Today’s Old Testament reading (Wisdom 2:1, 12-22) is a passage that describes life as seen by the godless. We erroneously feel that if we are good and virtuous, people will be inspired to follow and imitate our good example. Experience tells us that the opposite frequently is true. The narrative applies perfectly to Jesus and is seen as a prophecy about Him. But it also applies to untold numbers of other people down through the ages whose goodness has been resented, whose behavior is seen as a condemnation and a threat to those with different values, and who have been, as a result, persecuted and even killed.
Speaking prophetically about Jesus, the author says, “He annoys us and opposes our way of life.” He claims to have knowledge of and calls himself to be a child of the Lord. He reproaches us for our sins against the Law. The prophet’s words are true, and his teachings create feelings of guilt in those against whom they are directed. The reproach is not denied but it is strongly resented.
The targets of the author’s words are the very people whom Scripture says should respect and protect The Word. The audience does not deny that claim but see The Word as a “reproof to their way of thinking. The very sight of Him weighs their spirits down.”
His life is not like that of other people, and his ways are quite different. Isn’t that true of Jesus, and should it not also be true of us, his most faithful followers? Rather than listening to and heeding the prophet’s words, the audience begins to justify violent action to remove the source of criticism. If the prophet is really a spokesperson for God, then surely God will protect him against any violent attack. Let us test him with cruelty and with torture and thus explore just how gentle he really is and put his patience to the test. Let us condemn him to a shameful death since God will rescue him – or so he claims.
Isn’t this a perfect description of what will happen to Jesus at the hands of his opponents, as his enemies mock him during his trial: “They blindfolded Jesus and hit him. ‘Guess who hit you!’ they said (Mark 14:65). And on the cross: “The chief priests and the teachers of the Law and the elders jeered at him: … He trusts in God and claims to be God’s Son. Well, then, let us see if God wants to save him now” (Matthew 27:41-44).
The scenes described by Wisdom and Mark and Matthew have happened to many down through the centuries and is happening in our times as well, and for exactly the same reasons. We call such dedicated followers martyrs. They give striking witness to the values of the Kingdom.
Those who carry out these atrocities against the martyrs easily convince themselves that what they are doing is right or even necessary. But their real aim is to obliterate the source of their discomfort. The result of their persecution, however, often produces the opposite of their desired effect. They will learn, as multitudes have through the ages, that it is a very dangerous thing to their way of life to create martyrs. “The blood of martyrs is the seed of faith.”
Jesus himself has told us not to be surprised that we, too, will be misunderstood and mistreated for following him. The following of Christ is a call to be a ‘counter-witness’ to the prevailing values in our societies. Such counter-witness will often be deeply resented, attacked, ridiculed, and marginalized. It might even lead to violence against us and perhaps even death.
Therefore, let us be sure that our witness is based on truth, integrity, and love. We must be careful to avoid any taint of “Pharisaism” or superior elitism. We must remember that it is God we are proclaiming, not ourselves.
As we approach Holy Week, let us reflect on these things and see how they fit into our lives. On whose side am I? If I had been on Calvary, with whom would I have been standing? On issues of truth and justice in my own society, where do I stand?
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!