Wednesday - Easter Week

Wednesday

We have all had those times where one day piles upon another with the stuff of life that sucks us dry. Finally, we are empty, toast, a “stick a fork in me I’m done” kind of tiredness. We take a day and do nothing, hoping to recharge enough to move on. That common experience has caused me to wonder about Wednesday of Holy Week.

Nothing is recorded about this day other than it is two days before the Passover Feast. No record of words or actions by Jesus. What is going on here?

I am moving into conjecture here, but I suspect Jesus, after three intense days, needs rest. Some might consider this preposterous, after all he’s God, right? God getting tired, burned out? No way!

I am reminded though, of the incident where he falls asleep in a boat on Galilee. A storm comes up, strong enough to illicit fear in the seasoned fishermen among the disciples. What does Jesus do? He sleeps soundly in the storm.

Jesus, the man, experiences full humanity including fatigue, and I suspect this includes the kind of empty weariness that sets in whenever we go through several days that place heavy demands on us. The previous three days have been intense.

I believe he simply heeded his body’s need for refreshment and rest. But where could he go?

Mark tells us in 11:11 after the entry into Jerusalem and his assessment of the condition of the Temple, he went to Bethany. Again, a return to Bethany is mentioned by Mark in 14:3. Matthew makes mention of Bethany in 21:17. Luke interestingly, says Jesus spent his nights on the Mount of Olives in 21:17. The mount lies just north east of the road leading to Bethany, so it makes sense that Luke’s investigation prior to writing his gospel led him to this conclusion.

I am landing on Bethany, perhaps the household of Lazarus on Sunday evening and the house of Simon the Leper Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.

I also suspect his disciples are with him, but it is interesting that there is no record of anything he may have taught them during those evenings. Is it possible Jesus simply wants to be with these men without having to be the teacher? What better way to be refreshed than to sit with those he loves, and who love him, without demands.

I also suspect he slipped away early each morning to be with Abba, praying as they prepared together for what was coming. You will notice sprinkled here and there in the gospels is Jesus habit of doing this. I doubt he would not have done this during this down time of Wednesday.

There is a comfort for me as I think about Jesus responding to his own need for rest. By doing this, he is telling us he understands when we are washed up and can’t keep going. The Sabbath was established to provide a regular rhythm of rest for us. I also believe we need other days at times. If it is possible that Jesus took this day, then he will invite us to do the same when our mind and body require stoppage. Full stop.

Just maybe this was a full stop for him.

It was not a full stop for one of the disciples. It appears Judas took some of this day to seek out those who are looking for Jesus. It’s entirely possible this was the day he made his deal to turn Jesus over to them.

Tuesday Easter Week

Tuesday

The passages that are believed to tell us of Tuesday are found in Matthew 21:23-24:51, Mark 11:27-13:37 and Luke 20:1-21:36. These are long passages, even Mark with his succinct style devotes part of two chapters sandwiching a complete chapter. I’ve not done any word count, but I believe Matthew’s account is one of the longest sections of “red letters” in the four gospels. I think it ranks in the top three sections along with his account of the Sermon on the Mount and John’s account of Thursday’s Upper Room discourse. These passages for Tuesday are rich.

My intent to write has never been to give an exhaustive study of these passages. I simply ask that we sit with the passages. Perhaps, through imagination, place ourselves into this week and notice; allowing God’s Spirit to move in our noticing.

Having said this, I must admit the length and scope of Jesus’ recorded words on this day are daunting. These passages need time, perhaps fasting and prayer (conversation). Unfortunately, I am still working through these days with not the time I wish I’d had. I think I am sensing God tell me that kind of time may come next year after I am retired. I will look forward to next year’s Holy Week.

The scope of what is covered is staggering. There are parables, one illustrates how poorly God’s prophets were treated and his own death is alluded to, rather thinly veiled in my estimation.

There are Pharisees and Sadducees questioning him, trying to trip him up and implying he has no authority to speak as he does.

There is a fairly long discourse regarding future days and his return including the statement he does not know the hour or the day of his return, only the Father does.

Matthew outlines seven “woes”, decrees spoken against those that lead Jewish religious life. Much of these words are harsh, up to the point he tells them they are nothing but cleaned up containers of death (my paraphrase of Matthew 23:27).

This is a record of his last interactions with the leaders before his upcoming trials before some of these same leaders as well as his public teaching before the crowds. It is remarkable and deserves more than I am prepared to say here.

I wonder what may have been going through the thoughts of his disciples. They love him, believe they would follow him anywhere, but I can believe some may have cringed a little at the boldness of Jesus’ words, especially to the Pharisees.

Have you ever had a good friend or family member speak in such a way that you wished they’d kept their thoughts to themselves? I have, and I’ve had many times I wished I’d kept my thoughts to myself. Jesus had always been bold and spoke with an authority the crowds were amazed at, but some of these words will certainly get him into great trouble. This may have been some of the thoughts of his disciples.

But I need to pause here and remember, Jesus spoke only the words his Father gave him. He is speaking his Father’s heart. I believe the intent was to wake up those that were leaders to their own bankrupt lives. They needed to hear these words, but their pride would not let them take the seven “woes” to heart. At the sound of those words directed to them, they have only two choices, humility and repentance, or outrage.

We also get a glimpse into what troubles our Father; bad religion that only burdens those seeking Him, religion that is more about a leader’s intent to attain and maintain power over people rather than lead them into freedom from sin and into God’s kingdom.

It is not all harsh though. There are words from Jesus expressing his longing to gather his children as a hen gathers her chicks. I can hear the longing in that tender statement. This was part of that day, as well.

Perhaps you feel a little overwhelmed at the length and scope of the words attributed to Tuesday of Holy Week. I believe God understands that reaction, but He still invites us into sitting with something from that day. As I wrote earlier, my intention in writing has not been about fully understanding everything that was said and occurred during this important week. My hope is for us to observe and notice what the Spirit prompts in us.

Read some of these passages in gentleness, letting God choose a section for you and let it soak into your spirit. Let yourself enter and sit at Jesus feet as he speaks to us. You won’t be disappointed.

Monday-Easter Week

The graphic I am using marks Monday as the day Jesus cleared the temple. The passages cited are Matthew 21:10-17, Mark 11:15-18 and Luke 19:45-48. Matthew reads as if this occurred on Sunday. Mark clearly tells us it occurred the next day. Luke also is not definitive about the day. John cites an earlier clearing of the temple in chapter 2:13-17.

I’ve had a long day today, but I’ve thought off and on about this scene asking God what I needed to notice here. A couple things have stood out.

Jesus is incensed at the selling going on in the temple. In a very real sense, access to God is being sold. Think about that, he is about to pave the way for free and clear access to our Heavenly Father and he finds, once again (remember the John passage occurred very early in his ministry) money changers profiting handsomely from the pilgrims at Passover. I could go into detail about needing “temple” coin and the exchange rate used to extort from the pilgrims, but let it just be said, this is not how God’s house is to be used, or abused in this case.

He proclaims that it will be a house of prayer. This idea has stuck with me today. Many know that I am passionate about prayer. I’ve come to believe it is the lifeblood of intimacy between our Abba and us. I no longer view prayer as my “prayer life” as if it is something separate from other parts of my life. It is no longer something I take out occasionally, dust off and try to practice. It simply has become my life connection to Jesus.

Jesus, by his proclamation that his house will be a house of prayer, elevates this important function in the life of all who will follow him. If you watch Jesus and how he lived during his years of earthly ministry, you will find him often going out alone to be with his Father in prayer. It is a model we all should emulate. He is telling us in this violent act of clearing the temple that prayer is IMPORTANT!

There is something else I’ve noticed. We tend to try to tame Jesus. We want a meek and mild Jesus, here to simply love us. He does love us, more than we will ever really understand, but he cannot be tamed.

If you read the passage of the first cleansing you will notice something interesting, he goes into the temple, sees the money-changers and all the others selling access to the temple, and then goes out and makes a whip. A whip. Think about the forethought he is putting into what he is about to do. The passages citing the second clearing make no mention of a whip, but make no mistake. Jesus is angry.

This is a side to Jesus we often have trouble with. Frankly, I don’t. I am relieved that he is willing to make a huge ruckus that day to get his point across. There is a wildness to him that is refreshing. He will not be tamed by our ideas about who he “should” be. He simply is who he is. There is a fierceness to him that we need to not forget.

It is refreshing because he is FOR us. He wants us to have clear and free access to prayer, to him. He is willing to fight for that, fight for us.

John, in the opening of his gospel tells us much about Jesus. Take a few minutes and read that description of who it was that came as a baby, grew up learning carpentry then gathered his disciples and started a ministry that will culminate in death. But what a death it was, one that showed us his mastery over what we consider inevitable and final.

It was not final and that is what we are moving towards as we sit with him in these passages about those last few days.

Palm Sunday

Sunday

I grew up attending a small Baptist church. Some of my fondest memories of those years are associated with Palm Sunday. We children were given palm branches and then we paraded into the sanctuary waving them declaring loudly, “Hosannah!”. Of course, it didn’t hurt the festivities since Palm Sunday marked the beginning of the Easter Week break from school!

Our basis for this celebration is found in all four gospels: Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44 and John 12:12-19. After reading these passages again, I am reminded of the rich symbolism that each element carried that day. All these elements point to Jesus, Lord and King.

The colt of a donkey fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 and also reminded many that day of Jehu coming into Jerusalem riding on a colt of a donkey. I found an interesting bit of information, riding in on a donkey signified peace whereas riding in on a horse signified war. In any event, all who gathered along that road “got it”. They knew and were excited to think that this was the day, Jesus would be declared the King of the Jews. “Could the overthrow of Rome be not far behind?”, had to be the thought of most that day.

They celebrated with the one symbol we still use today, palm branches on the road and lifted high, waving to declare Jesus’ sovereignty. If I stop and let my imagination wander to that day, I can hear the rustle of the palms and the triumphal voices of expectation.

Palm fronds were the symbol of victory, triumph and peace, even to the Romans. I wonder if those Roman overlords, upon hearing of this entrance, braced themselves for trouble during these days of Passover when the population of Jerusalem swelled to perhaps three times its usual number.

This entrance was not lost on anyone, especially the Pharisees. They demanded that Jesus do something about the ruckus being stirred up. I love his response, recorded in Luke. “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out”, Jesus told them. A part of me wishes he’d ordered silence from the crowd so that stone voices could have been heard. Remember, all of creation waits for final redemption and rule by Jesus.

It is good to let these accounts of that day sink in today and remind us of the start of a very public week for Jesus and his disciples.

As a child I often wondered how things went so quickly downhill in terms of the population, so swept up in adulation and so quickly crying for Jesus’ death in a few short days. Since then, I’ve come to know, they did not really understand Jesus’ coming as a suffering Messiah. They only were thinking politically, hoping this was the end of Rome’s rule.

With the passage of time, we who follow Jesus understand better his mission as incarnate God was coming to the end, his death was to pay our price of sin. His resurrection was to show his power over death, giving us tangible proof of the eternal life, he spoke of so often, a life we have entered into.

I do wonder though, have we missed some of the depth of meaning to those days that are beginning to unfold on this day we call Palm Sunday?

We rightly understand the crucifixion finally deals with our sin. We’ve codified entrance into this new life with what we often call, “the believer’s prayer”. It is a bit like getting our ticket to heaven punched. But do we then put that punched ticket into our pockets and forget the deeper truth Jesus desires us to know, to live out?

Much of what he said during those years of ministry was about the Kingdom of God. If you go back and look, you will find many, many references and stories designed to teach us the Kingdom is for now, not just after our eventual death. It never was just about having a punched ticket. It is about living in Kingdom rule, letting the Spirit lead us into all truth, and then living, abiding with Jesus so that his fruit would grow, now, not later.

Paul reminds us of the fruit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This is the fruit we can expect to see grow in our lives as we lean into what Jesus did for us during this week, we can celebrate together, while sheltered at home. It is a hope for now, especially in these difficult days.

Saturday - Easter Week

I am not looking for anything profound as I walk through these days of Holy Week. I simply want to pause, observe and notice the Spirit's movement as we celebrate this week of redemption.

Saturday

There are no mentions of this day in any of the four gospels. It is Sabbath, so the crowd from late in the day Friday would have dispersed before sundown, the start of Sabbath. That would have left Jesus, his disciples and the household of Lazarus free for the rest Sabbath should provide.

This had to be welcomed by Jesus. He is God, but he is also man. I don’t proclaim to understand incarnation, frankly, I am a bit suspicious of anyone who thinks they have this mystery figured out. As a man who also is God, I believe he knew what was coming but was experiencing this knowledge as a man at the same time. I think Jesus took this day and spent it with his Father, our Father. He had always drawn away to be alone with Abba throughout his years of earthly ministry. What better place for him to be on this last Sabbath before crucifixtion?

I am thinking that while we have no record of activity for this day, I can’t help but sense a hush in the heavenlies. A pause before the drama and battles of the coming week. Perhaps all of heaven fell silent. What might have been going through the mind of Abba as he observed his only begotten son rest in this Sabbath?

Things may have been stirring in the heavenlies that are against Jesus. Angelic beings have a perspective we do not have, but they don’t possess foreknowledge. I do wonder if our enemy was busy planning, stirring up plots in the hope of defeating this grand plan of redemption for the world. If redemption is completed, the enemy has lost, and I doubt he was sitting by on that Sabbath. Passover is coming and this just might be the opportunity to put down this grand plan of redemption for good.

Even on this day, some 2000 years later, I am resting in the silence. Resting, watching and waiting. It is a grand cosmic pause unlike any other.

First Friday of Holy Week

Because of the mandate we are living under, Easter is going to be very different from what we are accustomed to. I thought I might write something and perhaps start a conversation that would help us all focus this week on the events we will be celebrating in a more “intimate” way.

I have this graphic in my Bible that depicts the events of the Holy Week we are entering into. It is a good aid to see the chronology of the week and what was happening. I thought I’d take a look at the scriptures for each day and make some observations. Feel free to write back and let’s see what others may be thinking as we walk through this week together.

FRIDAY

The first notation in the graphic starts with this Friday. There is only one gospel that looks at this day, John 12:1-11.

The scene is Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. It has been some short time since Jesus has brought his dear friend from the grave. As I think about the scene and Jesus’ desire to be in Bethany I realize this is exactly where Jesus wants to be. I think Bethany is as close to “home” as any place for him.

I am still working during these peculiar days. As many of you know, I work in an essential business, the grocery business. My role is supportive to the 126 stores in my company. Today has been a particularly hectic day. I could not wait to get the day behind me and get home, leaving the chaos behind.

Jesus is one week from hanging on a cross. I wonder if he just needed this time in his friend’s home. He knows what he is facing and this is the last time he will have to simply kick back with good friends. Things are going to start moving very quickly and he knows this. Maybe he simply needs a quiet evening.

I love the scene, I can see them around the table and Mary comes in with a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume, and pours it on Jesus’ feet, wiping them with her hair. It is an act of intimate devotion and worship. This is not just words spoken by Mary or a look exchanged between Jesus and her. This is hands-on, down on her knees love. I doubt at that moment Mary knew the significance of what she was doing, she simply was following some leading in her to do this, to show Jesus how much she loved him. We can see from this and from other accounts Mary has a deep connection to Jesus.

I wonder if that scent of nard will follow him through the events of the following week. Certainly, the scent stayed with Mary in her hair. What a bittersweet reminder it will become as the week unfolds.

We also learn something about someone else, Judas. I am a little startled by John’s words about Judas here as he explains Judas’ role through the years of ministry as the keeper of the money bag. How did John know Judas had been helping himself to money from time to time?

We read Judas objected to Mary’s act of devotion questioning, rather disingenuously, why such waste. Certainly, the poor could have benefited had the nard been sold and the money used for others.

We want a villain and Judas seems to fill the role. We know what role he is going to play. But let me just say, this character flaw is important to note and I will circle back to it with an observation later in the week. His true colors are showing here.

If you read Jesus’ response in verses 7 & 8, try to hear not reproof of Judas, but a gentle acknowledgement of what Mary had just done. She didn’t know until that moment that this lavish gift she’d just poured out was for Jesus imminent burial. What must have gone through her heart at that moment?

We then learn a large crowd had gathered. Here is where my hectic day comes in to play as I let this passage soak in. I suspect, as noted above, Jesus may have preferred a quiet evening with these dear ones, his disciples and Lazarus’ household. But evidently that was not to be. We don’t have a record of Jesus speaking to the crowd. I doubt he ignored them though. What could he have said? We may never know. Or perhaps we will when we are finally in our eternal home with some of those that gathered that night.

We also learn something else. Lazarus has a price on his head. He is the living embodiment of Jesus’ power over death. The short-sighted Pharisees can only believe if they kill Lazarus and make good on their plans to kill Jesus, they will finally be rid of this itinerate rabbi who has caused them so much trouble. I would imagine they may forget about Lazarus when finally confronted with Jesus’ resurrection in a little over a week.

So, that is just a little start to our journey through these days. Let this scene rest a little as a prelude to what is coming.

Rhythm

There is a rhythm to the exercise of our faith. For many of us, this rhythm is centered around weekly attendance at church. Flowing out of this weekly meeting are all sorts of ancillary activities: youth groups, life groups, Bible studies, men's and women's events, informal gatherings. All are designed around the hope of growth in our faith, in our relationship with God.

This rhythm is not a bad thing. It is our culture's response to "church" as spoken of in the New Testament. The writer of Hebrews tells us to "not forsake the gathering together", and our weekly rhythm of coming together is a good response to this prompt.

I am tempted to write here that this rhythm has been disrupted, but rather it has been stripped away through recent events and government mandates. Yes, we are attempting to maintain a semblance of the rhythm with streamed worship services. While I don't think there is anything wrong with this response to the mandate to shelter at home, I do wonder what God is up to.

A good friend, one who serves on the staff of my church, recently voiced this same wondered question. His question was centered around what "church" might look like after this period of forced separation. It is a good question to ponder in light of how technology has replaced physical building and face to face gathering. I too wonder if this disruption might cause larger churches to evaluate the time and resources committed to programmed ministries. It might be a good time to start fresh and see what might grow organically rather than simply picking up where we left off when we are once again allowed to freely gather.

But that is not my main thought. I am sensing something else, a wondered hope for hunger to arise within us. I am certain many are missing the presence of good friends, their faces, hugs and voices that are part of healthy fellowship. I certainly look forward to the day we can freely gather again, formally as well as spontaneously. Perhaps this desire for others is a shadow of a deeper desire. It just might be Abba wants us to lean deeper into this desire, let it grow to a hunger for Him.

Jesus made an incredible statement to His guys that last Passover. He said we are in Him and He is in us. None of these present events surprises God. Maybe some of this "down" time, away from the busy-ness of our culture, could be used to unpack a bit of this mystery Jesus spoke of. What does this really mean for us, this Christ in us, we in Christ? It can start with a bit of sacred hunger.

Jesus also told His guys the Spirit would come after He left. The Spirit was to be our comfort, our counselor and guide into all truth. This Spirit dwells in us. I can't help but think this peculiar territory we all find ourselves in, is very fertile territory, if we but take some time to be with Jesus.

Take a deep breath, open Scripture and let it breath into you. Let it read you! Let hunger for God have its way and lead you, your good heart, into something different, more personal. Perhaps this time can be the establishment of a new rhythm for us all, a rhythm of personal fellowship with the lover of our souls, a rhythm where we can fall more deeply in love with Jesus.