Mt. 26:14-27:66
Today we enter into the holy week commemorating Palm Sunday. In today’s gospel reading, we see the royal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. People considered Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, and welcomed him warmly. However, we see the same people reject Jesus and raise their voices for his crucifixion after a while. Thus, we come across a series of rejection experiences of Jesus in the passion narrative.
We know that Jesus loved his disciples so dearly and tenderly. Yet they failed to be with him in his crucial moments of suffering. At Gethsemane, we encounter his intense mental agony. It was evident that he wanted Peter, John, and James to be with him and support him through their prayers and presence. However, they could not even realise what he had been through and failed to support him. Then, follow the public rejection of Jesus by Peter, the leader of the band of apostles. He has assured Jesus that he would never reject him, but he has publicly rejected Jesus.
Then we see the rejection of religious leaders and other authorities. Religious leaders were supposed to know the scripture well, and they were the ones who would have pointed out Jesus to the people and helped them follow Jesus. However, they considered Jesus a threat to their hypocritical way of life and executed all the possible means to turn people and the Roman authorities against him. Similarly, we see the people of Israel, who welcomed Jesus warmly to Jerusalem and demanded his crucifixion when Pilate offered them a choice between Barabbas and Jesus, choose Barabbas, a criminal, over their Messiah.
At the end, we see that at his moment of death, he was completely rejected by all, and the crowd was shouting at him, saying, If he is the Messiah, let him come out of the cross and save himself. Jesus felt this pain of rejection at its extremity on the cross. His cry towards his Father, Why have you forsaken me’ was the expression of the intense agony of rejection that he underwent. However, he accepts his rejection and remains on the cross because he came not to save himself but others. He also had the confidence that whoever abandoned him, his Abba father would be there for him. Into your hands I commend my spirit.” When he dies, a series of natural events happen that make them understand that the one they rejected is truly the Son of God.
As we enter into this Holy Week, we need to keep in mind that there are no adversities that Jesus did not experience in his life, especially the heartbreaking pain of rejection. However, he faced these moments of brokenness with his filial trust in his Abba that he would never abandon him, and his resurrection proves it. Let us continue our faith journey in this confidence that we are never alone and that Abba Father is with us.