HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY 8TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: WE ARE RANSOMED BY HIS BLOOD
BY: Fr. Isaac Awe
1 PETER 1:18-25, MARK 10:32-45
Authority without sacrificial love is brutish and self-serving!
Was Jesus a pessimist or a stark realist? On three different occasions the Gospels record that Jesus predicted he would endure great suffering through betrayal, rejection, and the punishment of a cruel death. The Jews resorted to stoning and the Romans to crucifixion– the most painful and humiliating death they could devise for criminals they wanted to eliminate. No wonder the apostles were greatly distressed at such a prediction! If Jesus their Master were put to death, then they would likely receive the same treatment by their enemies.
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Jesus called himself the “Son of Man” because this was a common Jewish title for the Messiah. Why must the Messiah be rejected and killed? Did not God promise that his Anointed One would deliver his people from their oppression and establish a kingdom of peace and justice? The prophet Isaiah had foretold that it was God’s will that the “Suffering Servant” make atonement for sins through his suffering and death (Isaiah 53:5-12). Jesus paid the price for our redemption with his blood. Slavery to sin is to want the wrong things and to be in bondage to destructive desires. The ransom Jesus paid sets us free from the worst tyranny possible– the tyranny of sin and the fear of death. Jesus’ victory did not end with death but triumphed over the tomb. Jesus defeated the powers of death through his resurrection. Do we want the greatest freedom possible, the freedom to live as God truly meant us to live as his sons and daughters?
We share in God’s reign by laying down our lives in humble service as Jesus did for our sake. Are we willing to lay down our lives and to serve others as Jesus did?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, your death brought life and freedom. Make us servants of your love, that we may seek to serve rather than be served. Amen
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