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The Passion Narrative
Jericho is the final stop for those traveling to Jerusalem. In Jericho, Jesus met Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, a man who seemed irredeemable. However, when Jesus entered Zacchaeus’s home, a transformation took place. Salvation entered Zacchaeus’s life through Jesus.
After leaving Jericho, Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem. The path to the holy city was about 30 kilometers of steep terrain, and the final stretch before reaching Jerusalem crossed the dry Judean desert. Upon arrival, Jesus was welcomed triumphantly and preached in the temple for a few days, but he quickly clashed with the authorities.
The evangelist Luke, whose story we are following at this point, adheres to the ancient tradition and aligns perfectly with the other two Synoptics, Matthew and Mark. A distinctive feature of Luke is his skillful inclusion of the journey. From 9:51 onward, Luke notes that Jesus set his face resolutely, chose to go to Jerusalem, and departed. He arrives in Jerusalem in chapter 19.
Luke dedicates ten chapters to the journey, not merely describing it but using it as a teaching opportunity for Jesus to instruct his disciples. During this trip, he meets several people, and the evangelist recounts these encounters in a catechetical manner.
Once the journey to Jerusalem ended, the most important event in Jesus’s life and mission took place: his death and resurrection. According to Luke, the passion story spans chapters 22 and 23 of the Gospel. It follows the traditional structure, mainly established by the evangelist Mark, the earliest to record this story among the texts we have. Therefore, Luke inherits a story from tradition and retells it, adding many details. Most importantly, he gives the story a unique tone by portraying Jesus as meek and calm.
Despite everything, Lucan’s account of the passion remains calm. There is no focus on violence or on Jesus’s anguish. The evangelist aims to show that Jesus fully controls the challenges he faces and handles them with kindness and mercy, especially toward his enemies who mistreat him.
The passion story begins with the preparation of the paschal supper, during which Jesus institutes the Eucharist, reveals the traitor, and teaches his disciples about humility and service. Late in the day, after dinner, they head toward Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus often prayed. Luke offers a unique account of this prayer, adding a new element: an angel comes to Jesus, sent by the Father to comfort him.
The evangelist suggests that Jesus is not alone in this intense moment. It is not a desperate or frantic prayer but one sustained by the Father’s presence. He engages in the struggle. In Greek, the evangelist uses the word ‘agony.’ Jesus’ prayer is described as agony, but not in the sense that he is dying or gasping for breath. He remains fully aware and has a clear mind to understand what will happen to him. The inner battle he faces is a fight against evil spirits and hostile forces.
As the only one to mention it, Luke notes that “he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood on the ground.” He does not claim that Jesus sweated blood but rather that his sweat resembled drops of blood. In this intense prayer, Jesus sweats as if he is struggling and fighting against someone. This sweat resembles drops of blood, and the reference to the ‘blood’ that will be abundantly shed later is intentional. Even before this, there is total involvement in prayer. According to the Evangelist Luke, Jesus is a man of prayer who knows how to pray and fully conforms to God’s plan.
While he is engaged in this prayerful struggle, the crowd arrives, led by Judas. Jesus is arrested. Peter does not understand Jesus’ instructions; he takes up a sword despite everything and intends to use it. He draws his sword and strikes one of the servants arresting Jesus. However, Jesus performs an extraordinary act: he heals the wounded man’s ear. Notice the difference: Peter resorts to violence by cutting off this enemy’s right ear, while Jesus, by touching the ear that was harmed, demonstrates that he can embody what he has taught others: doing good to those who persecute him.
The disciple’s mistake of using violence to defend Jesus—by striking the opponent—is not in Jesus’s style. It is not what he taught; it is not what he desires. It is significant that Jesus picks up the severed ear and reattaches it. He shows kindness to the one who is unjustly arresting him. This act is an act of mercy. It demonstrates Jesus’s commitment to humanity. He chooses not to use his strength. He does not defend himself with divine power. He does not flee. He does not hide. He does not resort to any miraculous trickery. He does not fight, let alone strike his enemies.
This is God’s style. This is His mercy, which works for the good of those who mistreat Him. It is this mercy that saves the world. After His arrest, Jesus is taken to the house of the high priest. Peter follows Him, and in front of a servant girl who repeatedly asks whether he belongs to the group of the Nazarenes, Peter denies knowing Him three times. This is Peter’s traditional denial story.
Luke repeats it, adding a powerful detail: the third time Peter says he does not know Jesus, the Lord turns and fixes his gaze on Peter, and Peter recalls what Jesus had told him. He goes outside, crying bitterly. We highlight this subtle but important point: the Lord turns and looks at Peter.
We have already seen how Luke uses the term ‘Lord’ to describe Jesus in the story. When he refers to Jesus as the ‘Kyrios,’ he emphasizes Jesus’ divinity and his role as God. It is not merely the historical figure of Jesus; it is the Lord himself who looks at Peter. In the palace, Jesus was inside the high priest’s chamber, while Peter was outside. How he looked at him from a window in a passageway does not concern us. The reconstruction of the chronicle is what matters. That glance, that look of a friend, strikes Peter in the heart. He feels pierced by that look of Jesus. It is a gaze of goodness, but also one of reproach. It is therapeutic mercy.
Jesus looks at Peter with deep affection, recognizing the Peter who loves him in words but denies him in actions. Jesus’s gaze wounds Peter’s heart and heals him at the same time, bringing him to tears. Here is yet another example of therapeutic mercy. With his gaze, Jesus guides Peter to weep, and through his tears, Peter admits his mistake, asks for forgiveness, and changes. At this moment, the sinful disciple, who holds a mistaken view, makes empty gestures and focuses on himself, fails, and is transformed by the grace of Jesus.
Jesus is then brought before Pilate. When Pilate learns that the prisoner is from Galilee, he tries to avoid responsibility by sending Jesus to Herod. This episode is unique to Luke: the interrogation of Jesus before Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, who was responsible for the massacre of the innocents at Jesus’ birth. Herod Antipas was the tetrarch of Galilee and had John the Baptist executed.
During Passover, he was in Jerusalem, where he owned a luxurious palace. If Jesus is from Galilee, he falls under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Pilate sends him to Herod for judgment. “Herod was pleased to see Jesus; he had desired to see him for a long time,” says Luke. “He had heard about him [Jesus] and hoped to witness him perform some sign.” Herod is portrayed as a shallow, puppet-like man, lacking any real personality. He expects some magical trick from Jesus. He is interested neither in Jesus’s message nor in his persona. He poses many curious questions, but Jesus does not respond.
Jesus speaks to Pilate and goes to the house of sinners, which befits everyone. However, before Herod, he gives him no answer, not even a word. Herod takes offense, insults him, mocks him, and sends him back to Pilate without finding any fault, but also without satisfaction. Pilate reiterates for the umpteenth time that he sees no fault in Jesus, but in the end, out of cowardice, he yields and condemns him at the request of the Jews.
As the condemned man is being transported to the place of execution, Luke describes his encounter with the women of Jerusalem who accompany him, weeping for him. However, Jesus does not accept their tears and tells them, “Do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children.” He encourages them to mourn their sins, as he did with Peter. He calls the women to weep specifically for their sins, urging them to change their mindset, recognize where evil exists, and understand that what Jesus is doing now signifies the moment of redemption. He does not seek pity from people; rather, he wants his act of mercy to lead to fundamental changes in their lives.
In this intense and crucial moment, Luke places two powerful prayers on Jesus’ lips, introducing them with the vocative ‘Father.’ As they were nailing him to the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.” He intercedes for sinners, and his final words before dying are a surrender of his life into the Father’s hands: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Luke omits the verse from Ps 22:2 used by Mark and Matthew: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” because he fears that his Greek readers might not understand it as a message of salvation filled with hope, which, unfortunately, many commentators suggest could be read as a desperate cry.
To show that Jesus’ prayer demonstrates great trust, he quotes another verse from Psalm 31:6: “Into your hands, I commend my spirit.” He adds the vocative ‘Father’ to show how Jesus relates to God as a true son. There is also a unique scene narrated only by Luke: the pivotal meeting in Jesus’ life.
One of the two bandits crucified with him does not insult him but instead asks for mercy. I avoid using the term ‘thief,’ a Latinism. In Latin, “latro – latronis” refers not to ‘thief’ or the great thief, but to a bandit, an outlaw. More accurately, we might say that he is a ‘Zealot,’ a member of the armed faction that sought to change the world through violence. He recognizes that he was wrong, that he deserved that infamous condemnation of the cross, and understands that Jesus did nothing wrong. Then he addresses him by name.
He is the only person in the Gospels who addresses the master of Nazareth, the ‘Lord,’ as ‘Jesus’ and says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He trusts this crucified king and, as a friend, asks him, ‘Remember me.’ Jesus responds with a powerful affirmation: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” This ‘today’ of salvation heralds the possibility of being with Jesus. ‘Paradise’ refers to the garden, a rare term in the New Testament. It appears only here in the Gospels, once in Saint Paul, and once in Revelation. “You will be with me” serves as Jesus’ promise: ‘You have entrusted yourself to me; you can be assured you will be with me.’
This explains the meaning of his cross, his redemptive death. When everything is finished, Luke describes the scene with skillful detail and unique language: “When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts; but all his acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed him from Galilee and witnessed these events.” In Greek, the term used is ‘θεωρίαν’ – ‘theoría,’ which translates to ‘spectacle’ in English.
The scene of Jesus’ passion, his crucifixion, is a spectacle; it is something to behold; it is an extraordinary event. Everyone who came to witness that spectacle, reflecting on what had transpired, would go home beating their chests as a sign of repentance. From the cross of Christ comes the crowd’s repentance.
Those who observe his passion, read it, meditate on it, think about it, and return home changed—beating their chests and recognizing themselves as sinners—are like Peter, like the bandit, and like all humanity that needs this mercy. This mercy, which on the cross fulfills itspurpose and transforms, that is, saves humanity.