ISAIAH 53:10-11
Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
We have already encountered this “second” (or third) Isaiah on several other Sundays, and his announcement of the “Servant of the LORD,” the suffering servant for the sins of the people, and its meaning: the non-Davidic, non-triumphal conception of the Messiah. This prophetic image perfectly accompanies the word of the gospel.
Unfortunately, there are two expressions in the text typical of a prehistoric theology: “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer.” It seems to hold the Father responsible for Jesus’ sufferings. “If he offers himself as an offering for sin” responds to a misunderstood concept of redemption, which comes from the notion of “expiatory sacrifice,” that is, that Jesus, with his blood and death, “pays God” for our sins. Fortunately, the Church is already coming to understand that the Father does not charge for forgiveness.
HEBREWS 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
The theology of the Letter to the Hebrews often uses the comparison of Jesus with the High Priest of Israel, who, once a year, entered the Sanctuary to offer the Sacrifice for the people. This image is used to represent that Jesus is the Pontiff, the one who makes the bridge to God for us, because he “belongs to both shores.” This is what gives security to our faith: on the one hand, that he is one of us; on the other, that he opens access to God for us. Jesus, true God and true man, is the center of our faith and our hope. But it is important to remember that the image of the High Priest of Israel has value only as an image. Jesus is not a Pontiff, nor a Priest. These images may perhaps help us understand Jesus, which is very different. We will also meditate on this later.
José Enrique Galarreta