Book of Common Prayer Lectionary
Isaiah 45:21-25
Psalm 22:1-21
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 14:1—15:47

Revised Common Lectionary
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 14:1—15:47

Reflection and Response
Prayer Starter

With today’s readings, we enter into the passion of Jesus. The prophet Isaiah introduces us to God’s servant, who does not shrink from torture but places his confidence in God. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul tells us that Jesus lets go of everything but his desire to obey God, an obedience that leads to death. In the gospel, Jesus, abandoned to cruelty and hatred, loses his life on the cross.

First Reading: Isaiah 45:21-25 (BCP)
Today’s reading was probably written shortly before the Babylonian empire fell to Cyrus the Persian (539 B.C.). The scene is set as a court trial, often used in the Old Testament to represent God’s judgment. Here the "survivors of the nations" (45:20) are not only called to account but also offered a share in salvation.

God swears "by myself" (45:23)–the most solemn form of oath–a promise to the whole world, as before God has sworn to Abraham, Israel and David. All the nations will acknowledge the Lord and will confess that "only in the Lord...are righteousness and strength" (v. 24). The triumph of Israel will consist not in political victory but in the universal recognition of Yahweh.

Isaiah 45:21-25
Declare and present your case;
let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the LORD?
There is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is no one besides me.
Turn to me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth!
For I am God,
and there is no other.
By myself I have sworn,
from my mouth has gone forth
in righteousness
a word that shall not return:
"To me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear."
Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me,
are righteousness and strength;
all who were incensed against him
shall come to him and be ashamed.
In the LORD all the offspring of Israel
shall triumph and glory.

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a (RCL)
This reading is the third of the four "servant songs" in Isaiah (the others being 42:1-4, 49:1-6 and 52:13—53:12). It is not certain whom the author intended the servant to represent: the people of Israel (whether as the historical nation, as a faithful remnant or as an idealized body) or an actual historical figure, such as the "prophet like Moses" (Deuteronomy 18:15) or even a corporate personality, that is, an individual who would represent all the features of Israel's election and mission. Christians have always understood the suffering servant to be Jesus.

Today’s reading presents the servant as one who submits to God’s purposes, whether in a personal response to God or in acceptance of suffering. The servant knows that he is called to be a misunderstood and ill-treated prophet to a sin-weary people. Nevertheless, he is confident that God will vindicate him. The servant songs helped Israel to interpret the suffering and humiliation of the exile. The early Church found in the songs a new significance: they helped the believers understand and proclaim the meaning of Jesus’ suffering and resurrection.

Isaiah 50:4-9a
The servant of the Lord said:
"The Lord God has given me
the tongue of a teacher,
that I may know how
to sustain the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens–
wakens my ear to listen
as those who are taught.
The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
I did not turn backward.
"I gave my back to those who struck me,
and my cheeks to those
who pulled out the beard;
I did not hide my face
from insult and spitting.
"The Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame:
he who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together.
Who are my adversaries?
Let them confront me.
It is the Lord GOD who helps me;
who will declare me guilty?."

Psalm: Psalm 22:1-21 (BCP)
Psalm 22 consists of a lament and a thanksgiving. The psalmist describes the distress he is suffering and his trust in God. The Lord has always been faithful to Israel and to him. But now he is tormented by enemies, whom he likens to savage beasts.

Psalm 22:1-21
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me,
from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.

Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.

In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.

To you they cried, and were saved;
in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm, and not human;
scorned by others, and despised by the people.

All who see me mock at me;
they make mouths at me,
they shake their heads;

"Commit your cause to the LORD;
let him deliver–let him rescue
the one in whom he delights!"

Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.

On you I was cast from my birth,
and since my mother bore me
you have been my God.

Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

Many bulls encircle me,
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.

I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.

For dogs are all around me;
a company of evildoers encircles me.
My hands and feet have shriveled;
I can count all my bones.

They stare and gloat over me;
they divide my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

But you, O LORD, do not be far away!
O my help, come quickly to my aid!

Deliver my soul from the sword,
my life from the power of the dog!
Save me from the mouth of the lion!

Psalm: Psalm 31:9-16 (RCL)
Psalm 31 is a lament by one surrounded by evil people. Trust in God encourages the psalmist to entrust himself to God’s care. In anticipation of God’s deliverance, the psalmist prays with thanksgiving and joy.

Psalm 31:9-16
Be gracious to me, O LORD,
for I am in distress;
my eye wastes away from grief,
my soul and body also.

For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,
and my bones waste away.

I am the scorn of all my adversaries,
a horror to my neighbors,
an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street flee from me.

I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.

For I hear the whispering of many
– terror all around!–
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.

But I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God."

My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand
of my enemies and persecutors.

Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your steadfast love.

Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11
Today’s passage is generally considered to be a hymn to Christ that Paul has adopted to make his own point. The hymn contains an outline of Christ’s saving work: divine preexistence (v. 6), incarnation (v. 7), death (v. 8), celestial exaltation (v. 9), heavenly adoration (v. 10) and Jesus’ new title (v. 11).

The first stanza (2:6-8) recounts Jesus’ own action. His "equality with God" is not a prize to be "exploited" for his own advantage but is a treasure to lay down. The second stanza (2:9-11) stresses God’s action. The name God has bestowed on Jesus is "Lord," (Greek, Kyrios), the circumlocution used by Jews to avoid speaking the Name of God, YHWH, and the usual Greek title for a god. This name is now given to Jesus, and the honor due to God is also due him.

Philippians 2:5-11

Let that same mind be in you
that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Therefore God highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Gospel: Mark 14:1—15:47
In his account of the passion story, Mark is constantly working to shape the story so that all the major themes of his gospel emerge. Jesus the powerful teacher and miracle worker–the Christ–must suffer. He will be misunderstood and completely abandoned by his disciples as the hatred of the Jewish leaders triumphs. But in Jesus’ own weakness, the power of God can be present to bring salvation.

Mark’s account is not an appeal to pity, sorrow or even repentance. He is concerned about its message of salvation. It witnesses to the presence of God and to the evidence of God’s purpose at work in the midst of the passion. The response called forth is faith.

Mark stresses Jesus’ utter loneliness, deserted by his disciples–even Peter. When formally confronted by the Jewish high priest, Jesus makes a clear proclamation of his status and destiny. The dark path of the passion is the way to God. Acclaimed as Son of God by the voice at his baptism and transfiguration and by the demons during his ministry, Mark insists that Jesus’ true identity can only be recognized by gazing on the crucified Christ and affirming with the centurion that "this man was God’s Son!" (15:39).

Mark 14:1—15:47
The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.

It was two days before the Passover
and the festival of Unleavened Bread.
The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way
to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; for they said,
Not during the festival,
or there may be a riot among the people.

While Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,
as he sat at the table,
a woman came with an alabaster jar

of very costly ointment of nard,
and she broke open the jar
and poured the ointment on his head.
But some were there who said to one another in anger,
Why was the ointment wasted in this way?
For this ointment could have been sold
for more than three hundred denarii,
and the money given to the poor.
And they scolded her.

But Jesus said,
Let her alone; why do you trouble her?
She has performed a good service for me.
For you always have the poor with you,
and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish;
but you will not always have me.
She has done what she could;
she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial.
Truly I tell you,
wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world,
what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.

Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve,
went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them.
When they heard it, they were greatly pleased,
and promised to give him money.
So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

On the first day of Unleavened Bread,
when the Passover lamb is sacrificed,
the disciples said to Jesus,
Where do you want us to go and make the preparations
for you to eat the Passover?
So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,
Go into the city,
and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you;
follow him, and wherever he enters,
say to the owner of the house,
"The Teacher asks, ‘Where is my guest room
where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ "
He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready.
Make preparations for us there.
So the disciples set out and went to the city,
and found everything as he had told them;
and they prepared the Passover meal.

When it was evening, Jesus came with the twelve.
And when they had taken their places and were eating,
Jesus said,
Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me,
one who is eating with me.
They began to be distressed
and to say to him one after another,
Surely, not I?
It is one of the twelve,
one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me.
For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him,
but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!
It would have been better for that one not to have been born.
While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread,
and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said,
Take; this is my body.
Then he took a cup,
and after giving thanks he gave it to them,
and all of them drank from it.
He said to them,
This is my blood of the covenant,
which is poured out for many.
Truly I tell you,
I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine
until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
And Jesus said to them,
You will all become deserters; for it is written,
"I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered."
But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.
Peter said to him,
Even though all become deserters, I will not.
Truly I tell you, this day, this very night,
before the cock crows twice,
you will deny me three times.
But he said vehemently,
Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.
And all of them said the same.

They went to a place called Gethsemane;
and Jesus said to his disciples,
Sit here while I pray.
He took with him Peter and James and John,
and began to be distressed and agitated.
And he said to them,
I am deeply grieved, even to death;
remain here, and keep awake.
And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground
and prayed that, if it were possible,
the hour might pass from him.
Abba, Father, for you all things are possible;
remove this cup from me;
yet, not what I want, but what you want.

Jesus came and found them sleeping;
and he said to Peter,
Simon, are you asleep?
Could you not keep awake one hour?
Keep awake and pray
that you may not come into the time of trial;
the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.
And once more he came and found them sleeping,
for their eyes were very heavy;
and they did not know what to say to him.
He came a third time and said to them,
Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
Enough! The hour has come;
the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.

Immediately, while he was still speaking,
Judas, one of the twelve, arrived;
and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs,
from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.
Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying,
The one I will kiss is the man;
arrest him and lead him away under guard.
So when he came, he went up to Jesus at once and said,
"Rabbi!"
and kissed him.

Then they laid hands on him and arrested him.
But one of those who stood near drew his sword
and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
Then Jesus said to them,
Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me
as though I were a bandit?
Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching,
and you did not arrest me.
But let the scriptures be fulfilled.
All of them deserted him and fled.
A certain young man was following Jesus,
wearing nothing but a linen cloth.
They caught hold of him,
but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.

They took Jesus to the high priest;
and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were assembled.
Peter had followed him at a distance,
right into the courtyard of the high priest;
and he was sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire.
Now the chief priests and the whole council
were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death;
but they found none.
For many gave false testimony against him,
and their testimony did not agree.
Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying,
We heard him say,
"I will destroy this temple that is made with hands,
and in three days I will build another, not made with hands."
But even on this point their testimony did not agree.

Then the high priest stood up before them
and asked Jesus,
Have you no answer?
What is it that they testify against you?
But he was silent and did not answer.
Again the high priest asked him,
Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?
I am;
and "you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power,"
and "coming with the clouds of heaven."
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said,
Why do we still need witnesses?
You have heard his blasphemy!
What is your decision?
All of them condemned him as deserving death.
Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him,
saying to him, Prophesy!
The guards also took him over and beat him.

While Peter was below in the courtyard,
one of the servant girls of the high priest came by.
When she saw Peter warming himself,
she stared at him and said,
You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.
But he denied it, saying,
I do not know or understand what you are talking about.
And he went out into the forecourt.
Then the cock crowed.

And the servant girl, on seeing him,
began again to say to the bystanders,
This man is one of them.
But again he denied it.

Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter,
Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.
But he began to curse, and he swore an oath,
I do not know this man you are talking about.
At that moment the cock crowed for the second time.
Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him,
"Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times."
And he broke down and wept.

As soon as it was morning,
the chief priests held a consultation
with the elders and scribes and the whole council.
They bound Jesus, led him away,
and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate asked him,
Are you the King of the Jews?
You say so.
Then the chief priests accused him of many things.
Pilate asked him again,
Have you no answer?
See how many charges they bring against you.
But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.

Now at the festival Pilate used to release a prisoner for them,
anyone for whom they asked.
Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels
who had committed murder during the insurrection.
So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate
to do for them according to his custom.
Then he answered them,
Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?
For he realized that it was out of jealousy
that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd
to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Pilate spoke to them again,
Then what do you wish me to do with the man
you call the King of the Jews?
They shouted back,
Crucify him!
Pilate asked them,
Why, what evil has he done?
But they shouted all the more,
Crucify him!

So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,
released Barabbas for them;
and after flogging Jesus,
he handed him over to be crucified.
Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace,
(that is, the governor’s headquarters);
and they called together the whole cohort.
And they clothed him in a purple cloak;
and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him.
And they began saluting him,
Hail, King of the Jews!
They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him,
and knelt down in homage to him.
After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak
and put his own clothes on him.
Then they led him out to crucify him.

They compelled a passer-by,
who was coming in from the country,
to carry his cross;
it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.
Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha,
(which means the place of a skull).
And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh;
but he did not take it.
And they crucified him,
and divided his clothes among them,
casting lots to decide what each should take.

It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge against him read,
"The King of the Jews."
And with him they crucified two bandits,
one on his right and one on his left.
Those who passed by derided him,
shaking their heads and saying:
Aha! You would destroy this temple
and build it in three days,
save yourself, and come down from the cross!
In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes,
were also mocking him among themselves and saying,
He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Let the Messiah, the King of Israel,
come down from the cross now,
so that we may see and believe.
Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.

When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice,
Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?
which means,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When some of the bystanders heard it, they said,
Listen, he is calling for Elijah.
And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine,
put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying,
Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.
Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
And the curtain of the temple was torn in two,
from top to bottom.

Now when the centurion, who stood facing him,
saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said,
Truly this man was God’s Son!

There were also women looking on from a distance;
among them were Mary Magdalene,
and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses,
and Salome.
These used to follow him
and provided for him when he was in Galilee;
and there were many other women
who had come up with him to Jerusalem.

When evening had come,
and since it was the day of Preparation,
that is, the day before the sabbath,
Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council,
who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God,
went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead;
and summoning the centurion,
he asked him whether he had been dead for some time.
When he learned from the centurion that Jesus was dead,
he granted the body to Joseph.

Then Joseph bought a linen cloth,
and taking down the body,
wrapped it in the linen cloth,
and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock.
He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses
saw where the body was laid.

Reflection and Response
In many churches the people will take a role in the reading of the passion today. Playing the part of the mob, we may seem miscast at first: adults in Sunday dress, children fretful. Yet oddly enough, we grow into the part. With each step we take into the story, the story permeates us.

We are no strangers to the sadness that colors today’s readings. What is worse, we have caused other crucifixions. We have betrayed friends with the hypocrisy of Judas’s embrace. We have pleaded fatigue when people in anguish needed us most. We have relished power, set the trap, watched in horrified paralysis as tragic scenarios unfolded. The sneers and insults come naturally. We do not need the script to jeer.

Violence against the innocent so fills our news that we rarely wince when we read or hear of child abuse, battered spouses, genocide, starvation, assassination and illegal incarceration. Dorothy Sayers describes this psychic numbing: "It is curious that people who are filled with horrified indignation whenever a cat kills a sparrow can hear that story of the killing of God told Sunday after Sunday and not experience any shock at all."

Perhaps we must painfully confront the evil we harbor within and tolerate without before we can fully appreciate the passion narrative. Jesus knew what it meant to be enslaved to human limitations. As Philippians points out, he descended to the lowest common denominator of human existence: the bloody, sweaty, dirty business of criminal execution.

God is indeed treated as the meanest form of life. Jesus’ captors arm themselves with swords and clubs, strange weapons to use against one who delighted in the wildflowers, touched the children and studied the scriptures. Peter is afraid to be associated with him. Faithful women follow at a distance. His face covered with bruises and spittle, Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, gathering the most intense suffering unto himself and embodying all powerless victims.

Quietly consider:
To what extent have I become numb to the passion narrative?
To what extent am I still sensitive?

Prayer Starter
Lord, show me the joy of emptying myself in your service...