Almighty and everlasting God, grant us by Your grace so to pass through this holy time of our Lord’s passion that we may obtain the forgiveness of our sins; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Lessons: Isaiah 49:1–7 Psalm 71:1–14 (v. 12) 1 Corinthians 1:18–25 (26–31) St. John 12:1–23
For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1: 25
King Herod Antipas dressed the Lord in “in splendid clothing” after he and his soldiers, “…treated him with contempt and mocked him.” (St. Luke 23: 11) Similar to the robe of many colors that Jacob gave to Joseph? The robe that the Father gave to his prodigal son? Maybe. This makes the contempt and mocking all the more sharp. Jesus said not a word in front of Antipas. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen commented on this narrative:
Our present moment is something like that in which the conscience of Our Lord stood impotent before Herod. We are being robed in the garment of a fool. We are mocked if we preach Christ’s condemnation of divorce. We are called fools if we ask for the restoration of religion to education; fools if insist that world unity is impossible without a recognition of a universal moral law; fools if we pray, if we fast, if we discipline ourselves.
But even more, as it is written, when we tell of Christ dying for sinners once and for all, we will be mocked. Since God’s foolishness is stronger than the wisdom of man, let’s be fools for Christ, both in Law (morals) and Gospel and we will be wise in the Lord. St. Paul was called a “babbler” by the philosophers at the Areopagus. He was insulted as were the other prophets. Yet, we are called as joyous fools in Christ for His grace, bearing the sin of the world upon the cross and the Lord getting the last laugh: He is risen! We are fools for love…God’s love in Jesus Christ, which fools no one…except the devil.
“By Your struggle-unto-death and Your bloody sweat, help us dear Lord God.” (Pr. Johann Gerhard”
Concordia and Koinonia 
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