Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Ezekiel 37:21-28; Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13; John 11:45-56
Today’s readings speak about gathering what has been scattered.
The prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah imagine a hopeful future.
The people of Israel have been dispersed among many nations.
But God promises:
I will gather them again.
They will become one people.
They will live in peace.
It is a beautiful dream.
A people once scattered finally brought home.
Then the Gospel takes us into a very different scene.
Not hope.
But fear.
Jesus has just raised Lazarus from the dead.
It is the greatest sign of his ministry.
You might expect that everyone would believe.
But the opposite happens.
The leaders of the people gather in council.
They are worried.
“If this man continues,” they say, “everyone will believe in him.”
And then comes a chilling conclusion.
The high priest Caiaphas says:
“It is better that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
From a political point of view it sounds practical.
Sacrifice one person to keep the peace.
Protect the nation.
Avoid trouble with Rome.
The decision is made.
Jesus must die.
But the Gospel sees something deeper.
Caiaphas thinks he is speaking about politics.
In reality he is speaking prophecy.
Jesus will indeed die for the people.
But not in the way Caiaphas imagined.
His death will not save a political system.
It will open something much greater.
The prophets dreamed that God would gather Israel.
Jesus goes further.
His death begins the gathering of all humanity.
Not just one nation.
All nations.
Not just one people.
All who believe.
The irony is striking.
The leaders think they are stopping Jesus.
In reality they are helping to accomplish his mission.
The cross becomes the place where the scattered children of God begin to come together.
Human history often looks divided.
Nations against nations.
Communities against communities.
People separated by culture, language, and history.
The ancient dream of the prophets still echoes today:
One family.
One people.
One humanity.
The Gospel says that this gathering begins in a surprising place.
Not in power.
Not in politics.
But on a cross.
Where one man dies—
so that the scattered may finally become one.
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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