19 June 2016 - him whom we have pierced

[ Today's Readings ]

and they shall look on him whom they have pierced

We must look upon him whom we have pierced and recognize the Christ of God.

Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”

At first Peter correctly identifies Jesus in the gospel reading.

He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Once Peter hears this Jesus is hard for him to recognize. He responds, "Far be it from you, Lord!" and Jesus has to rebuke him. He is being prepared to look on the one whom they he has pierced as to mourn as one mourns for an only son, and to grieve as one grieves over a firstborn.

He must look on the suffering Christ and realize that he is the Christ of God no less in his passion than in his glory. And so must we. We need the cross of Christ. We need his suffering and death as well as his resurrection. In his suffering we receive "a spirit of grace and petition" because his suffering reveals and opens us up to the depths of his love for us. His suffering teaches us to mourn the selfishness which afflicts us and makes the cross necessary. But by doing so his suffering also points beyond itself to the glory of the resurrection. The crucified Christ himself is the fountain to purify Jerusalem and the world from sin and uncleanness. The water and blood which flow from his side are that fountain.

So we look on him whom we have pierced. And while looking we say, 'You are the Christ of God.' We are moved to love an intercession. We become capable of denying ourselves and taking up our own crosses where before this was impossible. We become able to lose our lives for his sake whereas before we could only live for ourselves. We become a new creation.

Through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free person,
there is not male and female;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

If we behold him in his pain we also hope to see him in his reign.

Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.