Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said that Jesus Christ was the only Person who was born on earth with the purpose of dying. The rest of us are born to live. Not He. In this lesson, we shall examine this aspect of the life of Jesus Christ, in which He finally accomplishes the mission for which He was sent.
1.1 Jesus took the blame
1.1.1 He "was made to be sin".
Saint Paul explains in two passages how "made to be sin", though He himself was sinless (cf John 8:46; I John 3:5).
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (II Corinthians 5:21)
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4)
Scott Hahn clarifies these two passages, saying that "making him to be sin" does not mean that Jesus Himself became a sinner, but a sin offering (cf Leviticus 4:24; 5:12; 6:25; 14:19). (See Scott Hahn, Ignatius Study Bible)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) in points 603 and 604, explains:
Jesus did not experience reprobation as if he himself had sinned [cf John 8:46]. But in the redeeming love that always united him to the Father, he assumed us in the state of our waywardness of sin, to the point that he could say in our name from the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" [Mark 15:34; Psalm 22:2; cf John 8:29]. Having thus established him in solidarity with us sinners, God "did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all", so that we might be "reconciled to God by the death of his Son" [Romans 8:32; 5:10]
604 By giving up his own Son for our sins, God manifests that his plan for us is one of benevolent love, prior to any merit on our part: "In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins" [I John 4:10, 19]. God "shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" [Romans 5:8].
It is in this context that we can understand better the words of Saint Paul in his Letter to the Philippians (2:7):
[He] emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
He emptied himself (this is the meaning of the Greek kenosis, which Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI love to recall), renounced His privileges as God and took on the form not only of a creature, but of a fallen creature, though without sin (cf Heb 4:15). It is not easy for us to comprehend this, but we glimpse the extent of the emptying of self that Jesus had to go through.
1.1.2 He took the place of each one of us, with no exception.
The CCC (605) teaches us that Jesus did not suffer this humiliation, this emptying, for only a few, but for everyone. In the parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus said:
"So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." (Matthew 18:14)
The Council of Quiercy of the year 853 declared:
There is not, never has been, and never will be a single human being for whom Christ did not suffer.
1.2 Jesus willingly carried out the plan of the Father.
1.2.1 It was all planned.
The suffering and death of Jesus Christ was not an accident; the Cross was not a result of bad luck. It was all planned out, not by any human being, but by the all-wise, all-loving and all-powerful God. It was all scripted, done "in accordance with the Scriptures."
Following are some passages in the Old Testament that describe the future suffering of the Messiah.
2 … he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. ... 10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand; 11 he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:2-7,10-12)
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?...
6 But I am a worm, and no man; scorned by men, and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock at me, they make mouths at me, they wag their heads;
8 "He committed his cause to the LORD; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, for he delights in him!"
16 ... they have pierced my hands and feet--
17 I can count all my bones-- they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them, and for my raiment they cast lots. (Psalm 22)
They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. (Psalm 69:21)
From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and bleeding wounds; they are not pressed out, or bound up, or softened with oil. (Isaiah 1:6)
After His Resurrection, when He appeared to two of His followers (cf Luke 24:13-33), He had to explain to them that the things that happened to Him had all been foreseen and foretold.
25 And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" 27 And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:25-27)
The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCCC), no 118 (see also Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), nos 599-605, 619) teaches:
Why was the death of Jesus part of God's plan?
To reconcile to himself all who were destined to die because of sin God took the loving initiative of sending his Son that he might give himself up for sinners. Proclaimed in the Old Testament, especially as the sacrifice of the Suffering Servant, the death of Jesus came about "in accordance with the Scriptures".
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), no 599 explains:
Jesus' violent death was not the result of chance in an unfortunate coincidence of circumstances, but is part of the mystery of God's plan, as St. Peter explains to the Jews of Jerusalem in his first sermon on Pentecost: "This Jesus [was] delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God" [Acts 2:23]. This Biblical language does not mean that those who handed him over were merely passive players in a scenario written in advance by God [cf Acts 3:13].
1.2.2 God made use of the freedom of men to carry it out
If it were all planned, then the question that arises in our mind is: "Were those who participated in the killing of Jesus mere puppets or pawns in the plan?" Again, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), no 600 explains:
To God, all moments of time are present in their immediacy. When therefore he establishes his eternal plan of "predestination", he includes in it each person's free response to his grace: "In this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place" [Acts 4:27-28; cf. Ps 2:1-2] For the sake of accomplishing his plan of salvation, God permitted the acts that flowed from their blindness [cf Matthew 26:54; John 18:36; 19:11; Acts 3:17-18]
1.2.3 Jesus knew the plan from the start and willed to carry it out.
In many different ways, Jesus also made His apostles understand that He was not an unsuspecting Victim. He was giving Himself up freely and gladly to be sacrificed. Note the following passages, for example.
"No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord." (John 10:18)
"The Father loves me, because I lay down my life, …[for] I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father." (John 10:17, 14:31)
1.3 Human Nature: Free and Perfect Instrument of God's Love
Jesus, as God, could not possibly suffer. He could only suffer as Man. Jesus made use of all his human powers to offer to the Father a sacrifice that will redeem us. He suffered physically and morally in undergoing pain and sorrow. Jesus Christ sanctifies and blesses these human realities which are often cursed by man. Jesus Christ teaches us that pain and sorrow are not to be rejected because they have a supernatural value. (Cf Cf. Heb 2:10,17-18; 4:15; 5:7-9; CCC 609)
2.1 The Last Supper Preparation
Point 120 of the CCCC (cf CCC 610-611,621) reminds us that
At the Last Supper with his apostles on the eve of his passion Jesus anticipated, that is, both symbolized his free self-offering and made it really present: “This is my Body which is given for you” (Luke 22:19), “This is my Blood which is poured out...” (Matthew 26:28) Thus he both instituted the Eucharist as the “memorial” (1 Corinthians 11:25) of his sacrifice and instituted his apostles as priests of the new covenant.
2.2 Unique and Definitive Sacrifice. New Covenant.
We read in the CCC, nos 613 and 614:
Christ's death is both the Paschal sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive redemption of men, through "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" [John 1:29; cf 8:34-36; I Corinthians 5:7; 1 Pt 1:19], and the sacrifice of the New Covenant, which restores man to communion with God by reconciling him to God through the "blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" [Matthew 26:28; cf Exodus 24:8; Leviticus 16:15-16; I Corinthians 11:25].
This sacrifice of Christ is unique; it completes and surpasses all other sacrifices [cf Hebrews 10:10]. First, it is a gift from God the Father himself, for the Father handed his Son over to sinners in order to reconcile us with himself. At the same time it is the offering of the Son of God made man, who in freedom and love offered his life to his Father through the Holy Spirit in reparation for our disobedience.[442]
No prayer and no other sacrifice matches the Mass in value, because the victim offered in the Mass is Jesus Christ himself, perfect God and perfect Man. Besides He is also the Priest that offers the sacrifice. (We highly recommend reading the Letter to the Hebrews, particularly chapters 5 to 8.)
2.3 Christ's Obedience Makes Up for Our Disobedience and Is a Model for Us
"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's disobedience many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:19). The sin of our first parents was one of disobedience; it could only be repaired through obedience (cf CCC 615).
Furthermore, Jesus also gives us an example of charity ("Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" John 15:13); of humility, gentleness and patience (he accepted his sufferings without trying to escape or lighten them, like a gentle lamb, cf Jeremiah 11:19); of detachment from the things of this earth--power, pleasure, possessions (he hung on the cross naked, ridiculed, spat upon, scourged and crowned with thorns). Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote:
Why did the Son of God have to suffer for us? There was a great need, and it can be considered in a twofold way: in the first place, as a remedy for sin, and secondly, as an example of how to act.
It is a remedy, for, in the face of all the evils which we incur on account of our sins, we have found relief through the passion of Christ. Yet, it is no less an example, for the passion of Christ completely suffices to fashion our lives. Whoever wishes to live perfectly should do nothing but disdain what Christ disdained on the cross and desire what he desired, for the cross exemplifies every virtue.
If you seek the example of love: "Greater love than this no man has, than to lay down his life for his friends." Such a man was Christ on the cross. And if he gave his life for us, then it should not be difficult to bear whatever hardships arise for his sake.
If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross. Great patience occurs in two ways: either when one patiently suffers much, or when one suffers things which one is able to avoid and yet does not avoid. Christ endured much on the cross, and did so patiently, because when he suffered he did not threaten; he was "led like a sheep to the slaughter and he did not open his mouth." Therefore Christ’s patience on the cross was great. "In patience let us run for the prize set before us, looking upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who, for the joy set before him, bore his cross and despised the shame."
If you seek an example of humility, look upon the crucified one, for God wished to be judged by Pontius Pilate and to die.
If you seek an example of obedience, follow him who became "obedient" to the Father "even unto death." For just as by the disobedience of one man, namely, Adam, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man, many were made righteous.
If you seek an example of despising earthly things, follow him who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Upon the cross he was stripped, mocked, spat upon, struck, crowned with thorns, and given only vinegar and gall to drink.
Do not be attached, therefore, to clothing and riches, because "they divided my garments among themselves." Nor to honours, for he experienced harsh words and scourgings. Nor to greatness of rank, for "weaving a crown of thorns they placed it on my head." Nor to anything delightful, for in my thirst "they gave me vinegar to drink."
2.4 The Cross: Accomplishment of Christ's Mission
Jesus Christ did not consider His mission accomplished until He had given His all and was about to breathe His last. It was only when He had been firmly fixed on the Cross that He could say, "Consummatum est"--"It is finished." This fact confirms what He had always claimed: that the reason He came down was to die and to offer His life to buy back the inheritance that our first parents have lost through pride and disobedience.
We Christians can learn from this lesson of Jesus. We will find meaning and purpose in our life only once we have made our own the mission of Jesus, giving ourselves body and soul for God and for others.
Point 618 of the CCC teaches us:
The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the "one mediator between God and men" [1 Timothy 2:5]. But because in his incarnate divine person he has in some way united himself to every man, "the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery" is offered to all men [Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, 22 # 5; cf # 2]. He calls his disciples to "take up [their] cross and follow [him]" [Matthew 16:24], for "Christ also suffered for [us], leaving [us] an example so that [we] should follow in his steps" [I Peter 2:21]. In fact Jesus desires to associate with his redeeming sacrifice those who were to be its first beneficiaries [cf Mark 10:39; John 21:18-19; Colossians 1:24]. This is achieved supremely in the case of his mother, who was associated more intimately than any other person in the mystery of his redemptive suffering [cf Luke 2:35]. "Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven" [St Rose of Lima: cf P Hansen, Vita mirabilis (Louvain, 1668)]
Saint Paul reiterates this point:
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." (Galatians 2:20)
"In my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church" (Colossians 1:24)
Saint Josemaría Escrivá ("Christ's Death is the Christian's Life," Christ is Passing By, 96) preached the need to contemplate
the mystery of Jesus Christ as something which continues to work in our souls. The Christian is obliged to be alter Christus, ipse Christus: another Christ, Christ himself. Through baptism all of us have been made priests of our lives, "to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (I Peter 2:5). Everything we do can be an expression of our obedience to God's will and so perpetuate the mission of the God-man.
St John (19) narrates:
38 After this Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who had at first come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds' weight. 40 They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
4.1 Jesus Christ Really Died
The CCC, no 627 confirms that Christ really died.
Christ’s death was a real death in that it put an end to his earthy human existence. But because of the union which the person of the Son retained with his body, his was not a mortal corpse like others, for 'it was not possible for death to hold him' [Acts 2:24] and therefore 'divine power preserved Christ’s body from corruption' [St Thomas Aquinas, STh III, 51, 3]. Both of these statements can be said of Christ: 'He was cut off out of the land of the living' [Isaiah 53:8], and 'My flesh will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let your Holy One see corruption' [Acts 2:26-27; cf Psalms 16:9-10]. Jesus’ Resurrection ‘on the third day’ was the sign of this, also because bodily decay was held to begin on the fourth day after death [cf I Corinthians 15:4; Luke 24:46; Matthew 12:40; Jonas 2:1; Hosea 6:2; cf John 11:39].
Jesus Christ tasted death (Hebrews 2:9), much as he tasted all kinds of human sorrow and suffering. Hence, he understands us, our sorrows and our suffering.
4.2 Body and Soul Remained United to the Person of the Word
Point 626 of the CCC teaches us that death did not separate the 2nd Person from either his body or his soul, though body and soul were both separated in death:
Since the "Author of life" who was killed [Acts 3:15] is the same "living one [who has] risen" [Luke 24:5-6], the divine person of the Son of God necessarily continued to possess his human soul and body, separated from each other by death: "By the fact that at Chnst's death his soul was separated from his flesh, his one person is not itself divided into two persons; for the human body and soul of Christ have existed in the same way from the beginning of his earthly existence, in the divine person of the Word; and in death, although separated from each other, both remained with one and the same person of the Word" [St John Damascene, De fide orthodoxa 3, 27: PG 94, 1097].
4.3 To be Buried with Christ
In the same way that we Christians follow Christ in every aspect of His life, we also follow Him in death, in losing our own life, in order to gain a new Life in Christ. CCC 628 tells us:
Baptism, the original and full sign of which is immersion, efficaciously signifies the descent into the tomb by the Christian who dies to sin with Christ in order to live a new life. "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."[474]
To be buried means to be hidden and forgotten. To be buried with Christ means to constantly reject pride, and seek to be hide oneself in Christ.
The practice of the hidden life has, therefore, two aspects: the first, negative and mostly exterior, consists in hiding ourselves from the eys of others and even from our own and in dying to glory and worldly honours. The second, which is positive and entirely interior, consists in concentrating on God in a life of intimate relations with Him. The first aspects is the condition and measure of the second: the more a soul is able to hide from creatures, and even from itself, the more capable it will be of living "with Christ in God," according to the beautiful expression of St Paul: "You are dead: and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). (Fr Gabriel of St Mary Magdalen OCD, "To Be Hidden With Christ in God," Divine Intimacy, p 342)