Humiliation of Jesus

Homily for Good Friday - 2021

Every culture has different gestures by which people offer insults to others. The third of the Suffering Servant Songs details what those gestures are in the Middle East. “I gave my back to those who beat me,     my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.” While some people focus on the physical pain Jesus endured in the crucifixion, people of the Middle East would have found the shame and humiliation far harder to bear. Hanging naked on a cross after being beaten and spat upon was the ultimate kind of humiliation for these people. As a human being, Jesus also would have been humiliated by the conduct of the soldiers and the others who mocked him as he hung on the cross.

Chapter 21 of the Book of Deuteronomy directs that one who is guilty of a capital offense shall be hung upon a tree. It also states that one who is executed in this fashion is cursed by God. Once again we see that the Middle Easterner would have found this to be far more “painful” than the physical ordeal of crucifixion. A cursed person could never come into the presence of God.

The Gospel spells out the nature of this kind of humiliation by telling us again of the betrayal of Judas. There has to be love and trust for there to be betrayal. A stranger can’t betray you. A stranger can harm you, but unless you have trusted someone, there’s not a sense of betrayal. The pain involved in such a situation can only be explained by the great love that must have existed beforehand. Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray him, but to the very end Jesus gave Judas an opportunity to turn back to their loving relationship. He hoped that if he could get Judas to admit what he was going to do, he might realize the gravity of his sin and withdraw from the temptation. That was not to be.

Confessing our sin, no matter how small or insignificant, brings us face to face with our own shame and guilt and humiliation. However, Jesus has assured us that the curse of sin has been broken by his death and resurrection. Forgiveness is our free gift for simply admitting our guilt.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator