Jesus, the Incarnated Christ, Died to Perfect Both Yom Kippur and Passover – Feria Sexta in Passione Domini

It is feria sexta in Passione Domini (magnus et sanctus Veneris), the sixth day of the Holy Week (Sanctum Sabbati). This is the day when Jesus Christ was put to death by human evil, called “φθόνος”(phnthonos), envy, spite, of the religious leaders (Matthew 27:18). But, his death on this day does not make him a mere victim of injustice. It was, indeed, to fulfill the fourth servant song in the Book of Isaiah (52:13-53:12), which is the First Reading of the Liturgy of the Passion of the Lord (Liturgia Passionis Domini) on magnus et sanctus Veneris, known as “Good Friday”.

In fact, we read all four servant songs from the Book of Isaiah (42:1-9; 49:1-7; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12) during Holy Week for the First Readings: Isaiah 50:4-7 (Passion/Palm Sunday); 42:1-7 (Monday); 49:1-6 (Tuesday); 50:4-9 (Wednesday); 52:13-53:12 (Good Friday).

The servant songs begin with these words of Yahweh:

Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased. Upon him I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations (Isaiah 42:1).

The above words of Yahweh are echoed by these words of the Father about His Son, spoken from heaven upon his baptism, which marks the initiation of Jesus’ public ministry, consummated with his death and resurrection in Jerusalem:

This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17).

By reading from the four servant songs during Holy Week, we reflect that Jesus as the suffering obedient servant of the Father. He is, indeed, obedient to the Father to the point of death on the Cross (Philippians 2:8).

So, why did Jesus have to die on the Cross, upon suffering greatly, subjecting himself to human evil?

Paul answers with these words:

For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath. Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life. Not only that, but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation (Romans 5:6-11).

Namely, Jesus, the Christ, died for us – for us to atone for our sins so that we may reconcile with God.

Atonement requires the blood of a sacrificial animal, according to the Torah, (Leviticus 16:11-19), just as a ratification of covenant requires the blood of a sacrificial animal (Exodus 24: 1-11). By shedding a sacrificial animal’s blood, we did not have to shed our own blood, under the old covenant (during the Old Testament period).

But the Israelites kept failing to keep the covenant repeatedly. So, God the Father sent us His begotten Son out of His love for us (John 3:16) to establish the new covenant, which was prophesized by Jeremiah, just before Jerusalem was sacked and destroyed by the Babylonians:

See, days are coming—oracle of the Lord—when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. They broke my covenant, though I was their master—oracle of the Lord.  But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days—oracle of the Lord. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. They will no longer teach their friends and relatives, “Know the Lord!” Everyone, from least to greatest, shall know me—oracle of the Lord —for I will forgive their iniquity and no longer remember their sin (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

And this was fulfilled with the blood of Christ, shed when he was on the Cross (John 19:34), as he called his blood in the chalice the new covenant during the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:28//Luke 23:20). Because of his blood of the new covenant, shed from his body on the Cross, we can be cleansed (1 John 1:7) and be saved as saints (Revelation 7:14).

Based on Passion Sunday Gospel Reading (Matt 26:14 -27:66(A)// Mark 14:1 -15:47 (B)//Luke 22:14 - 23:56(C) ), the fact that the veil that separates the Holy of Holies was torn, in association with Jesus’ death on the Cross (Matthew 27:51// Mark 15:38// Luke 23:45), indicates that Jesus died for the perfection of Yom Kippur atonement for us (Leviticus 16:1-19). He was the high priest, allowed to enter the Holy of Holies on the day of Yom Kippur and offer sin sacrifice. But, because Jesus is the great high priest (Hebrews 4:14), eternal high priest of the Melchizedek order (Hebrews 7:17), he was able to perfect the Yom Kippur atonement, by offering himself as the sacrifice, by shedding his blood, instead of animals (Hebrews 7:1-28).

On the other hand, based on the Johannine passion narrative (John 18:1-19:42), which is read on Good Friday, the death of Jesus on the Cross perfected Pesach (Passover), for he died as Korban Pesach (קרבן פסח), because Jesus was put to death on the Passover preparation day (John 19:31, 42). Therefore, by dying on Passover preparation day, Jesus has become the perfect Passover Lamb, which is unblemished, to be slaughtered, so that God’s wrath can safety pass over (Exodus 12:1-14). And because of his death, followed by his resurrection, we can pass from death to new eternal life (1 John 3:14; cf. John 5:24; 6:27, 47; 10:28), as we shall be raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20-58). And his blood can protect us from condemnation, as Passover lamb’s blood kept the Israelites’ firstborns safe (Exodus 12:12-13).

Indeed, the Father gave His begotten Son to save us out of His love (John 3:16, 1 John  4:9, 14), by incarnating the Word (John 1:14), Godself (John 1:1), in Mary's womb, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), as the great and eternal high priest to perfect Yom Kippur (Leviticus 16:1-19) and as the Korban Pesach (Passover sacrificial lamb) to perfect Passover (Exodus 12:1-14). On Feria Sexta in Passione Domini, both Yom Kippur and Passover were perfectly and eternally consummated for the new covenant. 

St. Joseph Prompts God's Promise to David and His Covenant with Abraham to Move Forward towards Fulfillment for Our Salvation

On March 19, the Roman Catholic Church solemnly honors St. Joseph as the spouse of Mary the Blessed Virgin, who is also the Theotokos.  We could not have Jesus as our Savior without Joseph. The Kingdom of God would not be established as the eternal Davidic Kingdom without Joseph being the beloved and chaste husband of Mary. 

Being a relative of Elizabeth (Luke 1:36), who is Levite (Luke 1:5), Mary hailed from a priestly family. And her husband, Joseph, is a descendant of David (Matthew 1:6-16; 1:20; Luke 1:27; 2:4). This way, Jesus is the High Priest (Hebrews 2:17; 4:14; 5:6; 7:26-27; 9:7, 11-28) and the King (Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 17:14; 19:11-19; cf. Ephesians 1:21–23).

The fact that Joseph is the husband of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus (Luke 2:7), thus, makes the Son of God Davidic. And this fulfills God’s promise to David, which is described in the First Reading (2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16). Because God promised David the eternity of his royal house (2 Samuel 7:13), the Responsorial Psalm (89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29) sings the eternity of the Son of David, namely Jesus and his Reign as the King of all kings (Revelation 19:16).

The first option of the Gospel Reading (Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a) shows that Joseph, who is on the Davidic lineage, is the legal husband of Mary. But the reading also describes the dilemma that Joseph had in discovering Mary’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy before the consummation of the betrothal and how Joseph overcame it to take her as his wife.

Imagine what it would be like to have found that a woman you are about to celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony had been impregnated by someone you do not know. Wouldn’t you be upset, to say the least? And that was what Joseph went through at first, though Matthew did not say if Joseph were upset and became indignant. What is written by Matthew in regard to Joseph’s initial response to Mary’s pregnancy is:

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18).

What was unbeknownst to Joseph was the fact that Mary was made pregnant through the Holy Spirit (cf. Luke 1:35). Therefore, he must have wondered who made Mary pregnant. This sure could have upset him. And both he and Mary knew that she would be subject to stoning to death, according to the Law (Deuteronomy 22:20), if she were found to be pregnant in such a way,  because she should have been virgin until her betrothal with Joseph became complete.

Though this could be so disturbing to Joseph, the scriptures do not say anything about Joseph accusing Mary for being pregnant before she was legally allowed to have a physical contact with him, by the Law. According to Matthew, this is how Joseph responded first:

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly (Matthew 1:18-19).

Being a righteous man in the eyes of God, it was not a right thing for Joseph to marry a woman, who had been already impregnated by something other than him. But it did not mean that his loving care for Mary changed. Joseph really loved her. Therefore, he wanted to make sure that her pregnancy would not become publicly known, because it would not only put her to shame but to death. Therefore, the best thing he could do was to cancel his betrothal to her in secret.

Then, the truth behind Mary’s pregnancy was made known to Joseph by the angel of the Lord in his dream, through these words:

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet. Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us” (Matthew 1:20-23).

Through the above words, Joseph learned that Mary’s pregnancy was not due to adultery, because she became pregnant through the Holy Spirit for the sake of the salvation of people. Furthermore, the fact that she became pregnant as a virgin was to fulfill Isaiah’s prophesy of God’s sign, spoken to Ahaz (Isaiah 7:14).

Then, Joseph took Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:24) but did not have did have any relations with her until she actually bore the child (Matthew 1:25), to be clear that the child in her womb was not of his responsibility. Indeed, Joseph was a chaste man. And his chastity is out of his love for her and reverence to God, who made his wife pregnant with the Son of God.

The  revelatory words about the truth of Mary’s pregnancy to Joseph by the angel of the Lord reflects what Archangel Gabriel spoke to Mary at the annunciation:

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God (Luke 1:31-33, 35).

As Joseph took Mary as his wife, her pregnancy had no longer a possibility to be scandalized to risk her to be stoned. In the eyes of society, the child in Mary bore was seen as Joseph’s son (John 6:42). But, both Joseph and Mary knew that the son whom Mary bore and give birth and whom Joseph became the legal father to, was the Christ to save humans from sin.

The second option of the Gospel Reading (Luke 2:41-51a) depicts Mary being a typical mother, telling 12-year-old Jesus, how Joseph and she, as his parents, worried about him, while searching him for three days, when they found in the Temple. So, Mary said to him:

Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety (Luke 2:48).

Note that Mary referred Joseph, her husband, to Jesus, as his father.

Though Jesus is the Son of the Father in heaven, his legal father on earth is Joseph. And because of him, who hailed from the Davidic royal lineage, Jesus legally became the Davidic King to fulfil God’s promise to David for establishing the eternal Davidic Kingdom (2 Samuel 7:10-16), which is, namely the Kingdom of God, proclaimed by Jesus and John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:15). And the Second Reading (Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22) reminds that Joseph’s acceptance of Mary, who was already pregnant with the Son of God through the Holy Spirit, but virgin, was not only to fulfil God’s promise to David but His promise to Abraham.

In honoring St. Joseph as the spouse of Mary the Blessed Virgin and the Theotokos, we express our gratitude for receiving her as his wife and serving as Jesus’ legal father, so that we can be saved and the Kingdom of God is established as the eternal Davidic Kingdom, in completely fulfilling God’s covenant with Abraham, which progressively expressed by God (Genesis 12-22).

Yes, St. Joseph made difference. His choice to receive Mary as his wife let God's promise to David and His covenant with Abraham move forward towards fulfillment. And our salvation is on this move.