LOOK AT THE CRUCIFIX
FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Suppose someone visits you today. You will not right away start sharing with that person about your sufferings and struggles. However, the Gospel presents an interesting story. Some Greeks visited Jesus. All of a sudden, Jesus began discussing with them regarding his imminent death on the cross. Why is that?

According to the gospel of John, at the very beginning of his public ministry, the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus with this question: Where are you staying? We want to see you. They were Jews.

During the time of Jesus, the Jewish people had an interesting concept of humanity. They divided the entire humanity into two categories: the ‘people of God’ and ‘no people’ (gentiles). Those who were outside of the Mosaic Law were the ‘no people’.

Jesus, however, did not come to a particular group. For God humanity is one unit. It is one family. Therefore, Jesus waited for the entire humanity to come before he revealed the secret of the Kingdom of God. With the arrival of the Greek who represent the ‘no people’ that ‘hour has come’ for Jesus.. Hence, Jesus started talking about things that matters.

Jesus said: If you want to see me wait until I would lift up on the Cross. In other words, if you want to see me look at Calvary…look at the cross. It is on the cross you realize who I am. It is on the cross you would see my identity. Remember the statement of the soldier who was part of the execution team. Seeing the way Jesus dying on the cross, he cried out: He is truly the Son of God. He got it. The sight of dying Jesus wrote a new law in his heart: the unconditional and ever forgiving love of God.

On the cross, he saw the heart of God…The heart that is full of love and forgiveness. Any understanding of Jesus devoid of his crucifixion is a wrong perceptive of Jesus. For, on the cross Jesus revealed the heart of God to humanity. Therefore, as soon as, Peter confessed that ‘you are the Messiah’, Jesus started talking about his suffering and death.

To see Jesus look at the cross and to follow Jesus walk to the path of Calvary. Jesus explained it in a very fine way saying what happens if a grain of wheat fails to fall on the ground and dies. It will not produce fruits.