Are you “incredulous for joy and…amazed” that “the author of life” is “expiation for our sins and..for those of the whole world”? “O Lord, you put gladness into my heart.”

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TODAY’S READINGS

It struck me in hearing the readings proclaimed at Mass that, while Sunday readings are always purposeful in connecting the first reading and the Gospel reading, all four Scriptures fit together in a profound way. Let’s take a closer look at each reading, in particular the phrases in question.

Today’s first reading (Acts 3:13-15, 17-19) has Peter remonstrating his Jewish hearers for what they did to Jesus.

“The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.” (v. 15)

We cooperate with this “author” to make new humans and He provides the soul. He gives the life of grace to that soul in Baptism, gives life back to that soul through Confessions, and strengthens the life of that soul through the Eucharist. This Author writes beautifully, don’t ever forget when you look around and when you look in the mirror.

The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9) is overwhelming in its delight of the Lord:

O LORD, let the light of your countenance shine upon us!
You put gladness into my heart. (vv. 7b-8a)

Wow! When our heart is full in earthly matters, we never want to lose that feeling, but inevitably it fades or is jarred away. But the gladness God brings to the heart can never be taken away if we hold it close. Never let earthly distractions, no matter how severe, disturb your peace, knowing that God is with you when you stay in His good graces.

Then John (1 Jn 2:1-5a) tells us how we honor Jesus Christ for doing the following for us:

He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world. (v. 2)

Thank God! This is truly Good News! This great benefit we have received in knowing Christ and having been initiated into the Catholic faith should be made known to “the whole world.” There is no human that is not a beneficiary of Christ’s sacrifice. We are under obligation to make it known to every soul. What could ever stop us from winning over brothers and sisters to Christ? We must follow the Lord’s commandments and share this requirement with others.

The Gospel has Jesus appearing to the apostles and His Road to Emmaus companions in the Upper Room:

[Jesus] showed them his hands and his feet…
[T]hey were…incredulous for joy and were amazed… (vv. 40-41a)

When was the last time you were “incredulous for joy and…amazed” at what Jesus has done for you and every person who ever has come into existence or who will be conceived? It is far too easy to become complacent in our faith. Let us renew ourselves in the Lord daily , finding joy and amazement in what He has done for us and for everyone. Let us exude the joy of knowing Jesus and share our amazement in how He saved wretches like us, so more wretches will come to the Faith..

BP BARRON SERMON

Christ Appearing to His Disciples After the Resurrection (c. 1795) by William Blake

God bless.

Easter: “He saw and believed.”

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TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading for Easter (Jn 20:1-9) gives us John’s version of the scene at Jesus’ tomb. Peter and John race to the tomb after Mary Magdalene’s witness:

“When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.” (vv. 6-8)

“The disciple whom Jesus loved followed Peter into the tomb ‘and he saw and believed.’ What did he see, and what did he believe? He saw that the body of Jesus was not in the tomb, and he saw the cloths that he had been buried in. If his mind worked quickly, he might have deduced that whatever had happened, it was not the work of robbers. But simply seeing that Jesus was no longer in the tomb and that his burial cloths had been left behind could have in itself triggered a surge of faith, a joyful conviction that Jesus had somehow triumphed over death. He did not understand yet how Jesus had done so (verse 9), but he believed with all his heart that Jesus was alive. Perhaps words of Jesus popped into his mind, words about having the power to take up his life again (10:18) or about his going ahead of them to prepare a place for them (14:2-3). Perhaps, though, his belief was not something he could easily have put into words but was nevertheless an unshakable faith that Jesus had broken the hold of death.” (Bringing the Gospel of John to Life, 551)

Or, as some speculate, John may have noted something unusual about the wrapping. There is much on the internet about the shroud but let me direct you to a podcast that I found particularly interesting (here).

Of course, no one then, or today, actually witnessed Jesus arising. I recall the words of Jesus to Thomas a little further on in this chapter:

“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” (Jn 20:29b)

As yesterday’s post laid out, no resurrection -> faith unwarranted. But since we are blessed with so wonderful a Savior, we have hope to go along with faith if we remain in God’s love.

BP BARRON’S HOMILY

A FINAL NOTE

Happy Easter! May this holy season be especially blessed for you and your loved ones.

The Two Disciples at the Tomb (c. 1906) by Henry Ossawa Tanner

God bless.

Lent Day 46: The Crucified One is not here (or is he?)

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TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading for the Easter Vigil (Mark 16:1-7) gives us Mark’s version of the scene at Jesus’ tomb. An angel speaks to the women:

“You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.
He has been raised; he is not here.” (v. 6)

“‘Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified’: the same name as written on the inscription of the cross is used by the angel to proclaim the glorious victory of the resurrection. In this way St Mark bears witness explicitly to the crucified man and the resurrected man being one and the same. Jesus’ body, which was treated so cruelly, now has immortal life.

“‘He has risen: the glorious resurrection of Jesus is the central mystery of our faith. ‘If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain (1 Cor 15:14). It is also the basis of our hope: ‘if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins…. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied’ (1 Cor 15:17 and 19). The Resurrection means that Jesus has overcome death, sin, pain and the power of the devil.” (The Navarre Bible: St Mark, 197)

Catholics are sometimes accused of keeping Christ on the cross because of our displaying crucifixes. I’ve never had a problem explaining the veneration of the crucifix using the apostle Paul’s words:

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. (1 Cor 2:2)

It seems to me a good thing to remember the brutality and ignominy Christ endured for my sake and the sake of all mankind from Adam till the end of time. Our sins do incalculable damage to the Body of Christ. It also helps us to realize that Jesus understands our suffering because He has been there.

But we also know now that suffering and death do not have the final word. Yes, there is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. But for those faithful till the end, no amount of troubles in this life will compare to the glory the Lord won for us for the next life.

So, keep the faith. The Crucified One actually is here — and He retains the scars to prove it.

ARTICLE

An article I came across regarding Holy Saturday. The first two points are of most interest to me because they speak of what Jesus did on that first Holy Saturday when His Body was sealed in the tomb.

A FINAL NOTE

Holy Saturday is a good day to keep noise and talking to a minimum, it seems to me. Recall the silence of the tomb. I am looking forward to reading The Power of Silence which undoubtedly will be a good corrective for our noisy lives.

The Holy Women at the Tomb (1890) by William Bouguereau

God bless.

Lent Day 45: Joseph and Nicodemus

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TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading for Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion (Jn 18:1—19:42) gives us John’s account of the Passion, death, and burial of Jesus. It ends featuring two members of the Sanhedrin:

“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.” (vv. 19:38-42)

“Our Lord’s sacrifice produces its firstfruits: people who were previously afraid now boldly confess themselves disciples of Christ and attend to his dead Body with exquisite refinement and generosity. The evangelist mentions that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus used a mixture of myrrh and aloes in lavish amount. Myrrh is a very expensive aromatic resin, and aloes a juice extracted from the leaves of certain plants. They were used as an expression of veneration for the dead.” (The Navarre Bible: St John, 237)

“Up till now [Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus] had not made their discipleship public because they were afraid of the other religious authorities who strongly opposed Jesus (see 12:43-44)…By burying his body, Joseph and Nicodemus perform a culturally significant act of respect and faithfulness to Jesus. Burying the dead was an important service of love in Jewish piety (Tob 1;16-20; 4:3-4)…Through this public act of piety, Joseph and Nicodemus make known their relationship with Jesus.” (The Gospel of John [Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture], 329-30)

“The Gospel earlier noted that ‘even among the authorities’ many believed in Jesus, but out of fear for what would happen to them ‘they did not acknowledge it openly’ (12:42; see also 7:13; 9:22)…

“[Asking Pilate for Jesus’ body] would hardly remain a secret and would manifest that he was a follower of Jesus. He may have previously kept his discipleship a secret to maintain a good relationship with his fellow leaders (see 12:43), but he now casts that aside, identifying with Jesus in his death as had not during his life….

“Pilate may have known, or known of, Joseph of Arimathea as a member of the Sanhedrin; Pilate would not have known that he was a disciple of Jesus. Thus Pilate might have understood that Joseph was finishing off what other Jewish leaders wanted done…

“When [the leaders of the Sanhedrin] wanted Jesus arrested (7:32, 45), Nicodemus invoked the law of Moses to defend him: ‘Does our law condemn a person before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?’ (7:51). This was hardly a profession of belief in Jesus, but it did indicate to other leaders tat Nicodemus was sympathetic to Jesus (see 7:52). Now by participating in the burial of Jesus, Nicodemus makes his allegiance public, as does Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus said, ‘When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself’ (12:32). Joseph and Nicodemus are the first of them.” (Bringing the Gospel of John to Life, “544-45)

“Joseph figured in New Testament apocryphal writings (e.g., the apocryphal Aces of Pilate and Gospel of Nicodemus) and was later given a preeminent place in medieval legend as the first keeper of the Holy Grail. His feast day is March 17…

“Tradition says that Nicodemus eventually became a member of the Christian community.” (Catholic Bible Dictionary, 474, 649)

I find it interesting to speculate on minor characters, or those only briefly mentioned in encounters with Jesus. Thus, the research reflected above. As the last resource above mentions, tradition has these men to go on to be Christians. This makes perfect sense, particularly once the Resurrection came to light. How long did they remain in the Sanhedrin? Not long I imagine (whether voluntarily or involuntarily). Did they try to evangelize their fellows after the Resurrection? I wonder. Might they have been pillars of the early Christian community? Seems likely. Could they possibly have provided the Gospel writers with inside information on the workings of the Sanhedrin?. I believe there is no question. How powerful must have been their witness to all these events!

These men prove it is never too late to change and find courage in the truth. And that, instead of giving in to worldly status and demands or just plain despair, their minds and hearts turn to things of heaven and they become men of conviction and action.

Monastery Church: Altar of the crucifixion, Mecklenburg | Gaston Lenthe |
(Longinus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus)

God bless.

Lent Day 44: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me”

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TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading for the Chrism Mass (Lk 4:16-21) has Jesus returning to His hometown of Nazareth. He stuns His synagogue listeners (undoubtedly including many friends, relatives, and acquaintances) by declaring Himself the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 61:

”“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” (v. 21)

“Christ’s words…show us the authenticity with which he preached and explained the Scriptures…Jesus teaches that this prophecy, like the other main prophecies of the Old Testament, refers to him and finds its fulfillment in him (cf. Luke 24:44ff). Thus, the Old Testament can be rightly understood only in the light of the New — as the risen Christ showed the Apostles when he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (cf. Luke 24:45), an understanding which the Holy Spirit perfected on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:4).” (The Navarre Bible: St Luke, 78)

“Jesus make a bombshell announcement…With Jesus, the time of waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promises in Scriptures is over (see 24:27, 44). The messianic jubilee announced by Isaiah is at hand! ‘Behold, now is the acceptable time’ (2 Cor 6:2 RSV).” (The Gospel of Luke [Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture], 100)

“In the Greek of Luke’s Gospel, ‘today’ is emphatic. ‘Today,’ right now, even as you listen, ‘this scripture passage is fulfilled’…Isaiah’s prophecy serves as Jesus’ job description as he begins his ministry. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s plans, bringing salvation to his people.” (Bringing the Gospel of Luke to Life, 118)

What is the job description, per Isaiah?

[T]o bring glad tidings to the lowly,
to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
To announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God,
to comfort all who mourn;
To place on those who mourn in Zion
a diadem instead of ashes,
To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning,
a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit. (vv. 61:1-3)

Who are the lowly? All of us sinners. The brokenhearted? All of us, at one time or another, sometimes for a long time? Prisoners? Those enslaved to habitual sin and all who place some created thing ahead of the Lord. Mourners? Those who have experienced loss, particularly loss of the grace of God through serious sin. How do these return to gladness? A return to God through Reconciliation.

Thank you Jesus for freeing us from slavery to sin and providing us the Church and the means of salvation through her, namely the Sacraments. Two we commemorate as being instituted today: Holy Orders and the Eucharist. Let us have recourse to the Eucharist and Reconciliation often and never let us spurn these great gifts.

For a dramatization of this episode in the synagogue, watch here.

God bless.

Lent Day 43: Annihilation is preferable

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TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 26:14-25) again has us at the table with Jesus and His Apostles at the Last Supper. The focus again is on the betrayer, Judas, on the day we call in his “honor,” Spy Wednesday. Jesus says of the traitor:

“The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” (v. 24)

“Jesus is referring to the fact that he will give himself up freely to suffering and death. In so doing he would fulfill the will of God, as proclaimed centuries before (cf. Ps 41:10; Is 53:7). Although our Lord goes to his death voluntarily, this does not reduce the seriousness of Judas’ treachery.” (The Navarre Bible: St Matthew, 219)

“Instead of identifying the man, Jesus warns of the dreadful fate that the betrayer is choosing for himself. For what is about to transpire is a concurrence of divine will and human decision. The destiny of the Son of Man is determined by God and announced in the writings of the Old Testament. But the actions of the “man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed” are fully and freely his own. Judas is not a puppet with someone else pulling the strings. He has chosen to misuse his free will, and should he follow through with this treachery, he will come to wish “he had never been born.” (The Gospel of Matthew [Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture], 335)

“Jesus does not spell out what fate awaits [Judas] but indicates that it will be horrible…Jesus is now giving Judas a last-minute warning. Even though Jesus knows what will happen, Judas is nevertheless free to change his mind and take a different course.” (Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life, 578)

While the Church canonizes many persons as saints, it never declares anyone definitively in Hell. This spurs many conversations regarding the population of Hell. But the verse under consideration has long convinced me that there is one inhabitant of Gehenna (and I think, many, many more). The only persons who could possibly wish they’d never been born must be those in Hell. Heaven is what we were made for. Hell is the complete, utter, total, and permanent state of existing where we were never meant to be (remember: God desires all men to be saved [1 Tim 2:4]). I imagine souls in Hell cursing God, cursing their parents, and wishing they had never come into existence while knowing they can never go out of existence.

God forbid that any of us hear the words said to Judas being said to us on our judgment day because we betrayed our Savior

A wonderful talk supporting (and, frankly, influencing) my position on Judas’ ultimate fate can be found here.

Judas Iscariot, Saint Peter, John the Apostle, The Last Supper (c. 1520) by Giampietrino
after Leonardo da Vinci

God bless.

Lent Day 42: Judas at night

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TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading (Jn 13:21-33, 36-38) puts us at the table with Jesus and His Apostles at the Last Supper. Judas, the traitor, rears his ugly head at the distribution of the Eucharist.

So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night. (v. 30)

“Judas goes out into the darkness, turning away from the light of the world (8:12). Earlier in his Gospel the author observed that ‘the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil’ (3:19). Judas chose darkness.” (Bringing the Gospel of John to Life, 396)

“The indication that ‘it was night’ is not just a reference to the time of day but to darkness as an image of sin, an image of the powers of darkness whose hour was beginning at that very moment (cf. Lk 22:53). The contrast between light and darkness, the opposition of good and evil, is frequently met with in the Bible, especially in the Fourth Gospel: even in the prologue we are told that Christ is the true Light and the darkness has not overcome it (cf. Jn 1:5).” (The Navarre Bible: St John, 180)

A cowardly act from a cowardly man. He had problems with Jesus at least going back to the Bread of Life discourse (Jn 6:70-71), but did not have the guts to leave then or anytime else before this sacred moment. His receiving the Eucharist in a state of grave sin did not sanctify Him but made him more prone to the devil’s wiles. Maybe he believed the dark obscures him from God, but the light of the Lord overpowers not only physical darkness but spiritual darkness — but Judas did not allow it to move him. This soon leads to despair and suicide. With repentance in his heart who could have witnessed the Resurrection, yet he chose eternal death. A stark example for all times and places on how not to treat the Lord

Judas Leaves the Cenacle (Judas quitte le Cénacle) (1886-1894) by James Tissot

God bless.

Lent Day 41: The poor and Jesus

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TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading (Jn 12:1-11) continues our journey through John as we near the time of the Last Supper. Famously, Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, slathers Jesus feet with costly perfume. Judas objects and Jesus responds :

Jesus said, “Leave her alone.
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” (vv. 7-8)

“The poor: Jesus is not indifferent toward the poor. Elsewhere he promotes almsgiving in no uncertain terms (Mt 6:2–4; Lk 6:30; 12:33). ● The words of Jesus echo the words of Deut 15:11, which states that the unceasing presence of the poor offers countless opportunities to give generously to less fortunate neighbors. The disciples, too, will have plenty of chances to give alms, but only a brief time remains to be generous toward Jesus while he remains among them (CCC 2449).” (The Gospel of John [Ignatius Catholic Study Bible], 41)

“Jesus takes priority over every other concern — and little time remains before his mortal life ends.” (The Gospel of John [Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture] ,218)

“A literal translation of Jesus’ words is, ‘in order that she may keep it for the day of preparation for my burial,’ with ‘in order that’ indicating purpose. The interpretation which makes the most sense is that the purpose of the nard was that it was to be kept for the day of preparation for Jesus’ burial, which was that very day…Mary has symbolically prepared the body of Jesus for burial. anointing it as a corpse was anointed before being buried. Jesus does not say that Mary understood this deeper significance of her act; she may have simply anointed him out of love and gratitude. But Jesus knows that the hour for his going to his father is near. His raising of Lazarus to life — the cause of Mary’s gratitude — means that he lives under a sentence of death (11:53). Mary’s anointing has prepared him for the sentence being carried out.” (Bringing the Gospel of John to Life, 347)

What strikes me first and foremost about this passage is that, while true that Jesus will soon be dead, buried, rise, and ascend, He is still with us. Of course, He remains with us in a real and substantial way in the Eucharist. But that’s not the only way. Here’s Mother Teresa tying together the Eucharist and the poor:

“If we recognize [Jesus] under the appearance of bread, we will have no difficulty recognizing him in the disguise of the suffering poor.” (see article here)

Which invokes Jesus’ own words about the downtrodden, that He spoke immediately before the woman anoints His feet in Matthew, and how we should view them:

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” (Mt 26:35-36)

Yes, Jesus left us in the familiar form the apostles came to know. But He invites us to see Him and serve Him in everyone we meet, particularly the poor. Being faithful in this way we prepare ourselves for the day of our burial.

Jesus Healing Beggar (2011) by Donna Tucker

God bless.

Lent Day 40: Speaking, listening, enduring, persevering

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TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 50:4-7), as we begin Holy Week is Isaiah’s third servant song, vividly prophesying what the future Messiah would endure. The commentary following deals with the entire reading and beyond (through v. 11). The passage starts off this way:

“The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue…”

“The third ‘Servant Song’ in Isaiah. Here the Servant is a prophet who speaks God’s word, even as he suffers at the hands of his persecutors. Again, he represents the people of Israel and yet is distinct from them: unlike Israel in exile, whose ‘ear has not been opened’ and who continues to be a ‘rebel’ ()48:8), the servant says that ‘God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious (50:5).

“Christian tradition sees these verses fulfilled in the Passion of Jesus…When the savior was struck, he endured it patiently; when he was reviled, he did not revile; when he suffered, he did not threaten. Instead, he gave his back to those who beat him, his cheeks to their blows, and his face he did not turn from their spitting. Finally, he accepted death, giving us an image of virtue and an example for conducting ourselves (St. Athanasius of Alexandria, Festal Epistles 10, 7).” (Isaiah [Ignatius Catholic Study Bible], 87-88)

This short passage is a wonderful model for the evangelist (that should be all of us). The Lord gives each of us certain talents.to “rouse” the weary (including us, if applicable) from a slumber of indifference, doubt, despair, or unbelief. We are to listen daily for God’s voice, that our hearts will be moved and our mission will be clear (dialogue with God in prayer and by reading Scripture to hear Him speaking to you and to help train that tongue).

In responding to the Lord’s call in this way, we can count on persecution. Maybe not physically, as Isaiah has it, but certainly psychologically and emotionally. Do we humbly and patiently endure the blows, the slaps, the shame, the spitting that come our way? If we are like Christ (and no servant is greater than his Master then we may well find it necessary to deal with all these difficulties and more.

Our response? We are to be resolute in being convicted of the truth and making sure that we persevere in spreading it far and wide. Counting on the Lord God to help us, as he promises, we will not be put to shame with the One who matters, despite what the world thinks. Jesus constantly has us looking above and beyond this mortal coil for true fulfillment and happiness. We can count on it for eternity if we stay faithful.

Let us then go to him outside the camp, bearing the reproach that he bore.
For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to come. (Heb 13:13-14)

Isaiah (1838) by Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier

God bless.

Lent Day 39: None for one and one for all

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TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s Gospel reading (Jn 11:45-56), coming immediately after the astonishing event of Jesus resuscitating Lazarus, shows the extremely heightened concerns of the Jewish religious leaders about Jesus and His popularity are significantly ramping up, so much so that the whole Sanhedrin convenes to discuss what to do about the situation. The high priest, Caiaphas, speaks:

“You know nothing,
nor do you consider that it is better for you
that one man should die instead of the people,
so that the whole nation may not perish.” (vv. 49-50)

“Caiaphas unwittingly announces that Jesus will die for the salvation of the nation. This is not his own insight, but the grace of prophecy speaking through him in virtue of his priestly office and position as chief teacher of Israel.” (The Gospel of John [Ignatius Catholic Study Bible], 40)

“Here Caiaphas’ words have a dual meaning: one, Caiaphas’ meaning, is that he wants to put Christ to death, on the pretext that that will ensure the political peace and survival of Israel; the other, the meaning intended by the Holy Spirit, is the announcement of the foundation of the new Israel, the Church, through the death of Christ on the cross (Caiaphas is unaware of this meaning). And so it happens that the last high priest of the Old Alliance prophesies the investiture of the High Priest of the New Alliance, which will be sealed in his own blood.” (The Navarre Bible: St John. 160)

Caiaphas did not realize the half of it. In his position as high priest, given to him by God, he could declare prophetic utterances, even if he did not understand their full import. Recall Jesus saying:

Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. (Mt 23:3b)

I wonder if Caiaphas realized how soon they would meet again (see Jn 18:14, 24, 28) and how he will be instrumental in seeing through his prophetic words (Mt 26: 57-68).

Yes, one man would die for the nation…and all nations and peoples for all time. Even a despicable man like this high priest can be used by God for good (Friday).

Christ Before Caiaphas (1630) by Matthias Stom

God bless.