When Johann Sebastian Bach set the words of the passion narrative from St. John’s Gospel to music, he not only set the words of the Gospel to music but also included arias and choruses which convey the thoughts and feelings that occurred to him as he pondered St. John’s words.
At the point in the passion when Jesus and the crowd reach the summit of Golgotha, Bach included an aria for the bass and chorus. The bass sings:
Come you souls whom care oppresses, leave your troubles, leave the dark recesses, come!
The chorus responds: “Wohin?” “To where shall we come?”
“Come to Golgotha,” he responds. “Take the wings of faith to bear you.”
Again the chorus responds: “Wohin?” “To where?”
Again the bass responds, “Come to carry his cross. Happiness awaits you there.”
I cannot imagine that many people would characterize the passion and death of Jesus as a moment of happiness. Yet we refer to this day as “Good” Friday. Bach understood this truth about the act of sacrifice which Jesus makes today. It is an act which brings us happiness. It is an act which is good in its very nature.
St. John’s passion narrative, like his entire Gospel, is different than the other Gospels of the Christian Scriptures. Throughout the story, St. John makes it very clear that it is Jesus who is in control of the narrative. As the story opens, John writes, “Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him…” From that point on, St. John clearly indicates that it is Jesus who is the judge, Jesus who is the king, Jesus who decides how this will all play out, Jesus who is God in the flesh.
Subtle statements reveal this. The soldiers fall prostrate, a gesture that connotes worship. In the presence of the Sanhedrin, Jesus tells the truth while others lie about him. When Jesus faces Pilate, it is Pilate who calls him a king. The soldiers dress him in royal purple and place a crown on his head and actually hail him as the king. When Pilate brings Jesus before the crowd, he seats Jesus on the judgment seat rather than sitting upon it himself. The sign placed upon the cross declares Jesus to be the King. When all has played out as it was supposed to, Jesus simply states, “It is finished,” or “It is accomplished,” and dies. These words indicate that what he had come to do, he had in fact done. He has finished the task that the Father had given him. He had fulfilled his part in the act of redemption, and he had done so nobly and with determination.
So as we worship this afternoon, we come to Golgotha, we come to the cross and venerate it. When you come forward to venerate the cross, bring with you all your cares, all your concerns, all your aches and pains, all your doubts. Bring it all. For it is in the cross that we will find happiness. With the wings of faith we come to Golgotha and place our faith in Jesus as our God, as our King, as our Redeemer.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator