Sunday Gospel Reflection (Dec 8, 2024)
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In this weekend’s readings, we encounter the well-known account of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, where he is celebrated as the Davidic Messiah. Yet, this joyful welcome is quickly followed by a dramatic reversal: Jesus is rejected during his trial, handed a Cross, and driven out of the same city to be executed on Golgotha. In a striking irony, the true Son of the Father is exchanged for Barabbas—whose name literally means “son of the father”—a man who was an actual political rebel. Later, in the letter to the Hebrews, St. Paul describes how Jesus continually offers himself to God the Father, a self-offering that transcends time and has been present since the foundation of the world. Although he is cast out from Jerusalem—the symbolic center of God’s presence, particularly for the Israelites—Jesus remains in the presence of God because of his divine identity as the Son.
This paradox of both rejection and divine presence reflects an ancient Jewish ritual described in Leviticus 16, and its roots can even be traced back to the story of Abraham. On the Day of Atonement, a priest would symbolically place the sins of the people onto a chosen goat—the scapegoat—which was then driven out into the wilderness to die. This act represented the removal of sin from the community. In contrast, another goat—the sacrificial lamb—was offered to God on the altar, first in the tabernacle and later in the Temple. These two goats represented the dual aspects of the atonement: one accepted and offered, the other rejected and cast out. Yet both were vital to the liturgical life of Israel.
Jesus fulfills both of these roles. As John the Baptist proclaims in John 1:29, Jesus is the Lamb of God, and throughout John’s Gospel, this identity is emphasized, especially during his trial. But Jesus also mirrors the scapegoat: bearing the weight of sin and being led outside the city to die. For Christians, this dual identity is deeply meaningful. Jesus takes on the role of both sacrificial lamb and scapegoat—entering into the brokenness of humanity without ever sinning himself. He identifies with the outcast, with sinners, even with those who have turned away from God, in order to reconcile them to the Father. As his followers, we are called to do the same: to seek the lost and to recognize in Jesus both the Passover Lamb and the Scapegoat.
Mike Schramm lives in southeastern Minnesota with his wife and seven children. There, he teaches theology and philosophy at Aquinas High School and Viterbo University. He earned his MA in theology from St. Joseph's College in Maine and an MA in philosophy from Holy Apostles College. He is also the managing editor of the Voyage Compass, an imprint of Voyage Comics and Publishing, and co-hosts the Voyage Podcast with Jacob Klatte.
