Where Indeed Their Lord Was Crucified

Where Indeed Their Lord Was Crucified

Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs

When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will wage war against them and conquer them and kill them. Their corpses will lie in the main street of the great city, which has the symbolic names “Sodom” and “Egypt,” where indeed their Lord was crucified. Those from every people, tribe, tongue, and nation will gaze on their corpses for three and a half days, and they will not allow their corpses to be buried. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and be glad and exchange gifts because these two prophets tormented the inhabitants of the earth. But after the three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered them. Revelation 11:7-11A

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, if someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother…. Some of the scribes said in reply, “Teacher, you have answered well.” And they no longer dared to ask him anything.  Luke 20:27-28,39-40

Piety

Father, open our ears so that we may hear the lessons you have for us this beautiful day. From these lessons, give us an open mind and an open heart to put ourselves in your presence, accept your mission and do your will. Amen.

Study

If we treat today’s divine reading literally, then you might think this is a lesson in marriage and divorce.  However, the real “legal” question was about the resurrection.  And the symbolic question was more about crucifixion. 

As revealed in the notes to the NABRE, “The Sadducees’ question, based on the law of levirate marriage recorded in Dt 25:5–10, ridicules the idea of the resurrection. Jesus rejects their naive understanding of the resurrection (Lk 20:35–36) and then argues on behalf of the resurrection of the dead on the basis of the written law (Lk 20:37–38) that the Sadducees accept.

The Pharisees and the Sadducees did not like having their power in the temple challenged by this itinerant preacher from Nazareth. So, they tried to trap Jesus with some tough questions. Now that Jesus has rid the temple of the money-changer and merchants, he can back down to the business of conversion and preaching there. Jesus answered the temple challenge with a strong defense of the truth that it ended his “inquisition” by the temple authorities. “Teacher, you have answered well.”  Some are satisfied with his answer and they who were satisfied no longer challenged Jesus. 

These teachers join the group who realize through experience what Peter, John, and James learned on the top of the mountain when the voice of God proclaimed, "This is my chosen Son; listen to him."

This episode is one in a series of controversies between the religious leadership of Jerusalem and Jesus reveals Jesus as the authoritative teacher whose words are to be listened to (see Lk 9:35). However, the real questioning does not stop there. What was really happening today is the beginning of the end. 

Action

Where indeed was the Lord crucified?

He is crucified wherever we deny God’s law and mission for us. It does not have to be a physical space like Calvary or Golgotha.  The Pharisees crucified Jesus by challenging him publicly on the temple steps and privately in the corners of their minds.

Today, we can crucify Jesus in the shopping mall, the Beltway, the Pentagon, the border with Mexico, the voting booth, the courthouse, the statehouse, the White House, or the church.