Political threat

‘If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our land and our nation.’  (John 10:31-42)

Today’s Gospel is another example of what I spoke about on Thursday – the reason Jesus was crucified.  Our typical Catholic response to the question of why Jesus was crucified was, “because of our sins”.  But the presenter of our clergy seminar on Monday claims that is wrong.  Jesus was crucified because he was dangerous!  He was dangerous politically.  He was dangerous socially.  And he was dangerous religiously. 

At first they just thought he was simply crazy, out of his mind.  But, he soon became a threat to just about anyone and everyone, because what he preached overturned the existing way of life in every way conceivable, and no one likes to change from a what is familiar and comfortable to something that is difficult and uncomfortable, to say the least.  And that was why he was eventually crucified.

Today’s passage follows the raising of Lazarus from the dead, and the Pharisees and chief priests have become so threatened by Jesus that they have called a special meeting of the Sanhedrin to discuss what they could do about him.  We see how their concern has evolved from a charge of blasphemy to a larger political threat: the loss of their nation.  And so he must die; his message must be stopped.

As we prepare to enter into Holy Week, let us take some time to reflect on both the message of Jesus, and the fact that this message has survived for over 2000 years.  Nothing has stopped this Good News from being passed down from generation to generation, and now it is our responsibility to pass it along to future generations as well. 

May our celebration of the events of Holy Week truly assist us to fulfill our role in the building of the Father’s Kingdom of true and lasting peace.