Among the four canonical gospels, Luke is the best for spiritual reflection. Luke skillfully tells the story of Jesus in such a way that we are drawn to reflect on our relations with Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. The Passion Narrative is a masterpiece for such a spiritual meditation.
Scholars have reached a consensus that the gospel of Mark was written first. The other two synoptic gospels follow his outline and embellish it with carefully selected details.Therefore, gospels are not simply a collection of news reports of the daily life of Jesus. Each evangelist has his own agenda.
For example, while the other two synoptic gospels report that Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, the Lucan version is more electrifying by adding a challenging line.
but Jesus said to him, "Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?" (Luke 22:48)
Judas can be replaced by any proper noun. It can be Alex, Betty or Charles. Anyone of us could betray Jesus today in our life situation and cover up our betrayal with a good intention or excuse. Can we not be careful in our daily life?
One more example. Perhaps because of a lack of confidence as a result of personal shortcomings, we seldom look at people in their eyes. We think that it is impolite to do so, one more excuse. Read the three denials of Peter. The cock crewed and the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered Jesus' words, broke down and wept bitterly (vv 60-62). Oh! How much do I desire to look at Jesus in his eyes so that I may truly repent. Luke is able to create such a scenario for us to meditate upon. Thank you, Luke.
We have entered the Holy Week, the climax of Jesus' ministry. What happened in this fateful week was a roller coaster ride, putting our faith in a tempest. Many have fallen and only a few could stand the ground. Are we among the falling? May God help us. Amen.
Before the Easter Holiday, I played a BBC "Mysteries of the Bible" documentary in class to make students know a bit more about the life and passion of Jesus. The first episode was entitled "Who killed Jesus?" To be sensational and contentious, BBC proposed three suspects: Caiaphas, Pilate and Jesus himself!
The Passion of Jesus is not a simple drama which took place two thousand years ago. It is an occasion to reveal the true human nature to us. As a Catholic, I should not be pessimistic towards human nature. However, it seems to me that human nature makes little progress since then. The plot repeats itself throughout history in different reincarnations. Caiaphas and Pilate seem to be some sort of an archetype who surely will pop up in the political theatre.
Caiaphas whose financial and political interests were threatened by Jesus, used a utilitarian reason to persuade the Sanhedran to kill Jesus (John 11:50). Many political leaders use utilitarianism in their reasoning to justify their policies and decisions and people would not hold them immoral. Had Caiaphas not been the High Priest, we would have forgiven him for his proposal to kill Jesus. But he was the High Priest and how could a religious leader not stand up to defend the life of an innocent?
Pilate was in a different position. He was a Roman governor and as such a politician. We don't expect politicians to be principled. They will not hesitate to bend to political pressures. So, when Pilate could not find fault with Jesus and publicly declared him innocent, Pilate would bow to pressure and handed Jesus over to be crucified. We do not blame politicians for not having backbones. It is our misfortune to have politicians of such a low calibre to occupy the seats.
These days, Hong Kong people have witnessed many such "bending" incidents among government officials. The drama of Jesus' passion repeats again in different reincarnations nowadays. So, help us God. Amen.
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