Narrative Lectionary for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, 6 April 2014

Narrative Lectionary for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, 6 April 2014

Lectionary Scriptures:

John 19:1 So Pilate then took Jesus, and flogged him. 2 The soldiers twisted thorns into a crown, and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple garment. 3 They kept saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and they kept slapping him.

4 Then Pilate went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I bring him out to you, that you may know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”

5 Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. Pilate said to them, “Behold, the man!”

6 When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify!”

Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves, and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him.”

7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”

8 When therefore Pilate heard this saying, he was more afraid. 9 He entered into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Pilate therefore said to him, “Aren’t you speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have power to release you, and have power to crucify you?”

11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin.”

12 At this, Pilate was seeking to release him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you release this man, you aren’t Caesar’s friend! Everyone who makes himself a king speaks against Caesar!”

13 When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called “The Pavement”, but in Hebrew, “Gabbatha.” 14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, at about the sixth hour.[a] He said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”

15 They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!”

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”

The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

16 So then he delivered him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away.

Footnotes:

a. John 19:14 “the sixth hour” would have been 6:00 AM according to the Roman timekeeping system, or noon for the Jewish timekeeping system in use, then.

Psalm 146:1 Praise Yah!

    Praise Yahweh, my soul.

2 While I live, I will praise Yahweh.

    I will sing praises to my God as long as I exist.

3 Don’t put your trust in princes,

    each a son of man in whom there is no help.

4 His spirit departs, and he returns to the earth.

    In that very day, his thoughts perish.

5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,

    whose hope is in Yahweh, his God:

6 who made heaven and earth,

    the sea, and all that is in them;

    who keeps truth forever;

7 who executes justice for the oppressed;

    who gives food to the hungry.

Yahweh frees the prisoners.

8     Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind.

    Yahweh raises up those who are bowed down.

    Yahweh loves the righteous.

9 Yahweh preserves the foreigners.

    He upholds the fatherless and widow,

    but the way of the wicked he turns upside down.

10 Yahweh will reign forever;

    your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise Yah!

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Commentary on John 19:1-16a by Craig A. Satterlee

Jesus gets enthroned. Everyone else condemns himself or herself. Let us count the ways we do!

Pilate gives the crowds -- and us -- a choice. Who does Pilate release -- Jesus, the king of the Jews, in whom Pilate finds no guilt or Barabbas, a violent revolutionary? Jesus’ accusers ask for Barabbas. They choose violence as their king. In the language of this gospel: “And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). We condemn Jesus -- and ourselves when we choose other -- seemingly more powerful, pragmatic, and expedient -- kings. The preacher might dare to name some of them.

But Pilate is not ready to condemn Jesus to death. Instead, Pilate has Jesus flogged (John 19:1).   In the process of torturing Jesus, the soldiers ironically coronate him king. They crown Jesus with thorns and dress him in a purple robe. Then the soldiers mockingly but truthfully hail Jesus as “the king of the Jews” (19:3). Jesus is crowned, clothed, and proclaimed king by Roman soldiers. If the soldiers knew the truth they were speaking, they would realize that they had condemned themselves as traitors. Perhaps the preacher might name some of the ways our cruelty condemns us. Anyone who has ever witnessed bullying on the school playground will understand.

Pilate goes out to Jesus’ accusers again (19:4-7) and declares Jesus innocent a second time. Jesus comes out under his own power, still in control, dressed as a king. Jesus is not condemned but crowned. Unlike the synoptic gospels, Jesus remains dressed in purple robe and crown. He goes to the cross, his glorification, as a king. Pilate calls Jesus “the man,” as in Son-of-Man. The chief priests and police demand that Pilate crucify Jesus. Presented with their crowned king, “the innocent Son-of-Man,”1 Jesus’ accusers fulfill his words: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he” (8:28). They finally bring their charge against Jesus to Pilate: Jesus claims to be the Son of God (19:7). Jesus’ accusers cannot or will not see that Jesus is. And, like the Pharisees on hand when Jesus healed the eyes of the man born blind (John 9:1-41), they condemn themselves for refusing to see God in their midst. How often we condemn ourselves in this same way.   

Pilate is “more frightened than ever” (19:8) by the possibility that Jesus might be “the Son of God.” He enters the headquarters again and asks Jesus the foundational question of John’s Gospel: “Where are you from?” (19:9). But Jesus gives no answer to what we understand to be this foundational Christological question. In his previous encounter with Pilate, Jesus tried to invite the Roman governor into God’s kingdom and was rejected. Now, Jesus remains silent. Pilate threatens Jesus with his political power over life and death, but Jesus is not impressed. Jesus points to the one “from above,” who has ultimate power over life and death, and in so doing answers Pilate’s question of where Jesus comes from. Could it be that Jesus cannot help himself, but gives even Pilate one more chance to enter Jesus’ kingdom of truth? But Pilate doesn’t take it. Have you ever condemned yourself by refusing to accept grace?

Though Pilate is still not ready to enter Jesus’ kingdom of truth, he does, at least, seek to release Jesus. But now, Jesus’ accusers put Pilate on trial. They cry, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor” (John 19:12).   On the day of preparation for Passover, Pilate brings Jesus out, declares him king, and expresses surprise that Jesus’ accusers would crucify their king. Then, at noon -- the precise hour when the Passover lambs are sacrificed, as the chief priests declare themselves to be better friends of the emperor than Pilate (19:14), Pilate capitulates to their demands and hands Jesus over to be crucified, to be lifted up. The chief priests, who insisted that Jesus be put to death for claiming to be the Son of God, have claimed first Barabbas and now the emperor as their king. How do we condemn ourselves by the alliances we make and the company we keep?

On the cross, Jesus, who has been crowned rather than condemned, will be enthroned and glorified. Jesus will save us from all the ways we condemn ourselves -- choosing what is powerful, pragmatic and expedient; being cruel; refusing to see God in our midst; refusing to accept grace; the alliances we make and the company we keep. Our list goes on.

They take Jesus to be crucified (19:16). Still in control, Jesus carries the cross himself to Golgotha. Jesus is “lifted up” between two others, already gathering people to himself. Yes, we remember Jesus’ words to Nichodemus: “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.... For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.... Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:14-17).

Note:

1. Francis J. Maloney and Daniel J. Harrington, Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of John (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1998), p. 495.

PRAYER OF THE DAY:

Holy God,

In this season of contemplation, help us to recognize and know the one true king, Jesus Christ. We worship and praise him for his majesty and glory. Amen.

HYMNS:

“I want Jesus to walk with me”   ELW 325, UMH 521, NCH 490

1. I want Jesus to walk with me;

I want Jesus to walk with me;

all along my pilgrim journey,

Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.

2. In my trials, Lord, walk with me;

in my trials, Lord, walk with me;

when my heart is almost breaking,

Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.

3. When I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me;

when I’m in trouble, Lord, walk with me;

when my head is bowed in sorrow,

Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me

“Praise the one who breaks the darkness”   ELW 843

1. Praise the One who break the darkness

With a liberating light;

Praise the One who frees the pris'ners

Turning blindness into sight.

Praise the One who preached the Gospel,

Healing ev'ry dread disease,

Calming storms, and feeding thousands

With the very Bread of peace.

2. Praise the One who blessed the children

With a strong, yet gentle word;

Praise the One who drove out demons

With the piercing two-edged sword.

Praise the one who brings cool water

To the desert's burning sand;

From this Well comes living water

Quenching thirst in ev'ry land.

3. Let us praise the Word incarnate,

Christ, who suffered in our place.

Jesus died and rose victorious

That we may know God by grace.

Let us sing for joy and gladness,

Seeing what our God has done;

Let us praise the true Redeemer,

Praise the One who makes us one.

CHORAL:

“My song in the night” Paul Christiansen

1. O Jesus my Savior, my song in the night,

Come to us with Thy tender love,

my soul’s delight.

Unto Thee, O Lord, in affliction I call,

My comfort by day, and my song in the night.

2. O why should I wander, an alien from Thee,

Or cry in the desert Thy face to see?

My comfort and joy, my soul’s delight,

O Jesus my Savior, my song in the night.

Chorus: My song in the night, my song in the night,

in the night, in the night, in the night.

3. O Jesus my Savior, my song in the night.

Come to us with Thy tender love,

my soul’s delight.

My comfort and joy, my soul’s delight,

O Jesus my Savior, my song in the night.

4. My song my song in the night,

in the night, my song

My comfort and joy, my soul’s delight.

O Jesus my savior, my song in the night,

in the night. My song in the night.

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John Wesley’s Commentary-Notes for:

John 19:1-16

Verse 1. Matt. xxvii, 26; Mark xv, 15.

7. By our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God - Which they understood in the highest sense, and therefore accounted blasphemy.

Verse 8. He was the more afraid - He seems to have been afraid before of shedding innocent blood.

Verse 9. Whence art thou? - That is, whose son art thou?

Verse 11. Thou couldst have no power over me - For I have done nothing to expose me to the power of any magistrate. Therefore he that delivered me to thee, namely, Caiaphas, knowing this, is more blamable than thou.

Verse 13. Pilate sat down on the judgment seat - Which was then without the palace, in a place called, in Greek, the pavement, on account of a beautiful piece of Mosaic work, with which the floor was adorned: but in Hebrew, Gabbatha - Or the high place, because it stood on an eminence, so that the judge sitting on his throne might be seen and heard by a considerable number of people.

Verse 14. It was the preparation of the passover - For this reason both the Jews and Pilate were desirous to bring the matter to a conclusion. Every Friday was called the preparation, (namely, for the Sabbath.) And as often as the passover fell on a Friday, that day was called the preparation of the passover.

Psalm 146

PS 146 The psalmist praises God, and exhorts all to trust in him alone, ver. 1-5. Because of his power, faithfulness and everlasting kingdom, ver. 6-10.

Verse 4. That day - As soon as ever he is dead. Thoughts - All his designs and endeavours either for himself or for others.

Verse 6. For ever - Both because he liveth for ever to fulfil his promises, and because he is eternally faithful.

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Sermon for Fifth Sunday of Lent, 6 April 2014

Why did He have to come to Jerusalem? I told him that the religious leaders desired to kill him. Why did he keep telling us about the fact that he must suffer at the hands of the Jewish Religious Leaders and the Roman Leaders? Look at him! The Roman governor even had him beaten with whips approximately 39 times. Now, look at what someone made of a thorn bush and jammed on his head. The blood coming out of his head as well as his back! Look! The crowd is yelling for him to be crucified while they demand for Barabbas to be released from prison instead of having him crucified for his violent crimes. I never saw Jesus harm any person, but Barabbas killed many Roman soldiers. Barabbas tactics will get us destroyed by the Romans, but Jesus tells us to love the Romans. I do not understand. Yes, I remember when I made the bold statement that I will go and die with him as he decided to go and check on Lazarus who was very sick almost to death. Then, when we arrived there, we discovered that Lazarus was dead for four days and bury in the tomb on the hill. Yet, Jesus called Lazarus out and Lazarus walked out of the tomb alive. Wow! What miracle! Now, Jesus is here being led to the crucifixion hill to be crucified right next to two criminals. Listen to the crowd. I can hardly believe it because just a few days ago the crowd was hailing him as King of the Jews. I do not see any history in the death of him, but he said that in three days he will be raised up. I do not believe it, but we will see. I wonder what people some 2000 years from now will think of the teachings, healing, and death of him. I do not know, but they probably will not even remember who he was. I am hurting and in pain and wonder what I am going to do next because I sold everything to follow him and now I have no livelihood. Lord G-d, have mercy on me and us. I will wait and see if what he said that he will be raised after three days of being crucified and buried in the tomb. What do you think, Simon, about all these events? I do not know about you, but I am going back to that room we celebrated Passover meal and celebrate Sabbath tomorrow and wait. Let us return to that room.

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