FAUSTI - "Where are you from?" It is the face to face between the " ECCE Homo", Saviour of the world, and the representing of Caesar, master of the world. Jesus did not give him an answer. This silence is an eloquent answer that tells many truths: 1- It is useless to answer to those who do not listen. Silence highlights, with discretion, the unwillingness to listen, typical of those who only want to interrogate. 2- Jesus answered about His kingship, different from that which Pilate knows: it is not from this world, because it testifies to the truth. It is Pilate who must give an answer to this proposal. 3- Jesus' proposal cannot be imposed. The truth can only be witnessed by one who is able to expose, dispose, and lay down his life in favor of the other, offering him the possibility of answering. Jesus reveals Himself as the Messiah / Servant . "Mistreated, He allowed Himself to be humiliated and did not open His mouth, was like a lamb led to slaughter, like a dumb sheep in front of its shearers, and did not open His mouth. (Is 53,7). 4- Jesus' silence reveals the majesty of God, the beginning of everything. The mighty one persists in questioning. He never questions himself. He has the irresponsibility proper to every power "from" this world which, in its sphere, from the widest to the narrowest, tends to dominate rather than to serve. It does not take into account the truth and the life of the other: it has death as its shepherd. (Sl 49) The scene is full of tragic irony. What freedom can Pilate offer to those who bear witness to the Truth that makes people free? What royalty from this world can offer to its subjects is slavery (1 Sam 8:1...). There are two opposite ways of conceiving kingship: one of love and truth, of freedom and life, the other of violence and lies, of slavery and death. Pilate, like each of us, is called to choose. After his silence, the King opens His mouth. Not because He is intimidated, but to convince Pilate of His sin, a prerequisite for him to know justice and judgment. Jesus, from judged, now becomes judge. But He is a particular judge: without threatening violence, by placing Him in front of the truth, He makes the conflict of conscience explode in Him. Pilate has no other power than that which has been given to him from above, from another who is above him. This "high" is God himself, who has given man free will. He does not want evil, but respects our freedom: He has placed before us good and evil, life and death, so that we might responsibly adhere to good and achieve life. But if we do evil, He remains so free as to take charge of it. Thus He reveals His love to us and frees our freedom. Even the evil we do falls, in the end, under His power: He brings it upon Himself to give us His good. "That is why he who delivered me to you has a greater sin." Jesus says that "for this" the greatest sin is not Pilate's. He who does not respond to his conscience is a failure: he is against his own truth. Pilate is using his power without freedom : he obeys, against his conscience, the murderous will of the leaders and the head of this world.
Jesus proclaimed Himself king and Son of God. But His kingship is not like that of Caesar. He has only the power of life, not death. If Pilate frees Jesus, he allies himself with Him and neglects Caesar: from master of death, he would become servant of life. The religious leaders, in turn, are slaves of the head of this world: although they hate Caesar, as their most powerful antagonist, they think God as Caesar and Caesar as God. Whenever one neglects the truth, whose voice is always the voice of the innocent before us, one sets oneself against God and man, to serve the great or small Caesar on duty... Until when!? Pilate is a complex and emblematic character: he distinguishes good from evil, he wants the first one and not the second one, but he falls inexorably into the second one. Pilate leads, or rather makes Jesus lead out, before His enemies. He tries the last game of blame game, in which the worst always happens. He doesn't want to kill him, it would have been against his conscience. But he does not use his power to free Him. Let the others decide. This renunciation of freedom to decide is "the sin" for which he is responsible. Every sin is a failure of freedom. At a first reading it seems that Pilate is sitting on the bench. But the verb "to sit" can also mean "to make sitting". In this case Pilate would make Jesus, clothed with the royal insignia, sit as a judge. It is perhaps better to read, with an implied change of subject, which we also find elsewhere in John, that Jesus Himself was seated on the seat. There is a paradox in the text as in the whole context: Jesus beaten and judged, he is the king judge, that brings the law of love to completion. The trial before Pilate is a progressive revelation of His sovereignty, which will be fully expressed in the cross. His judgment is speechless. Then, as now, it takes place in a divine silence: the silent face of "Ecce Homo" visible in all the faceless, is the Word, God's judgment on every man.
FAUSTI - "Where are you from?" It is the face to face between the " ECCE Homo", Saviour of the world, and the representing of Caesar, master of the world. Jesus did not give him an answer. This silence is an eloquent answer that tells many truths:
RispondiElimina1- It is useless to answer to those who do not listen. Silence highlights, with discretion, the unwillingness to listen, typical of those who only want to interrogate.
2- Jesus answered about His kingship, different from that which Pilate knows: it is not from this world, because it testifies to the truth. It is Pilate who must give an answer to this proposal.
3- Jesus' proposal cannot be imposed. The truth can only be witnessed by one who is able to expose, dispose, and lay down his life in favor of the other, offering him the possibility of answering.
Jesus reveals Himself as the Messiah / Servant . "Mistreated, He allowed Himself to be humiliated and did not open His mouth,
was like a lamb led to slaughter, like a dumb sheep in front of its shearers, and did not open His mouth. (Is 53,7).
4- Jesus' silence reveals the majesty of God, the beginning of everything. The mighty one persists in questioning. He never questions himself. He has the irresponsibility proper to every power "from" this world which, in its sphere, from the widest to the narrowest, tends to dominate rather than to serve. It does not take into account the truth and the life of the other: it has death as its shepherd. (Sl 49)
The scene is full of tragic irony. What freedom can Pilate offer to those who bear witness to the Truth that makes people free? What royalty from this world can offer to its subjects is slavery (1 Sam 8:1...).
There are two opposite ways of conceiving kingship: one of love and truth, of freedom and life, the other of violence and lies, of slavery and death. Pilate, like each of us, is called to choose.
After his silence, the King opens His mouth. Not because He is intimidated, but to convince Pilate of His sin, a prerequisite for him to know justice and judgment.
Jesus, from judged, now becomes judge. But He is a particular judge: without threatening violence, by placing Him in front of the truth, He makes the conflict of conscience explode in Him.
Pilate has no other power than that which has been given to him from above, from another who is above him.
This "high" is God himself, who has given man free will.
He does not want evil, but respects our freedom: He has placed before us good and evil, life and death, so that we might responsibly adhere to good and achieve life. But if we do evil, He remains so free as to take charge of it. Thus He reveals His love to us and frees our freedom.
Even the evil we do falls, in the end, under His power: He brings it upon Himself to give us His good. "That is why he who delivered me to you has a greater sin." Jesus says that "for this" the greatest sin is not Pilate's. He who does not respond to his conscience is a failure: he is against his own truth.
Pilate is using his power without freedom : he obeys, against his conscience, the murderous will of the leaders and the head of this world.
Jesus proclaimed Himself king and Son of God. But His kingship is not like that of Caesar. He has only the power of life, not death. If Pilate frees Jesus, he allies himself with Him and neglects Caesar: from master of death, he would become servant of life.
RispondiEliminaThe religious leaders, in turn, are slaves of the head of this world: although they hate Caesar, as their most powerful antagonist, they think God as Caesar and Caesar as God. Whenever one neglects the truth, whose voice is always the voice of the innocent before us, one sets oneself against God and man, to serve the great or small Caesar on duty... Until when!?
Pilate is a complex and emblematic character: he distinguishes good from evil, he wants the first one and not the second one, but he falls inexorably into the second one. Pilate leads, or rather makes Jesus lead out, before His enemies. He tries the last game of blame game, in which the worst always happens.
He doesn't want to kill him, it would have been against his conscience. But he does not use his power to free Him.
Let the others decide. This renunciation of freedom to decide is "the sin" for which he is responsible. Every sin is a failure of freedom.
At a first reading it seems that Pilate is sitting on the bench. But the verb "to sit" can also mean "to make sitting".
In this case Pilate would make Jesus, clothed with the royal insignia, sit as a judge. It is perhaps better to read, with an implied change of subject, which we also find elsewhere in John, that Jesus Himself was seated on the seat.
There is a paradox in the text as in the whole context: Jesus beaten and judged, he is the king judge,
that brings the law of love to completion.
The trial before Pilate is a progressive revelation of His sovereignty, which will be fully expressed in the cross.
His judgment is speechless. Then, as now, it takes place in a divine silence:
the silent face of "Ecce Homo" visible in all the faceless, is the Word, God's judgment on every man.