Wednesday in Holy Week (Deacon Chris)

This week we hear the stories of the events leading to Jesus’ death and the glory of his resurrection. These are old stories, but stories made alive each year during this holy time. We current day Christians listen, watch and participate in repeating Jesus’ and his companions’ actions of long ago. These stories become ours through what the church does in this week. It is important that we are here together to enter into the story.

In this early part of Holy Week, each of the daily lessons gives us a perspective of the actions and prophecies that led to Jesus’ death. Let us pause a bit to engage Wednesday’s particular scriptures. 

Today the focus is on two of the characters in the overall story. If this were a play, we could name them the protagonist and the antagonist, the hero and the villain. Jesus and Judas.

In thinking about Jesus, I wonder what was going through his mind in these last days that led to his death? In part I think he would recall the Hebrew scriptures he knew so well.

The passages we read from Isaiah on Monday, Tuesday, and today collectively are known as the Servant Songs. When they were written the servant probably referred to Israel or maybe the prophet Isaiah himself. In today’s lesson it is easy for Christians to see the parallel with Jesus as the servant and this scripture as a prophecy of what was going to happen to him. We can identify Jesus as the suffering servant.
    
The prophet said, “The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I turned not backward.” Jesus most certainly knew these words, and he also knew what was ahead of him. God has told him and Jesus accepted the task. 

“I gave my back to the smiters and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”

Jesus will not turn away from what God has sent him to do even knowing he will suffer pain and sorrow and humiliation.

“For the Lord God helps me; therefore, I have set my face like a flint and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near.” 

Jesus is able to take on his death because he knows God is near and there will be a greater purpose or result that will come through this suffering. 

Jesus understood what His father asked him to endure and he understood this was necessary. He also knew that the time had come to show the world that he is the Messiah. But knowing that he is doing what the Lord God has asked of him doesn’t mean that Jesus was readily looking forward to the suffering ahead. In the Gospel today we hear that Jesus was troubled in spirit. In scripture we will hear tomorrow we know that Jesus prayed to have this cup pass from him. 

Can we put ourselves with Jesus on this night before his death?

The paradox of Jesus as he prepared to die was an acceptance of what God asked of him while at the same time a wondering if it might be possible for it not to happen. 

The other character in the story today is Judas. What are we to make of him? 

We know that he was one of the twelve originally chosen by Jesus to accompany him, to learn from him, and to witness the mission of spreading God’s love. Judas had been a trusted companion for three years assisting in Jesus’ ministry. Even on the night described in today’s Gospel, Jesus placed Judas next to him at the banquet, the place of honor. 

What must have happened to Judas for him to change his opinion of his Lord, Jesus? Was it a new political thought? Or was it greed; did he look forward to the money he would receive for his action to come? Or could it have been a lack of faith in Jesus’ vision of God’s kingdom? What made Judas susceptible to Satan? Again, we wonder. 

Judas was known as the one who betrayed Jesus, and yet many of the disciples denied Jesus at the time of his trial and fell asleep as Jesus was praying. Why did Judas go further to hand him over to suffering and death? Was Judas the betrayer or perhaps was he a key player in handing Jesus over to his death to lead to the resurrection? After all, Jesus had to die before he could be resurrected. Judas, the betrayer,? Or Judas the one who commenced the action that led to the glory of God being made known?

This is the paradox of Judas. I wonder if he really is the antagonist or should we name Satan as that?

There are many ways we can engage the story of salvation history. Today’s scriptures give us a taste of all that was going on. But this is only Wednesday! The rest of the story, the best of the story is yet to come! 
At the end of today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once!” 
This glory is what we await—I encourage you to return to church in these next days to experience the fullness of Holy Week