Fr Marco Lazzaron
esus’ public activity developed in approximately 3 years according to historians; the Holy Week that we are beginning now lasts only a few days. However, in the Gospel of Mark, about half of it is for Jesus’ ministry and the other half to tell us about the last week of Jesus’ life: 1/6 of the Gospel is just for Jesus’ last 24 hours. This indicates the centrality and importance of these next few days and the importance of these celebrations. Jesus’ Passion, Death, and Resurrection are the most significant events in Jesus’ life, but none of the Gospels presents Jesus’ death as a fortuitous or accidental event, with no connection with what precedes.
Jesus dies. Why? What did he say, what did he do to be dismissed in that violent way after only thirty months of public activity? In other words: what would it have taken to avoid such an ignominious end? Jesus did not die surrounded by the affection of his children and grandchildren or, Jesus did not die pronouncing his last sayings in an aura of general veneration. No, Jesus dies as a young man, with no cancer or heart attack. He did not commit suicide, nor he wasn’t coldly liquidated by a hired killer. Jesus dies after a trial that was completed quickly: it had to be finished before Easter, to avoid second thoughts among the crowd and a possible riot. But why was he put on trial? On the one Jesus, after having triumphantly entered Jerusalem, began to chase away the money changers and sellers: a frontal attack on the commercial system of the Temple. On the other hand, the Sadducees, could not help but be scandalized by the attitude of Jesus who violated the Sabbath, associated with republicans and sinners, and considered himself free from every ritual, religious and cultural law.
But for Jesus, death is not simply the inevitable and predictable outcome of what he says and does or the outcome of the violent reactions he provokes. He sees in it an expression of total fidelity to the loving plan of God, who always wants to be available to man, even in the face of his wickedness. Towards sinful humanity, Jesus places himself as “the Son of man, who came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many”. He offers himself in expiation for the sins of humanity, and for this reason, becomes the path of salvation for all mankind.