Lesson 16 Jesus and the Suffering.

1) Of all the faces of Jesus, his head crowned with thorns and the face covered with blood is the most penetrating and thought provoking one. He was so conscious of fulfilling his mission of saving humanity by his suffering and death, that he prophesized it three times during his public ministry (Mk 8/31, 9/31, 10/33-34). In fact St. Luke presents Jesus journeying towards Jerusalem (9/51) to die and to be glorified there. Jesus was killed neither by the Jews nor by the Roman authorities, but he freely gave his life for others. Nobody is taking it away from me, but I am giving it for others. No one can kill God, but the God-man can give himself up for others. Thus Jesus made suffering and death the basic ingredient of Salvation History, which no other religious founder has ever done. Jesus was the lamp of God who took away the sins of the world (Jn 1/29) by being slain for others (Rev 5/6). That Jesus was giving up his life for others, is clearly stated in the words with which he instituted the Eucharist. (Idu Ningal... idu ende raktham agunnu). Through the mystery of Jesus death, on the cross, and the mystery of the Eucharist, suffering and death has become the hallmark of Christianity. Mother Mary lived with a heart pierced with the sword of suffering with and for her son. If the suffering and death of Jesus for others had the hallow of divine son ship attached to his human nature, the example of Paul suffering for others, the church is boastfully described by him to his church in Corinth in 2 Cor 11/16-33. (Read the passage). In salvation history, suffering is raised to the divine level by Jesus himself. If the Eucharist is the memorial of the death and resurrection of Jesus, the sufferings by Mother of God, nibianmar, sleehanmar and sahadenmar and the service done to the word of God by the dead are commemorated and venerated in ninnal sthuthiyodu, nayavan panapoleand makkalilappan krupain the same Eucharist. Thubden 4, 5 and 6 celebrate the same role of the suffering service in the fulfillment of salvation history. Christian life begins with receiving the grace of Jesus death and resurrection in ones baptism consisting of the recipients immersion into the baptismal water (and the rising from it) symbolically represents ones entering into the death (and the resurrection) of Jesus. When we go to Christ Jesus, we are all baptized into his death. (Rom 6/3). The sacramental celebration of ones entering into the death of Jesus in baptism continues to be celebrated in the memorial of Christs death in the Eucharist (Lord we remember your death) and in the service of fraction- (kandipinde susroosha) which is the memorial of Jesus death in the liturgy of St. James.

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A Christians sharing in the suffering and death of Jesus after celebrating them in the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist is to be lived in ones daily life, taking his cross daily and following him (Lk 14/27). The suffering service taken up by the members of the church is that which keeps the church going and growing. A Christians daily walking the way of the cross is seen by Paul as completing in ones own flesh for Christs body that is the church (Col 1/24). For Paul the church is the major factor which is the body of Christ that is being built up by the suffering service of its members. (In this backdrop read again 2 Cor 11/ 16-33).