Commentary on the Gospel of
Jesus begins to teach the disciples a lesson about Scripture. He had already done it with the two who had gone to Emmaus. He had explained the Scripture to them and later at the breaking of the bread, their hearts are opened and they understood the meaning of the Word of God. Why does he insist on the Word of God as the light that would illuminate the minds of the disciples? The reason is, the disciples are confused. They find themselves in front of a Messiah with his hands and feet pierced ...
What kind of Messiah were they waiting for? They expected a mighty king who would use his mighty hands to rescue them from the powers of the Romans and establish the Jewish kingdom to impose the power of the chosen people over the rest of the world. But instead, they were now facing a pair of hands and feet that are the identity of the Messiah of God who contradicted all their expectations and hopes.
What does the Risen One tell them? Read the Scripture and you will understand the true design of God. A messiah is not someone who would change the world with force, with power, with dominion, but with LOVE. This was the project of God; and Jesus has gone through the events that would appear as a defeat, a failure. But this project of God was realized through the greatest crime committed by people.
It is only by careful study of the Scripture – the Old Testament – that they would understand the meaning of the pierced hands and feet of the Messiah. The sufferings and death that Jesus underwent were all in the plan of God and the Scripture was realized in the life of Jesus.
To understand the person of Jesus the Messiah and to know the plan of God for mankind and His plan for you and me, go back to the scripture… this is the message of today. This is the message for the new world.
And the Risen One concludes, saying to his community, "You are the witnesses of this". They are called to be the Witnesses of the new World which Jesus of Nazareth with his pierced hands and feet began. It is not the world of the dominators but to the world of those who donate their lives for love. To this, we are witnesses.
