Wednesday of Holy
Week
(Isaiah 50:4-9a; Matthew 26:14-25)
Humiliation seldom sinks lower than to have another spit
in one’s face. Spittle may transmit
disease. More than that, spitting is a
universal sign of contempt. One account
of a particularly gruesome display of hatred tells of prison gang members spitting
razor blades to cut up the opponent’s face even before a fight begins.
In the first reading today the Suffering Servant speaks
of giving his face to being spit upon. Conscious
of this reference, Mark’s passion narrative underscores how both Jews and
Romans spit on Jesus. Jesus is seen as the
incarnation of the Suffering Servant whose identity is left obscure in Isaiah’s
prophecy.
There are four “Suffering Servant Songs.” Each gives the portrait of the righteous man
who takes upon himself the sins of the world.
He not only speaks words of comfort to the oppressed; he also listens to
their cries. He establishes justice but not
with a sword that will bring grief to a wife or parents. Indeed, he heals others’ defects by bearing
the penalties incurred by their sins. Who
but Jesus has fulfilled this character description completely?
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