Videos from Fr Claudio Doglio
Original voice in italian, with subtitles in English, Spanish, Portuguese & Cantonese
PASSION, DEATH, AND RESURRECTION ACCORDING TO MATTHEW
The Gospel of Matthew recounts Jesus’s passion, death, and resurrection, and it places the decisive events at the top of its narrative. The passion story is told in two chapters across the four gospels. The accounts usually correspond across all four narrations because the passion story was inevitably the first to be formed. It is the basis of apostolic preaching.
The announcement of Christ’s resurrection led to the narration of how he died, why he died, and how the decisive events of his life unfolded. Therefore, we find the same story conspicuously mediated in four different ways; each evangelist has given their own touch to this story. Mark highlights, above all, the impact of the events and the drama of their rapid unfolding. Luke offers a gentle, pedagogical tone to the events, showing the innocent not abandoned by people or by the Father; the good attitude of Jesus who looks at and converts Peter; and the word of forgiveness for those who kill him. John delves into the theological path and presents the glory of the cross and the raising of the king to the throne, from which he draws everyone to himself.
Matthew respects the traditional narrative in the vast majority of cases, with some particular nuances for a more catechetical tone, where he sometimes intervenes to clarify the meaning of the events. We notice this catechetical nuance in Matthew, particularly in the episode of Jesus’s arrest, when the disciple draws his sword to strike those who come to arrest the Master. Jesus tells him, “Put your sword back in its place,” and adds a proverb, “All those who take the sword will die of the sword.” It is not with violence that you respond to violence; it is not the way of Jesus: ‘Do not oppose the wicked,’ he had said in the discourse on the mountain.
Now, Jesus applies this principle concretely and asks: “Do you still believe that I cannot pray to my Father, who would immediately put more than twelve legions of angels at my disposal?” If he wanted to oppose, he would have twelve legions of angels available, in addition to the twelve disciples, one of whom is a traitor. ‘I could, but I don’t want to. I don’t use force. I do not choose these supernatural methods, but I abandon myself to violence and give in to fulfill God’s plan. If I oppose with violence or by using angels, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled?’, according to which this is the way God must be, one of humility and passion, of responding to evil with good and meekness. This is how Jesus reverses the situation and saves humanity.
This discourse in that tragic moment is a typical element of Matthew. It is a kind of catechetical synthesis in which the evangelist puts into Jesus’ mouth a call to the fundamental aspects of his catechesis.
Another typical aspect of Matthew is the emphasis on the role of Judas. Only Matthew narrates, among other things, Judas’ reaction after seeing Jesus condemned and the tragedy of his suicide. We do not take Judas’ role lightly. Many times, there has been talk of the tragic role of a predestined man, as if Judas must necessarily do what was necessary for God’s plan to be fulfilled. It is absolutely not true.
Jesus was not a fugitive, hiding who knew where and beyond finding. He was in the temple every day; therefore, if we reason, we see that Judas’s role was minimal; it was not essential to arrest Jesus; it was merely convenient for the temple authorities to arrest him in secret, when no one saw them. Apprehending him on the temple esplanade would probably have caused a riot among the people and some disturbances. Judas has not betrayed Jesus for economic reasons; it is not the desire for money that prompted him. They promise him 30 denarii.
One denarius is generally understood as a worker’s daily wage; therefore, thirty denarii correspond to an average monthly salary. Today, we could say that thirty denarii correspond to a monthly salary. Such a sum does not betray a friend. What reason does Judas have to hand over Jesus for a small amount of money? There is something else behind it. Judas follows Jesus; he is linked to Jesus and is his disciple. The Greek text’s verb is not ‘to betray’ but ‘to hand over.’ Judas is not a traitor but one who delivers Jesus. It sounds very different.
We are accustomed to the verb ‘betray’ and have also been betrayed in our understanding. The Greek verb ‘para dídomi’ translates into Latin as ‘contract’ = ‘tradere,’ giving rise to the English language of commerce, ‘to trade’. ‘Tradere’ means transmission, the delivery from one to the other. Why did Judas surrender Jesus? We have no precise indications. We can only imagine it, but the most likely explanation is that Jesus was too slow, mild, and weak for Judas. Judas must have wanted to force the issue. He thought that Jesus does not reveal himself… ‘he does not make himself known… he does not oppose… forcefully, you have to push him to make him say who he is, in such a way that the authorities recognize him, agree and proceed to the work of liberation.’
Judas probably thought he was helping God’s plan by doing it his way. He did it for a good purpose; he delivered Jesus so that Jesus could speak face-to-face with the highest authorities of Israel. Judas thought they would understand each other and agree, and the great work of liberation would finally begin. When Judas realizes that Jesus has not revealed himself for who he is and has been condemned, even taken to Pilate to be sentenced to death, he is saddened… saddened because he was the one who handed him over. “Seeing that Jesus has been condemned, taken by remorse, he returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders, saying, ‘I have sinned by delivering an innocent man to death.’ They replied: ‘What about us? That is your problem.’”
This report is a typical item from Matthew. The reaction of the priestly authorities of the temple shows spiritual narrow-mindedness. They have gotten what they were looking for. They have used Judas to strike without being noticed. The problems of conscience are Judas’s. The authorities do not care, as they tell Judas: ‘Do what you want now; fix it as you want.’ They kick him out. They’ve used him, and now they throw him away. Poor Judas, when he sees that things do not go as he thought, repents. He lets himself be taken by remorse and admits that he has sinned, “I have handed innocent blood into your hands,” that is, ‘an innocent person whom you have condemned to death, of which you will shed blood. I have the responsibility, but I didn’t want that.’
Judas is a disciple who wants to do his own thing, who follows Jesus but does not listen,and would like to teach him to be the Messiah and impose something on him; and who discovers the drama of being responsible, though he does not want to be … Judas’ worst mistake was not trusting in God’s mercy. “He threw the money into the sanctuary, left, and hanged himself.” This is the drama of not trusting in God’s mercy; in any case, we cannot affirm that Judas was condemned. He may have accepted and received God’s mercy. It is the drama of a stubborn disciple, very similar to us.
Judas’ betrayal is very similar to the betrayal of many Christians who follow Jesus yet want to make him do what they have in mind, for a good purpose, according to their schemes and tastes. Unfortunately, they want to dominate and bend him. This attempt is always dramatic and unsuccessful. Jesus is condemned by Pilate, carried to the place of execution, hung on the cross, and outraged and ridiculed by the people present, and he ends his life with a loud cry: “Elí Elí lema Sabathani.”
Thus, Matthew cites the opening of Psalm 21 in Hebrew. It marks the beginning of an important biblical prayer. If we do not consider it a lengthy psalm with many themes, we risk reading this word of Jesus as almost despairing: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Then it is possible to reflect on the sense of abandonment and the theological problem: How can God abandon God? However, that is not the best way to follow and understand the text.
If we reread the entire psalm, we realize it is a beautiful prayer of great trust. The second part announces life, the fulfillment the Lord has offered to his servant, and the guarantee that he will live and have offspring.
Quoting the first verse helps the evangelist show that Jesus prayed using the words of the Psalms, particularly that psalm. From that text, Jesus drew verses for his prayer. Jesus prayed with the Psalms until the last moment of his life. His prayer is made up of verses taken from the Psalms. The last cry is an affirmation of trust that burns within this psalm.
There is a particular verse that says: “From my mother’s womb, you are my God.” In Hebrew: “Eli atá.” “Some of those present, upon hearing him, commented: He is calling Elijah.” ‘Elí = my God” — “Atá = you” = ‘You are my God…”. It is the final cry of Jesus, a cry of great confidence and abandonment: “Despite everything, You are my God.”
But an Aramaic ear could have understood the word slightly differently. They could have heard: ‘Eliá ta.’ The exact phrase, if written in Aramaic, means: “Elijah, come.” That is why: “Some of those present, upon hearing him, commented: He is calling for Elijah.”“Immediately, one of them ran, took a sponge soaked in vinegar, and gave him a drink with a cane. The others said: Wait, let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” Elijah does not come … It is the final misunderstanding. Jesus was not calling Elijah. Jesus trusted his God and put his life in the Father’s hands.
Apocalyptic phenomena accompany the death of Jesus. They all point to the tearing of the temple’s veil, the earth shaking, and the rocks breaking. Matthew adds that the earthquake, the breaking of rocks, and the opening of sepulchers are eschatological signs. Is it the end of the world? Yes, it is the end of the world with the death of Jesus; there is an end, there is fulfillment, and there is a reversal of the situation, especially in that earthquake that opens the tombs; it is the apocalyptic image of the catastrophe.
The word ‘catastrophe’ in Greek means this gesture, accompanying the idea of change. Things have changed from like this to like this. A catastrophe is to turn what is below and put it on top. It is the reversal of destiny. The earthquake is a frequent apocalyptic symbol that indicates God’s intervention. Things are upset. They are no longer the same. It is the structure of the world that is upset. However, reversal means correction and salvation, since the structure was negative and corrupt. It is the same image of the earthquake that the evangelist Matthew uses at the time of the resurrection.
Let’s not forget that the evangelists do not recount the resurrection itself but rather the women’s and the disciples’ visit to the empty tomb. They describe the empty-tomb experience and the encounter with the Risen One, but not the moment of the resurrection. Matthew writes at the beginning of chapter 28, the last chapter of his Gospel: “At the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake: the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.” It is an apocalyptic description. The angel is like lightning that shakes the earth. It is the description that only Matthew presents to explain the event in which God intervened and reversed the situation from above.
The great earthquake marks the reversal of the situation. The angel of the Lord rolls the stone. It is the image of evil; it is death. It is that stone placed on top that hides everything they put into it, meaning something is dead and buried, and everything is finished. Instead, lightning from heaven shakes the earth and moves the stone, and the victorious angel sits on it; he sits on the symbol of death. And the Risen Christ meets the women and the disciples and sends them all over the world.
We have come to fulfillment. “I have been given full authority in heaven and on earth. Go and make disciples among all the peoples.” The beginning of the church’s mission is the end of the Gospel. We started from this ending because everything begins here. With the experience of the risen Christ, the disciples, including Matthew, went back to the beginning and remembered what had happened. They told us about it so that we, too, became his disciples.
Listening to and understanding the Gospel well helps us grow in this dimension of discipleship. We are called to learn from Jesus, to learn from him in person, and to truly become his disciples. I sincerely hope that listening to these words and reading these texts will help us become disciples of Jesus.