criminal’s spirit will be with Jesus’ spirit in Paradise from the time of his physical death until Jesus’ bodily resurrection on the first day of the next week. The thief will eventually join all those receiving their bodies at the General Resurrection of the dead, at God’s creation of “a new heavens and a new earth.”
- The second thief is the model for all of us: a sinner who admits it, repentant and accepting of suffering/punishment, who trusts in Jesus and appeals to him for eternal salvation.
For further reflection:
One more note–the “wine” offered to Jesus was not “a simple but tasty red” we may be sure. Looking out for the comfort of men being tortured to death was not a high priority. More likely it is what we would call vinegar, that is, opened wine that has spoiled as the sugars in the wine are consumed by bacteria. Bitter, sour–well, imagine taking a swig from the apple vinegar in your kitchen. Even if it were regular wine offered by a sympathetic bystander, it would only increase the man’s thirst.
There will be no Sunday Note this coming Thanksgiving weekend. The Sunday Note should resume December 4th, so check back here on December 5th or 6th.
Thank you for your interest. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.