My Servant Shall Prosper
See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. Even as many were amazed at him so marred was his look beyond human semblance and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man so shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless; for those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it. Isaiah 52:13-15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So, let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help. Hebrews 4:15-16
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So, he came and took his body. Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So, they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by. John 19:38-42
Piety
Look: Look! The lamb is coming. Yet look, too, at our own sins. For it is on our account that my Lord bears insults.
Study
How could Isaiah have known with such clarity the suffering and triumph that was to come? In three suffering servant oracles, he tells time and again what will unfold in 700 years. Think of that interval. Our country is only 240 years old. Could anyone in 1776 have predicted the standing that these 13 humble colonies would have in 2018 let alone any one person who lives here?
How could the prophet Micah know that the Lord will get his repayment?
The nations will see and will be put to shame,
in spite of all their strength;
They will put their hands over their mouths;
Their ears will become deaf. Micah 16:7
The notes that introduce Isaiah’s book in the NABRE summarize today’s final Sorrowful Mystery.
The vision of the Lord enthroned in glory stamped an indelible character in Isaiah’s ministry and provided the key to the understanding of his message. The majesty, holiness, and beauty of the Lord took possession of his spirit and, at the same time, he gained a new awareness of human pettiness and sinfulness. The enormous abyss between God’s sovereign holiness and human sinfulness overwhelmed the prophet. Only the purifying coal of the seraphim could cleanse his lips and prepare him for acceptance of the call: “Here I am, send me!”
Action
Isaiah and Jesus – by their words and deeds -- always called us back to a reliance on God’s promises and away from vain attempts to find secular security in our merely human plans and intrigues. Only through that divine intervention can we rise above our faults that Jesus died for on this sad day.
This story is not one that ends in sorrow. The gravity of the story also foreshadows the message of redemption. The seeds of hope are springing up in the persons of Joseph and Nicodemus. While the friends have fled, these two men display the change that Jesus wants us to embody because of his sacrifice. No longer are they ashamed to be seen publicly and voluntarily carrying out their corporal and spiritual duties of mercy.
On this “God” Friday, March 30, 2018, listen and meditate on the readings while playing Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion in the background.
Are you ready after these weeks of Lent and the Triduum, to be sent like Jesus and Mary, like Joseph and Nicodemus to perform your acts of love?
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