Just Asking (35): Is it that difficult to answer?

This past Palm Sunday, Pope Leo XIV cited the prophet Isaiah’s words: “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood” (Is 1:15).

“Jesus is the Prince of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” said the Pope. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”

It’s ceremonial and expected of any pope to pray or even appeal for peace.

It’s less common for the Pope, any Pope, to be so theological and blunt.

But of course the elephant in the room in context has orange hair!

Still I couldn’t help but wonder if Leo forgot King David prayed to Yahweh and He handed the Philistines onto David’s hands?

I recalled Jesus too had his “violent” and angry moments.

Most notably was when he cleansed the temple.

Yet there’s another occasion, often easily overlooked, when Jesus was recorded as being angry and full of emotions.

Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored (Mark 3:4-5, NIV).

Jesus was angry, presumably at the interlocutors being silent at such a silly and obviously easy question.

Then we were told that Jesus was not only angry but also “distressed”, presumably at the reason behind their muteness!

Who could blame Jesus?

Isn’t it obvious?

Do good or do evil?

Save life or kill?

Answer is a no-brainer.

Any day.

Even compounded by “on Sabbath”.

Why does it matter?

Any day, including Sabbath, is created by God.

So, is this God a good God or not?

If good, then whatever day it is, doing good is in line with his goodness.

Who cares if it’s “legal” according to the Mosaic Law?

There’s really no need to not answer.

Can’t blame Jesus for being angry, when he glanced at them.

But why was Jesus distressed at their muteness and hardness of heart?

One Pope was economical in his language over Tiananmen in 1989.

Another never castigated the murderers of Nigerian Christians.

And most recently the sitting pope went radio silent when thousands of Iranian protesters were shot, some reportedly by snipers.

Semantically, those people were not murdered by people who “waged war” in Pope Leo’s well chosen terminology.

But the hardness of heart from plenty popes provokes an equal distress and deserves an equal anger from Jesus, the Prince of Peace again in Pope Leo’s terminology.

Just wonder if Pope Leo XIV gets a glimpse of those eyes?

Just asking.

Władysław Skoczylas (1883–1934): Christ the Sorrowful (National Library of Poland, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)