The Threefold Passion of Christ

The Threefold Passion of Christ

Reading Mark’s Passion narrative recently, I noticed for the first time something that thousands of readers before me have probably seen and discussed: The remarkable collection of threes surrounding the sufferings of Jesus.

I offer these thoughts as preliminary, partial, and provisional.

Three prayers to the Father

Three visits to his sleeping disciples

Three denials by Peter

Three interchanges between Pilate and the crowd

Three places of unjust judicial punishment

·        Palace of Jewish high priest

·        Roman tribunal

·        Golgotha: Punishment as a criminal

Three places of scornful abuse

·        Palace of high priest

·        Roman barracks

·        Golgotha

Three sets of scorners and mockers

·        Jewish leaders

·        Roman soldiers

·        The crowd and one fellow sufferer at Golgotha

Three forms of suffering (These are all interrelated)

·        Physical: Beating, scourging, crucifixion

·        Relational: Desertion by his disciples, murderous hatred of the Jews (both the leaders and the mob), abandonment by God

·        Spiritual: Prayer refused, denial (by God’s people) of his just claim to be God’s Son, separation from God the Father