Pierced for Our Offenses: Reflections on the Readings for Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Psalm 31
Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42

One of the things that separates Jesus from all other men is that “every other person who ever came into this world came in it to live. He came in it to die.” (Fulton Sheen, Life of Christ.)

Isaiah speaks of sheep and the lamb being led to the slaughter. Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd. On Good Friday the Shepherd laid down His life for us, His sheep. Like the sacrificial lamb of Passover, He was without blemish, the perfect example of innocence and truth. And yet, His purpose was to die for those who are not.

Reading this selection one can almost imagine that Isaiah was granted a vision of the Christ and His sacrifice of love; His marred look, spurned, a man of suffering, “oppressed and condemned.” “But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.”

This selection also refers to Jesus’ obedience and the well-known statement from John 3:16. By giving “his life as an offering for sin,” we, His descendants, will have a long life, or as St. John put it, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” In His obedience, “He ... take[s] away the sins of many, and win[s] pardon for their offenses.”

The responsorial psalm centers around one of the seven utterances of Jesus on the Cross: “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit.” The picture it paints is similar to that of Isaiah, brokenness, and object of reproach. But still, like Jesus, the psalmist has trust in the Lord and he tells us to do likewise.

The letter to the Hebrews reminds us that Jesus is our great High Priest. In fact He is both Priest and Victim, the sacrificial Lamb and the one offering the sacrifice. He has been tested like us but remained without sin. And so He identifies with us and with our failings. “As a Priest, He was humanity’s representative; as a Victim, He was humanity’s substitute.” (Life of Christ.)

The reading from Hebrews also reminds us of the importance of obedience, by which “He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”

The Good Friday Passion narrative is always from the gospel of St. John. The passion narratives from the other gospels are spread out according to the three year cycle of readings for Palm Sunday (the other Palm Sunday readings are constant).

The Passion selection begins after the Last Supper when Jesus and the Apostles go to the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas the betrayer, “got a band of soldiers and guards
from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.” Fulton Sheen notes, “The greatest betrayers are those who have been cradled in the sacred associations of Christ and His Church.” (Life of Christ.) Jesus knew what was going to happen and had told the Apostles in the previous chapter, “the hour has come.” The “hour” refers to the Cross. When the soldiers and the guards told Him who they were looking for, Jesus declared His divinity by saying, “I AM,” at which “they turned away and fell to the ground” as they knew what He meant. (See Exodus 3:13-15.) Jesus, out of concern for His sheep asks that the Apostles be let free. Peter rashly wields his sword (poorly) cutting off the ear of the slave of the high priest, which Jesus heals immediately.

Acknowledging His obedience to the Father, Jesus says, “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?” He is then led away to the high priest who questions Him. John then relates Peter’s denial which Jesus had predicted.

Jesus is bound and led to Pilate who asked what charges they (the Jewish leaders) had against Him. Sidestepping the question they declared, “If he were not a criminal,
we would not have handed him over to you.” Pilate challenged them at which point they declared their intent, “We do not have the right to execute anyone.”

Pilate asks Jesus about His kingship as that would be a challenge to Roman rule. When Jesus replied, “My kingdom does not belong to this world,” Jesus tells him He came into the world to testify to the truth. Recall that during the Last Supper discourse Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; ...” (John 14:6) Pilate sneered and said, “What is truth?”

“Pilate’s supreme interest was the peace of the state, hence the supreme interest of the Sanhedrin was to prove that Christ was a disturber of the peace.” (Sheen)

Pilate realized He was not a direct threat to Rome and declared Jesus’ innocence. Offering the Jews a way out Pilate offered a “prisoner exchange,” of a revolutionary (Barrabas) to try to appease them, at which they chose the revolutionary over the Son of God.

Pilate again tried to appease them, having Jesus scourged and humiliated. Presenting Him to the crowd, led by the chief priests and the guards, they demanded He be crucified. After questioning Jesus again, Pilate addressed the crowd, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Pilate, fearing the crowd then handed Jesus over to be crucified.

At Golgotha, Jesus is crucified with two criminals. Here Pilate unwittingly acknowledges the truth by having an inscription placed on the Cross, “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.” When challenged by the chief priests, Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written.”

Next John recounts a number of prophecies coming to pass, such as casting lots for His tunic, which was a seamless garment. The Jewish priestly garment, an ephod, was made of linen and seamless.

Jesus then gives His Mother to John, who represents His followers (us), thus making her the mother of the Church. (See Revelation 12:1.) John then details Jesus’ death. Note that He was offered wine on a sprig of hyssop. Hyssop was used to spread the blood of the sacrificial lamb on the lintels during the first Passover.

As Jesus gives up His Spirit, John recounts some other prophecies coming to fruition. “Not a bone of it will be broken.” And “They will look upon him whom they have pierced.” The piercing of Jesus’ side is significant for the blood and water which poured out, taken as a reference to baptism in which we die with Christ. As St. Paul tells us, “Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.” (Romans 6:3-5.)

 The readings for Good Friday, while detailing Jesus’ sacrifice of love, are rich with fulfillment. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament. Even though these readings depict the death of Jesus, it doesn’t end here. The implication of the Resurrection is hidden in the first reading from Isaiah, “Therefore I will give Him His portion among the great, and He shall divide the spoils with the mighty.” If we live in Christ, He will divide the spoils of Heaven with us.

“The Cross would demand that souls give up what they loved most and be content with the treasure in God’s hands.” (Fulton Sheen, Life of Christ.)