To go or not to go

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John: (11, 45-57)

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what he had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, ‘What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.’ But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know nothing at all! You do not understand that it is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.’ He did not say this on his own, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to put him to death.

Jesus therefore no longer walked about openly among the Jews, but went from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness; and he remained there with the disciples.

Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. They were looking for Jesus and were asking one another as they stood in the temple, ‘What do you think? Surely he will not come to the festival, will he?’ Now the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus was should let them know, so that they might arrest him.

This is the word of the Lord. 

Listen on: http://word.op.org/2012/03/31/ 

To go or not to go, this is the question three types of people asked in this selection from the Gospel written by John. 

First there were the chief priests and the Pharisees who had decided to silence Jesus because he was performing many signs and many believed in him. They saw their position threatened and so they wanted to eliminate Jesus. Jesus was saying and showing that he came from God, so they had to kill him. Caiaphas thought he was knowledgeable, while he was only the mouthpiece through which God prophesied his workings for the salvation of the whole nation. God used Caiaphas as a prophet for he was that year’s high priest.

So the chief priests and the Pharisees were eager to see if Jesus would go to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover, and they asked, “Will he go or will he not go to Jerusalem? Shall he fall into our trap so we could arrest him? They ordered the people to give any information that could lead to his arrest. They wanted Jesus to go to Jerusalem for the festival.

Then there were people who were asking themselves: “What do you think? Surely he will not come to the festival, will he?” People knew that the religious authorities wanted to kill Jesus, and they were curious to see if Jesus would walk into their trap. Knowing that Jesus himself was aware of the high priests’ decision, people had different answers to their own question. “He will not go to the festival,” some surely said, “he is not a fool!” Others, perhaps, couldn’t care less. “It is his problem”, they would say, “Why does he insist in getting into trouble?” Others, still, knew him better. They knew of his power, his wisdom, his trust in God’s will. Surely, they thought, he would go to the festival, and God will protect him. He will save him! They did not realize that God’s plan was not to save Jesus, but to save humankind. The high priests’ murderous intentions were taken in hand by God who changed them into a life-giving sacrifice, into a promise of resurrection for all people. Not that in any way God was their accomplice in Christ’s murder; but who can silence God? Who can outdo God? Experience tells us that those who were killed by those who wanted them silenced, spoke louder in their death that when they were alive. People think death, and they kill; God thinks life, and he resurrects people and keeps them alive into eternity.

Then, there was Jesus who, being truly human, surely asked himself “Shall I go, or shouldn’t I?” Before making a decision he took his time to consult with his Father. “Father, is this your will?” he would have prayed. In the meantime, the gospel tells us, Jesus no longer walked about openly among the Jews. He remained with his disciples in the region near the wilderness. Being human, he abhorred death, and he enjoyed life. So he wouldn’t walk into a trap prepared by his enemies, but he would walk courageously into God’s project, even if it included his death.

We know people who were dedicated to work in favour of the marginalized people, those who were made poor, those whose land was stolen, and they were threatened, and a death sentence was pronounced on them by the wicked, and they made their choice to be coherent with what they perceived as their vocation. Many were actually killed, others lived with this threat all their lives. Knowingly or not, they were following in Jesus’s footsteps. Like Jesus they would have surely prayed: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want. … if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” (Mt 26, 39.42). 

Once, when the sons of Zebedee dreamt of sitting at his right hand and at his left hand in his kingdom  Jesus asked them: “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” (cf Mt 20, 20-23). They answered “We can”. “You do not know what you are asking”, Jesus told them. 

If Jesus asks us “Are you able to drink from my cup?” what would our answer be? I, for one, would tell him: “Lord, I am not sure I can. I am afraid. But if you ask me to drink from it, … please increase my faith!”

Jesus went up to Jerusalem for the festival. He was arrested. He was killed. He trusted in his Father and was resurrected to a life he wants to share with each one of us. In his priestly prayer before his sacrifice Jesus prayed: “Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world” (Jn 17, 24).