Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Wednesday in Holy Week.

"Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."


Psalm 70Isaiah 50:4-9aHebrews 12:1-3, and John 13:21-32

The betrayal of Jesus by Judas is a familiar story to us, and the Judas character is one that's been portrayed in many ways many times. Imagine, though, what it must have been like to be in that room with the disciples when Jesus declared to them, "One of you will betray me." The fear and anguish that they must have all felt would have been overbearing. Certainly there was the thought, "It won't be me; but what if it is me?"

Peter asks, "Who will it be?" Jesus says, "The one to whom I give this bread." And then he passes the bread to Judas, and he sends Judas away. We're told that the disciples didn't know why Judas was sent out, but certainly Peter was about to figure out what was happening. For those who didn't know what was happening and who were trying to make sense of all of the animosity being directed toward their leader, this couldn't be how they expected to have their Passover celebration go.

These disciples were being set up for what must have been a most disappointing festival. What was supposed to be a great celebration is quickly unraveling, and one of their own is about to betray Jesus. In the coming days their leader will be arrested, convicted, and executed. They have no way of knowing what to expect, and we cringe for them and what they must have been experiencing.

The coming days are supposed to unsettle us, too. Sometimes, though, we're so familiar with the story that we forget to allow this to happen. If we can open ourselves up, we might be able to hear these stories in a new way, a way that can reach inside of us and awaken us to God's glory. From the betrayal to the crucifixion to the resurrection, God is there. In the absolute uncertainty experienced by the disciples those last few days, God was there. These next days remind us of God's presence in all of those times that we think God is nowhere near. May we come together and remember God's presence in our own lives as we remember Jesus's last days here amongst us.

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