Sunday Homilies with Fr. Mike Schmitz - 04/10/22 Last Words: Tetelestai

Episode Date: April 10, 2022

Homily from Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion. This one word connects and transforms the entire story. There is a last word that does not merely disclose the Heart...it completes The Story. Mass Readings from April 10, 2022: Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalms 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24Philippians 2:6-11 Luke 22:14—23:56

So for the last six or seven weeks, actually, we've been looking at the power of words and how words have the ability to reveal what's in our hearts have the ability to disclose what really matters to us. And so we've been looking at last words. In fact, we've been looking at the seven last words of Jesus. But one of the things I keep forgetting is that not everyone believes that. Not everyone believes that last words actually are significant. In fact, the very first week, if you're with us, the very first week we had a number of last words of famous people. And one of those famous people is a guy named Carl Marx. and I don't agree with literally anything Carl Marks has ever said, but at one point, on his deathbed, his housekeeper came into his room

and asked him if he had any last words for posterity. And he responded, he said, get out of here and leave me alone. Last words are for fools who haven't said enough already. So not everyone agrees that last words are significant. In fact, there's a reason, too, we can also hesitate because we realize the insufficiency of those last words. You know, there's an author, her name is Amy. Harmon. And once she once wrote, she said, no matter how many words we get, there is always going to

be the last one. And one word is never enough. I really appreciate her pointing that out. No matter how many days we get, there's always going to be the last one. And that one last one is never enough. No matter how many breaths we get, there's always going to be that last breath we take. No matter how many heartbeats we get, there's always going to be the last heartbeat. And no matter how many words we get, there's always going to be the last word and one word is never enough. Because what one word could ever be enough? Like truly, what one word could possibly ever summarize an entire person's life? I think there might be, though. And I think we should spend some time with it today. Because there's a word. One of Jesus' seven last words.

The sixth of the seventh last word, the word we're going to talk about today. I believe not only summarizes his entire life, I believe Jesus is a lot of the last words. I believe Jesus is the last words. I believe Jesus' last word we're going to talk about today, summarizes the entire Bible. So it's from John chapter 19. And it says here in John 19, it says, Jesus is on the cross. It's verse 28. It says, after this, aware that everything was now to tell it sigh. Greek word for finished.

In order that the scriptures might be fulfilled, Jesus said, I thirst. That was last week's last word. Jesus said, I thirst. There was a vessel filled with common wine, so they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, to tell it sigh, which is, it is finished. And bowing his head, he handed over his spirit. He said that word to tell at sigh, but it is interesting because before this, John makes a point of saying, after this, realizing that all had been to tell at Sai, all had been completed, all had been

finished, in order that the scriptures might be fulfilled, he says, I thirst. So we have to ask the question, What scriptures? What is he talking about? So a couple weeks ago, the fourth last word of Jesus, where he says, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? We know that that's actually from Psalm 22. We know that because the rest of the Psalm says things like they've torn hands in my, or holes in my hands and my feet. They can number on my bones. They shake their heads. They mock me. But it also goes on to say, Psalm 22 says, my throat is parched as burnt clay and my tongue cleaves to my jaw. So Jesus is fulfilling this. Also, you know, Psalm 69 says,

In my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink. And so, of course, Jesus, realizing that all was complete, always finished, always to tell it sigh, in order that scripture might be fulfilled, that they gave him vinegar to drink in his thirst, he says, I thirst. Which is interesting, because yes, it fulfills those prophecies. It's finished, it's consummated, it's complete.

But I believe that doesn't simply refer to his thirst. It doesn't simply refer to Jesus' life. I believe that what Jesus says, to tell aside, that one word summarizes the entire Bible. Like everything in the Bible is leading up to this moment. And when Jesus has this one word, what he's saying is the whole thing. The whole story is now to tell outside.

The whole story is now finished. So we're not going to go through the whole story. I want to highlight just to you're like, whew, I want to highlight two stories. In fact, first one is from Genesis. You probably know this one already. There's a guy named Abraham. He has a son named Isaac.

You know, you know, this already, that Isaac at one point about 30 to 33 years old. And God appears to Abraham, and he says to him, Abraham, take your only son whom you love, your only beloved son, and take him to a mountain that I will point out to you, a high place I'll point out to you. And on that high place, sacrifice your son. So we know how the story goes. They go to this place. They go to this place called Mont Moriah. And God says, that's the place. And so at one point, Abraham, the father, he's carrying the fire, he's carrying the knife, and he puts It's the wood for the sacrifice on the back of his 33-year-old son, his only beloved son.

As that beloved son walks up Mount Moriah with the wood for the sacrifice on his back, at the top of the mountain, you know, Abraham's going to sacrifice. And Isaac's going to let himself be sacrificed, but God stops him. The angel of the Lord says, do not harm the boy, do not do the least thing to him. And then what happens is they look over and they spy a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. Which is really remarkable because on the way up the mountain, Isaac, the 33-year-old beloved son, he says to his father, he says,

Father, here's the knife, here's the fire, here's the wood for the sacrifice, but where's the lamb? In that moment, Abraham says these words that echo throughout the rest of the Bible. Abraham says, Yachwe-Ghi-Gi-Rearra, he says, God will provide himself a lamb, my son.

I don't know if you know this, but everything John is writing in John's Gospel, everything John is writing is all about this one word to tell its eye that's all fulfilled. So, God says to Abraham, take your only beloved son. Remember John 3, verse 16?

Where Jesus says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only beloved son, that whoever would believe in him would not perish would have eternal life. He highlights the fact that here's Jesus who actually is the true beloved son. That Jesus, what does he do? He's this 33-year-old beloved son

who carries the wood for the sacrifice, just like Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice, not only up a certain mountain, but Mount Moriah is exactly where Calvary is. So here's Isaac in Genesis carrying the beloved son carrying the wood for the sacrifice on his back up Mount Calvary here is Jesus thousands of years later the true only beloved son carrying the wood for the sacrifice up Mount Calvary on top of the mountain what happens on top of the mountain instead of a ram caught by

its horns in the thicket you have Jesus whose head is circled with a crown of thorns you also have this promise of Abraham that God will provide himself a lamb The very first words that are in John's gospel, the very first words any human being says about Jesus. It's from John chapter 1. When John the Baptist looks up and sees Jesus walking by the Jordan River, and what does he say? We all know this. He says, there, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Here is Jesus.

Here's God through Abraham, promising God will provide himself a lamb. And the very first words in John's Gospel, John the Baptist, saying, that's the lamb. Now, we might hear this as 21st century Christians and be like, yeah, because Jesus is the Lamb of God, because he's like gentle and fluffy, fits around your neck, like that kind of thing. But if you were a first century Jew and you heard John the Baptist, look at Jesus and say, that's the Lamb of God, it takes away the sins of the world.

You're immediately thinking, A, Abraham and Isaac, and B, Exodus Chapter 12, because that's the next story. The next chapter 12, what's the context? Exodus 12, here's the people of Israel. And they've been enslaved in Egypt for 430 years. We all know this story because we know Prince of Egypt, right? So we know that Joseph, he had the... this amazing Texan color dream coat and he was brought into slavery. And the whole people of Israel

for 430 years, they cried to the Lord, they begged the Lord to hear them. And God says, I heard your cries, I've seen your suffering, I'm going to fight for you. And so he sends Moses, right? And so there's these first nine plagues that through Moses, God is fighting for his people. And then there's this 10th plague. In Exodus chapter 12, it talks about the 10th plague. It begins by saying, okay, here's what you need to do. Because you're a slave, which means you have no freedom and no life. But God says, I want to give you freedom and I want to give you life. If I don't fight for you, you will die a slave.

All you will have is slavery and death. What I want for you is I want you to have freedom and life. So here's what you need to do. Exodus 12. He says, I need you to take a year old male lamb into your home. So that was the prescription. You took this lamb and you lived with it for almost a week. It had to be unblemished.

and after almost a week, roughly around the evening twilight, the father of the family, because the father was considered the priest of the family, the father would sacrifice the lamb. Now later on, what happens is the fathers lost the priesthood and that was given to the high priest, right? So then it was later on it was the high priest

whose job it was was to sacrifice the lamb. But the rule was that none of these bones of the lamb would be broken. And then what you did, right, after you sacrificed it, you take this twig or a sprig of hyssop, and you dip that hyssop into the blood, and you mark your doors with the blood of the lamb. So the lintel in the doorposts will be marked with the blood of the lamb. And if you did all these things,

you have freedom and you'd have life. And John is saying, Jesus, to tell its eye, he has completed, he has finished all of this. Why? Because you would take a year old lamb. The first words in John's gospel about Jesus. In John chapter 1, that's the lamb. behold the lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world.

Take him into your homes. In fact, I don't know if you know this, today's Palm Sunday. Probably figure that out by now. But on Palm Sunday, when Jesus was being brought into Jerusalem, riding the back of a donkey, I always used to picture him riding into Jerusalem by himself, just like, you know, a bunch of people with palm fronds and with their cloaks on the ground ride in the back of a donkey.

But that was the exact same day that the lambs would be brought in from places like Bethlehem, and they'd be brought in through the sheep gate. That's where Jesus came into Jerusalem. When you picture this from now on, realize, when Jesus was riding in to Jerusalem, he was surrounded by all these sacrificial lambs as he was coming into town

because that was the rule. On that day, the lambs would be brought in and they'd live in that city. They'd be inspected because, remember, they have to be unblemished. What did Pilots say today in the gospel? After he examined Jesus, he says, I find no fault in him. He's unblemished. I don't know if you remember this,

but John also highlights the fact that Jesus had a, when he was stripped naked, at the crucifixion. He was wearing a garment. And the garment in Greek is called the chiton, but in Hebrew it's called an ephod. That was a garment that only the priests wore. Here's Jesus, wearing a priestly garment.

Because he's not only the sacrifice, he's not only the lamb, he's the priest offering the sacrifice. And John wants to highlight this fact. In John 19, verse 33, it says this. It says, it was Preparation Day. And so in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, for the Sabbath of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate

that their legs be broken and they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of first the one and then of the other who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead. They did not break his legs. And John highlights the fact this was to fulfill the prophecy, that not a bone of it will be broken. And then lastly, that hissed branch that would mark the door, your door, with the blood of the lamb. Remember Jesus says, when he realized everything was now to tell it sigh everything was now consummated everything was now complete everything was now finished in order that scripture might be fulfilled

he says what he says I thirst they ran took a sponge soaked it in wine put it on a sprig of hyssop and lifted it up to his lips when he drank then he said that last word to tell it sigh it is now completed it is now finished this is incredible you guys like this is Jesus

this last word of Jesus summarizing not just his life, not just his mission, he is summarizing literally the entire story of the Bible in one word. In that last word, that last action of Jesus not only fully completes it, not only fully finishes it, this last thing Jesus does transforms it. It changes it. So it changes what? That's a good question. I'm glad you asked. Imagine if you were living at the time, the day Jesus was crucified and you walked outside of the streets outside of the city of Jerusalem and you saw three guys being crucified. What would you think you were looking at? What you think you were looking at is an execution. This is how Romans executed people that they didn't like. You look up and see three

guys on a cross? That's an execution. It's what a Roman execution looks like. But from the beginning, every Christian, when they talked about Jesus on the cross, they never referred to it as an execution. Every one of them referred to it as a sacrifice. So what part of that looks like a sacrifice? Nothing looks like a sacrifice. It is merely an execution. You know, here's the importance of sacrifice. I've said it so many times, and I've reset it so many times. It's probably sick of it.

But the heart of religion is not just a creed. It's not just what we believe. The heart of religion is not merely morality, how we live. The heart of religion is worship. Like every world religion, every religion that's ever existed, the heart of that, the most important part of religion, is worship. And the heart of worship is sacrifice. And there's one thing.

that changes Jesus on the cross from being an execution into being a sacrifice. And that's that one word to tell it sigh. Because that one word to tell it sigh, it's finished. It not only connects, it transforms. It transforms the last supper to Calvary. It connects. It connects the Passover to Galgatha.

It connects the Eucharist to the cross. And it transforms an execution into something so much more than execution. It transforms an execution into a sacrifice. We asked the question how. Well, here's how. This is crazy. Again, it just blows your mind.

Now, at the time of Jesus, the Passover had changed. It wasn't just like Exodus 12. It had been divided. You can see this by the rabbinic literature. So the rabbis writing this out and saying, here's how the Passover was celebrated. It had four parts. And the first part of the Passover was the festival blessing.

Basically, you had some bitter herbs. It dipped in salt water and you eat those. It reminds you of the bitterness of life of slavery and how you would cry out to the Lord, like your tears, like saltwater. And you drink the first, at the end of that, you drink a first cup of wine. It was called the Little Halel, the Kudish cup of wine. The second part of it was where the father would tell the story.

So the youngest person who was with you would ask the question, like, tell us the story of us living in slavery and how God fought for us. And the father would tell the story. The God heard our cries. He cared about us, and he came and he fought for us. And then you drank the second cup of wine. And then the third section, third part, was where the man. main meal was served. It was where you ate the Passover lamb. It's where you ate the

unleavened bread. You drank the third cup of wine and that third cup of wine was called the barakaa cup or the cup of blessing. And then everything would come to a climax with the fourth part. In that fourth part, you'd sing what they call it the great halel. So it's Psalms 114 to Psalm 118. So five Psalms, you would sing these Psalms and then at the apex of the whole thing after you sang Psalm 118, you take the last cup, the last cup of wine and that would be the great cup, the great, a cup of signaling the climax of this entire thing, and you drink that cup. And so all the Gospels, they record this. The Gospels indicate that this is exactly what they do.

In fact, they talk about the first cup, the second cup. They actually even talk about this third part where they would eat the Passover lamb and the 11 bread. But it's interesting, because I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but in no gospel account of the Last Supper, is there even mention that there's even a Passover lamb there? They don't mention it at all, because there isn't one. And it's just, it's, and it's bananas to think. Why? Because at that third part, that's when Jesus takes bread.

And he says these words that have echoed down to our day. He says, take this all of you and eat of it. For this is my body, which will be given for you. And then he takes that third cup, the cup of blessing, the baraka cup. And he says, take this all of you and drink of it. For this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you. Do this and memory of me. This is so massive. This is incredible because the next thing it says is in the gospel, it says, then after singing a

hymn, they left. After singing the great hellel, they go to the garden and get the Semini. Now again, for us, we're kind of like, okay, cool. But for the first century Jews, they would say, what are you doing? You're missing the climax. The whole thing is this fourth cup. Now, it'd be like this. I remember there's a guy, his name Scott Hahn. He talked about it like this. He said, it was for them, like if you came to Mass one Sunday, and we did all the readings, all the prayers, and we got to communion, and I just, like, left. Like, but, Father, don't back.

You know, that kind of, you realize something massive is missing. Here's Jesus, he's given his body and blood. They sing a hymn, and then he doesn't drink. What does he do? He goes to the garden, and what does he say in the garden? His main prayer is he says, Abba, Father, let this cup pass from me. but not my will, your will be done.

Simon Peter stands up to defend Jesus, and Jesus says to him, Peter, shall I not drink of the cup that I am to drink? You probably know this right before they crucified Jesus. It says in scripture, they offered him wine mixed with gall, and he refused it for two reasons. One is because that gall was meant to deaden his senses, and Jesus wanted to be completely aware and awake as he entered into his suffering.

but secondly, because it was not yet time for him to drink the wine. And then, and then, knowing that all had been to tell it sky, and then knowing that all had been completed, all had been finished, he'd done everything, what's he say? So that scripture might be fulfilled, he says, I thirst. So they take that sponge, soak it in wine, put on a sprig of hyssup, raise it up to his lips. When he drank it, he said that word that summarizes the entire story.

to tell it sigh and then it's done and he hands over his spirit and this is incredible his mission is complete the prophecies are fulfilled the Passover at that moment when he drinks the fourth cup right drinks the fourth wine the Passover is finished that's why Scott Hahn he says he says calvary begins with the eucharist and the eucharist ends with calvary that calvary begins with the last supper and the last supper ends with Calvary. It's all one event. So it's not an execution. In fact, it's radically different from an execution. The one thing that changes the crucifixion from an execution into a sacrifice is to tell its side. It's the last supper. It's the one thing that transforms the bread into the body of Christ. It's the one thing that transforms the wine

into the blood of Christ. And it's the one thing that transforms an execution into the sacrifice of the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. It's it. That's finished. It's complete. It's done. It's over. Yes. And no. Because there's one more thing. And this is the last thing. We know that there's one final element in the Passover that we haven't talked about. Yet we have the Unblemished Lamb, the year old male. Yes, we have these brought into their homes. Yes, we have it sacrificed by the father or by the high priest. Yes, we have the blood that marks the doors. but you realize this, if you did all those things but you missed one piece, you would still die a slave.

You would not have freedom and you would not have life. To actually be set free, to be actually be given life, what do you have to do? There's one more thing. You have to eat the flesh of the lamb. You have to. And again, John knows this. That's why this whole time John has been highlighting this.

In fact, if you rewind a little bit to John chapter 6, when Jesus says, I am the Lamb of God. He says, I am the bread of life. And in John chapter 6, verse 52, in 53, he says, Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. You want freedom? You want life?

He goes on to say, whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. I will raise him on the last day. He goes on, for my flesh is true food. My blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood, remains in me and I and him and just as the living father sent me and I have life because of the father so also the one who feeds on me

will have life because of me. And this is the crazy thing is that's what this is. That's what we do every single Sunday. Listen, you have been given freedom, you've been given life and it's all in one word to tell it's sigh. It is completed, it's consummated, it's finished, it's done, it's for you. And this freedom and this life

has been purchased for you and for me and we've been given it every stinking Sunday of our entire lives, all of it. This one word connects everything in Jesus' life. This one word connects everything in this book and transforms it. The whole life of Jesus, the entire Bible, and this new Passover that we have today, it has all been to tell its eye. It has all been fulfilled. It has all been completed. It has all been finished. And every time you and I come to Mass, every time you and I receive the Eucharist,

Every time you and I, eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Lamb of God, this finish is the start of everything. In this one last word gives every one of us a new beginning.