Friends, on this Palm Sunday
we are privileged to become immersed in Mark’s great Passion narrative,
where the kingship of Jesus emerges with great clarity—and also with
great irony.
We
read that upon being brought before the Sanhedrin, Jesus is asked
whether he is the "Messiah," an implicit reference to David. When Jesus
calmly responds, "I am," the high priest tears his robes, for how could a
shackled criminal possibly be the kingly descendant of David? Upon
being presented to Pilate, Jesus is asked the functionally equivalent
question: "Are you the King of the Jews?" Again a blandly affirmative
answer comes: "You say so." This leads the soldiers to mock him, placing
a purple cloak on his shoulders and a crown of thorns on his head.
Mark
does not want us to miss the irony
that, precisely as the King of the Jews and the Son of David, Jesus is
implicitly king to those soldiers. For the mission of the Davidic king
is the unification not only of the tribes of Israel but also of the
tribes of the world. What commenced with David’s gathering of the tribes
of Israel would soon reach completion in the criminal raised high on
the cross, thereby drawing all people to himself.
Bishop Robert Barron
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