-
Chapter 13
- The Catholic University of America Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
1 CHAPTER 13 LECTURE 1 1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 And during supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand, and that he had come from God and was going to God.1 1727. Above, the Evangelist set forth some of the events leading to Christ’s passion and death; in this part he shows how Christ prepared his disciples before his passion. First, we see how he formed them by his example; secondly, how he comforted them with his words (chap. 14); thirdly, how he strengthened them by the help of his prayers (chap. 17). Concerning the first he does two things: first, he presents the example Christ gave for his disciples to imitate; and secondly we see the weakness of the disciples, who were not yet ready to follow him (v. 21). Concerning the first he does three things: first, he sets forth the example ; secondly, he shows that the example was useful (v. 6); thirdly, we see Jesus asking them to imitate it (v. 12). Concerning the first he does two things: first, he describes the love of Christ, who is giving the example ; secondly, the action in which he gave the example (v. 2). Concerning the first he mentions three things: first, the feast about to be celebrated; secondly, the approaching death of Christ; thirdly, Christ’s burning love. 1728. The feast at hand was the Passover; so he says, Now before the feast of the Passover. Here we should note that some say the [Latin ] word pascha comes from the Greek word for “passion,” and that this feast is called the Pascha because it is then that we celebrate the passion of our Lord. As a matter of fact, the word pascha in Greek does mean “to suffer.” Yet the primary origin of this word is from the Hebrew word, pesah, which means a “passage,” as in Exodus (12:11): “It is the pesah,” passage, or a passing over, “of the Lord.” This is the meaning the Evangelist gives it here because of two passings. The first was the passing of the angel striking down the first-born of the Egyp1 . St. Thomas refers to Jn 13:1 in ST III, q. 46, a. 9, s. c. and ad 1; q. 74, a. 4, obj. 1. 2 COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN tians and sparing the first-born of the Hebrews (Ex 12:12); and the other was the passage of the children of Israel through the Red Sea. So it was reasonable to call this feast the Pascha [translated into English as Passover]. We can say that our Passover takes its meaning from both languages , Greek and Hebrew. For the passage of Christ from this world to the Father took place through his passion. “He passed about doing good and healing all” (Acts 10:38). Again, all of us who follow Christ have our own passage: either by reform and martyrdom, according to the saying, “We have passed through fire and water and you have brought us to a place of refreshment” (Ps 65:12); or by the desire of our mind aspiring to heavenly things: “Pass over to me all you who desire me and be filled with my fruits” (Sir 24:19). 1729. As we read in Exodus (23:14), the Jews had three great feasts, when they gathered together in a place chosen by the Lord: The Pesah, when the lamb was sacrificed, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles, that is, the Skenopegia. But the greatest feast was that of the Passover.2 A problem arises as to why he says here, before the feast of the Passover , for the feast of the Passover is when the lamb was sacrificed, that is, on the fourteenth day of the month. So since he says, before the feast of the Passover, it seems that this was taking place on the thirteenth day, the day before the fourteenth. And indeed, the Greeks accept this, and say that our Lord suffered on the fourteenth, when the Jews were supposed to celebrate the Passover, and that our Lord, knowing that his passion was near, anticipated...