Two-Fold Christian Passover II – Good Friday – Jesus Dies on the Cross as Passover Lamb of God, Whose Flesh the Living Bread of Life and Whose Blood as Divine Mercy Protection of the New Covenant

In my blog article yesterday, I referred the first two days of Paschal Triduum, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and Good Friday, as two-fold Christian Passover. It is because the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) describe the night before the death of Jesus as Passover evening, while John’s Gospel sees the day of Jesus’ death was the day of preparation for Passover. In the Synoptic Gospel, Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist at the Lord’s Supper, which was hosted by Jesus as his last Passover Sedar supper. On the other hand, Jesus was killed just before Passover Sabbath began at that day’s sundown, as to be the Passover lamb to be slaughtered to be roasted for Passover Sedar supper and to sprinkle its blood for protection from God’s wrath passing over Egypt. Therefore, the first two days of Paschal Triduum can be understood as two-fold Passover in the context of the four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) of Christians.

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In the Synoptic Gospels, it is the Unleavened Bread, with which Jesus identified his body to be taken (Matthew 26:26//Mark 14:22//Luke 22:19), in instituting the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, making it Blessed Sacrament. On the other hand, in the Johannine Gospel, it is the Passover Lamb, with which Jesus has become, as he died as a Passover lamb or Passover sacrifice (Seh for Korban Pesakh) was slaughtered to prepare for Passover Sedar supper (Exodus 12:3-6) and its blood for the protection from God’s wrath passing over (Exodus 12:7,12-13) .

In this two-fold Passover of Christians on the first two days of Paschal Triduum, we see Corporus Christi – the Body of Christ, both as unleavened Passover bread, matzo, consecrated into the Sacrament bread of the Eucharist, as well as the Passover lamb (Seh Korban Pesakh), slaughtered and lasted, for Passover Sedar supper, while his blood is to protect from God’s wrath passing over, while his blood, as Sanguinis Christi, to save us.

In Jesus’ Living Bread of Life Discourse (John 6:25-59), Jesus has identified himself as the living bread of life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51) to be eaten as his flesh (John 6:51, 53-56) , with his blood to be drunk (John 6:53-56) to have eternal life (John 6:53-54), to be raised from the dead at the end of time (John 6:54), and to be in full communion with him (John 6:56). And, Jesus desires us to be in full communion with him, as he himself addressed during his Last Supper Discourse (John 14:20).

The Passover Sedar bread, which Jesus broke and shared with his disciples, is his body. The Passover Sedar wine, which he shared out of his cup, is his blood. As he broke the bread, as his body, in in instituting the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, at the Lord’s Supper, night before his death, he was breaking his own body to be eaten as the Living Bread of Life to be in full communion with his disciples, whose feet he washed out of love. Then, his blood was also shared with them, for the new covenant for oneness, evoking a new everlasting covenant of peace in Ezekiel 37:24-28, in which Jesus can be seen as the Davidic king to be in communion with.

As John the Baptist identified, Jesus, whose body is the Passover living bread of life, is also the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the word (John 1:29), and the Lamb of God, who will return as the mighty King of the Universe at the end of time for his wedding supper (Revelation 19:9-21). But, this Lamb of God was slaughtered by the hands of evil on the day of Passover preparation as to be Passover lamb (Seh Korban Pesakh), whose roasted flesh is eaten and whose blood is to be sprinkled.

In this two-fold Christian Passover, spanning the first two days of Paschal Triduum, we see the salvific significance of Jesus’ self-sacrifice on the Cross in the same spectrum of his actions of service at the Supper and what came after the Supper last night, so that we can eat his flesh as the Living Paschal Bread of Life and drink his blood for his never covenant and for the protection like the Passover protection.

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Yesterday (Part I of the two-fold Christian Passover), Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday), we celebrated the Lord’s Supper as Passover Sedar, for which Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The foot washing implies hospitality (Luke 7:36-44) and priestly service (Exodus 30:17-21) and service of Christian love (John 13:34-35).

Chrism Mass to bless the perfumed oil for Sacramental anointing, celebrated yesterday during the day, signifies renewal of priestly vows and priestly unity to serve.  And, priestly service was demonstrated during evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, through the foot washing service performed by a priest, in persona Christi, before the Liturgy of the Eucharist, as Jesus did during just before the Lord’s Supper began. And, in Jesus’ Mandatum Novum, the priestly service of the foot washing is what Christian love can be manifested. Because by virtue of Baptism, we are all call to be worthy for priestly roles, whether ordained or not. And, we are also called to replicate this Christian love to one another, as demonstrated to us by Jesus (John 13:34-35), the high priest (Hebrews 2:17;3:1;4:14-5:10; 7:11-8:13; 9:11-15) .

Today (Part II of the two-fold Christian Passover), Friday of  the Passion of the Lord, Good Friday, we celebrate the Lord’s Passion, as the climax of Holy Week, commemorating how Jesus’ suffering (passion) culminated in his agonizing death on the Cross. We celebrate what the Crucifix reminds us.

During these dark hours, from late last night, after the Lord’s Supper, this day to commemorate his Passion today, we must remember that Jesus had no sin but was made to be sin for us so that we may be made righteous in him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The gushing flow of the blood, along with the water, from the pierced Jesus’ body on the Cross upon his death (John 19:34) at 3 o’clock in the afternoon (in the 9^th hour of the Roman clock) (Matthew 27:45-50//Mark 15:33-37//Luke 23:4-46) is fulfillment of this prophecy of Zechariah, “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a Spirit of mercy and supplication, so that when they look on him whom they have thrust through, they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and they will grieve for him as one grieves over a first born” (Zechariah 12:10).  The blood, together with the water, poured out of Jesus on the Cross is the blood of the new covenant that Jesus proclaimed in instituting the Sacrament of the Eucharist at the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:28//Mark 14:20// Luke 22:20 ) , renewing the protective and salfivic effect of the blood of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:7, 13 cf. Exodus 24:8 ), is also the Spirit of Divine Mercy, as Jesus said to St. Maria Faustina (#299, Diary of St. Faustina).  As the blood of Jesus, who is the Lamb of God (John 1:29), was poured out gushing (John 19:34), the curtain of the Holy of Holies in the Temple was torn open (Matthew 27:51//Mark 15:38//Luke 23:5), making God’s throne of grace accessible for us to receive the Divine Mercy (Hebrews 4:16).  The torn curtain of the Temple upon the last breath of Jesus also recalls the strong forces of God passing over Egypt on the night of Passover.

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Good Friday is the day that we commemorate how the Lord’s Passion culminated in his agonizing death on the Cross – so that death passes over us – so that death has no final word to us - so that we can attain eternal life that Jesus has promised – so that we will resurrect with our new incorruptible bodies in the fullness of time (1 Corinthians 15:12-58), evoking an image of the dry bones in the valleys of death are regaining life with the Holy Spirit as the breath of God being poured to start a new creation with a new everlasting covenant (Ezekiel 37:1-28).

As Paschal Vigil Mass readings remind us, what follows this sorrowful day of the Lord’s death on the Cross is the rising of new life, Resurrection of the Lord, as the firstfruit or firstborn from the dead, early predawn morning on the third day from his death. And, it marks the end of Paschal Triduum.

As reflected in Tenabrae Service, the three-day period of Paschal Triduum is the span of time when the power of darkness is over us, pressing Jesus to suffer to his agonizing crushing death on the Cross, as reflected in Good Friday Gospel reading (John 18:1—19:42), which is the fulfillment of the last and fourth servant songs of Isaiah, being Good Friday first reading (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). But, as the fourth servant song of Isaiah (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) reminds with 53:11-12, this darkness is not forever. Rather, this darkness of evil is passing, just as the wrath of God to punish Egypt was passing over on the night of Passover (Exodus 12:12-13). In the last 2 verses of the last servant song (Isaiah 53:11-12), it is prophesized that the suffering servant of God will rise to see the light of life, justifying us and taking away our sins. Namely, today, Good Friday, is to commemorate the fulfillment of the last servant song by the servant of God (Isaiah 52:13-53:12), in going over Via Dolorosa, the five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, with our focus on Via Crusis of the 14 Stations of the  Cross, in Good Friday Gospel narrative (John 18:1-19:42).

This glimmer of hope for light, found in Isaiah 53:11-12 is also reflected in today’s second reading (Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9) gives a powerful reason for this hope to cope with this darkness, because Christ, who suffered and commended his spirit to the Father for his redemption (Psalm 31:6(5)), is our great high priest, who is able to share our suffering and death, as he has done so during this dark period. He is also our eternal priest in the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7), our high priest of a new covenant at the right hand of the heavenly majesty (Hebrews 8), the high priest, whose self-offering on the Cross has made once-for-all eternal sacrifice to renew the covenant through his blood (Hebrews 9, 10).

Because Christ’s suffering did not simply end with his death but his Resurrection comes after his death, Paschal Mystery of Christ has made it possible that our suffering and death can be meaningful, especially these become results of our faith in Christ and our service of love as he has commanded. Thus, suffering and death of martyrs are meaningful enough to glorify Christ. That is why Paul said that our labor in Christ is never in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58) and that there is nothing to fear in our labor for him (1Corinthians 16:10).

Though Christ in the human flesh of Jesus died on the Cross died, Christ in the Eucharist is secured and protected, as he was transferred to a special place, called Alter of Repose, before the alter to celebrate his presence in the Eucharist was stripped away, after Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the evening of Maundy Thursday. Because of this secure reposition last night, we are able to receive the Holy Communion today, upon Veneration of the Cross.

The reception of the Holy Communion on Good Friday is not the Liturgy of the Eucharist, as in Holy Mass. Rather, the Communion distribution on Good Friday is the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, because the Holy Communion that we receive today was consecrated during the Liturgy of the Eucharist at the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper last night and was securely reposed upon being transferred after the Mass. This is why there is no Eucharistic Prayer offered as there was no Eucharistic celebration on Good Friday.

On Good Friday, we still receive the Body of Christ, the Living Bread of Life, though it is the day that Christ in the human flesh died. Christ has suffered and died today. Yet, he is found in the Living Bread of Life to keep us alive, and, as the last two verses of the last servant song, Isaiah 53:11-12, remind, Christ in Jesus will rise, upon the passing of the darkness of evil over us. The return of the light – the arrival of the new light with the Resurrection will be celebrated to end the Paschal Triduum soon at Paschal Vigil Mass.

God is good, all the time – even amidst of the time of darkness. Therefore, all the time, God is good. Otherwise, the Friday to commemorate Jesus’ passion culminating in his agonizing death on the Cross would not be called Good Friday.