Meditation On The Passion: Whom Seek Ye? They Answered Him: Jesus Of Nazareth.

BOCCATI, Giovanni di Piermatteo 

The Arrest of Christ (detail) 

c. 1447

Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said to them: Whom seek ye? They answered him: Jesus of Nazareth. Jn.xviii

Christ went forward to meet them, that he might teach thee:

First that he was not ignorant of the practices of the wicked.

Secondly that he made hast to die of his own free will.

Thirdly that he is ready to receive a sinner, if he will reclaim himself.

Wherefore stir up thy self to the love of Christ: and to offer thyself wholly unto him, who yielded himself cheerfully into his enemies hands for thy sake. (whom ye seek?) as if he should say consider I pray ye whom ye seek, a just & innocent man, who hath used to do every man good, & to hurt no man, who for your salvation descended down from heaven, & who at last shall come to be judge over all creatures. Do thou consider these things, whensoever thou shalt be tempted to offend God.  For as the blessed Apostle St Paul saith: By sinning the Son of God is trodden upon, & ignominiously used, (Jesus of Nazareth) they knew not that he was present, for they did not say we seek thee, but Jesus of Nazareth.  Note that for thee Jesus is sought for, to be put to death, that is, a Saviour, and, of Nazareth, that is, flourishing and adorned with all virtue, for none else by his death could deliver thee from the flames of hell fire: Therefore in all thy necessity thou must seek for him, and pray him that thou mayest not seek him to his shame and death, but to thine own salvation, and in seeking thou mayest find him, thou mayest always keep him.

Fr. Francis Costerus S.J. 1616