PASSION SUNDAY
OLD TESTAMENT: Ezekiel 37:1-14
NEW TESTAMENT: Romans 8:6-11
GOSPEL: John 11:1-45
We begin the Passiontide and that brings us closer to the observance of the Holy week and Easter. Each year as we observe lent, we face the question, why should Jesus the Son of God suffer. He has not done anything wrong and he had not harmed anyone or affected anyone for that matter. That is what we think, but the religious teachers and religious authorities in his time were not able to understand or accept the teachings of Jesus Christ.
It was not merely profound teaching, there were miracles performed in the midst of people, wonderful acts of healing and restoration. This brought people from all around to listen to Jesus and to receive healing from him. We also hear from the scriptures that many people started to become the disciples of Jesus. The religious leaders at that time started to react violently towards Jesus and even started plotting to kill Jesus.
It was at that time Jesus brought his friend Lazarus who had died after some illness back to life. It was such a magnificent act of wonder but the Chief priests and the elders could not take it anymore so they decided to torture, humiliate and kill Jesus. Word spread around like wildfire, Jesus had performed a miracle which was never seen by anyone before or even have heard of such a miracle of a dead person brought back to life.
However, it is quite a paradox that the religious leaders were up against the Son of God to the extent they unleashed chaos by instigating people. The religious authorities who were opposing the ministry of Jesus did not have any understanding of the message of Jesus. It was religion turning its back to God.
Jesus, came into the world to sacrifice his life for the redemption of the whole world. He was the Lamb of God that was slain on the cross of Calvary. Jesus suffered and died as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. We begin the Passiontide reflecting on the suffering of Jesus and at the same time looking at our own suffering and ask Jesus the lord who suffered and even died to raise again give us strength, the courage and the conviction to surrender to the will of God.