Monday of Holy
Week
(Isaiah 42:1-7; John 12:1-11)
Jews read the passages about the “Suffering Servant” with
a question in mind: “To whom does the prophet Isaiah refer?” Is it the prophet himself, or Job or possibly the entire Jewish
people who suffered terribly at various points in history? Christians, in turn, have no doubt that the passages
refer to Jesus Christ whose passion and death fit quite squarely with Isaiah’s
descriptions.
Jesus did not come with an army of followers and much
less did he use violence to impose his teaching. He established justice on earth by
exemplifying God’s love to what became myriads of followers. With his crucifixion, God established an
eternal covenant which is by no means in retreat despite the fact that
relatively fewer people attend church in Western societies. Jesus also opened the eyes of the blind,
physically in some cases but, more critically, morally to all people who seek
fulfillment from power, pleasure, or possessions. Finally and most importantly, he freed
prisoners of sin who may not even be aware of the harm they do.
We will hear readings from the Suffering Servant passages
throughout Holy Week. They remind us how
Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophecy through his passion and death. Although everyone has difficulties, they
leave us in awe at the price Jesus paid for our freedom.
