The Passion and Death of Christ
What was Jesus accused of?
Certain Pharisees and Herodians, together with priests and scribes, plotted together to destroy Jesus; they accused Jesus of blasphemy and false prophecy – religious crimes which was punishable by death under the Old Law; e.g. forgiving sins, healing on the Sabbath, His novel interpretation of the precepts of the Law regarding purity, etc. (cf. CCC 574)
The Jewish people and their spiritual leaders viewed Jesus as a rabbi. Jesus argued with the teachers of the Old Law within the framework of rabbinical interpretation of the Law; and in doing so, He could not help but offend them. Jesus did not abolish the Law but fulfilled it by giving its definitive interpretation with divine authority; but certain teachers of the Law rejected His interpretation of the Law and they confronted Him. This was the case especially with the Sabbath laws; Jesus healed on the Sabbath and He taught that the Sabbath rest was not violated by serving God and neighbor. (cf. CCC 581-582)
Shortly before His Passion, Jesus foretold the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, of which there would not remain “one stone upon another” (cf. Matthew 24:1-2). In doing so, Jesus announced a sign of the last days – a new age in the history of salvation, which was to begin with His own Passover. But this prophecy was distorted by false witnesses who accused Jesus of plotting to destroy the Temple. On the contrary, another prophecy of Jesus was about to come true: “The hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.” (John 4:21) (cf. CCC 585-586)
It was most especially in speaking the truth of His divine identity that Jesus scandalized the religious authorities of Israel: (1) When He forgave sins, they exclaimed: “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” (Mark 2:7) (2) Jesus affirmed that there was in Him “something greater than Jonah. . . greater than Solomon” (Matthew 12:41-42), something “greater than the Temple” (Matthew 12:6); that David had called the Messiah his LORD (Matthew 22:41-45), that “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58), and that “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30) (cf. CCC 589-590)
The religious authorities in Jerusalem were not unanimous about what stance to take towards Jesus, but to those who feared that “If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation” (John 11:48), Caiaphas, the high priest, replied: “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” (John 11:49-50) Therefore, the Sanhedrin, who had no authority to put anyone to death, accused Jesus of political revolt and handed Him over to the Romans; the chief priests threatened Pilate politically so that he would condemn Jesus to death. (cf. CCC 596)
The Death of Christ
Jesus’ violent death did not happen by chance in an unfortunate coincidence of circumstances, but it is part of the mystery of God’s plan of salvation, which the Scriptures foretold. (cf. CCC 599, 601)
Man’s sins, following on original sin, are punishable by death. But by sending His own Son in the form of a slave, in the form of a fallen humanity, on account of sin, “for our sake, God made Him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor 5:21) God did not spare His own Son, but handed him over for us all, so that we might be reconciled to Him through the death of His Son. (cf. Rom 8:32; 5:10) (cf. CCC 602-603)
In His human nature, the human body and soul of Jesus separated in death, but in His divine nature, the Son of God continued to possess His human soul and body. That is because His one person is not itself divided into two persons; for the human body and soul of Christ have existed in the same way from the beginning of His earthly existence, in the divine person of the Word; and in death, although separated from each other, both remained with one and the same person of the Word. (cf. CCC 625-626)
Christ’s death was a real death in the sense that it put an end to His earthly human existence, but His was not a mortal corpse like others, for “it was not possible for death to hold him” (cf. Acts 2:24) and divine power preserved Christ’s body from corruption. (cf. CCC 627)
Christ Descended into Hell
Jesus, like all men, experienced death, and in His human soul joined the others in the realm of the dead. But Jesus descended to the realm of the dead as Savior, proclaiming the Good News to the souls which were held there. (cf. CCC 632)
Scripture calls the realm of the dead, to which Christ went down, “hell” – Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek – because the souls of those who are there are deprived of the vision of God. But Jesus did not descend into “hell” to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before Him. (cf. CCC 633) This was the last phase of Jesus’ messianic mission, a phase which is condensed in time but vast in its real significance: the spread of Christ’s redemptive work to all men of all times and all places, for all who are saved have been made sharers in the redemption. (cf. CCC 634)
Our participation in Christ’s Sacrifice
The cross is the unique Sacrifice of Christ, the “one mediator between God and men.” (cf. 1 Tim 2:5) But because in His incarnate divine person, He has in some way united Himself to every man, and the possibility of being made partners in the Paschal Mystery is offered to all men. He calls His disciples to “take up their cross and follow Him” (Mt 16:24), for “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example so that we should follow in his steps.” (cf. 1 Pet 2:21) In fact, Jesus desired to associate with His redeeming sacrifice those who were to be its first beneficiaries, and this was achieved supremely in the case of His mother, Mary, who was associated more intimately than any other person in the mystery of His redemptive suffering. (cf. CCC 618)
Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven. (St. Rose of Lima, CCC 618)