Walking with Jesus through Lent: Week seven
Rev. Vera I. Bourne
7th Wednesday in Lent - The Price Of A Soul
Matthew 26: 15: "What will you give me," he said to them, "if I hand him over to you?"
Judas had been part of the intimate group of friends who followed Jesus. There are not many accounts of his interaction with the other disciples; in fact not much is know about him. We learned that he objected to the wonderfully generous action of Mary, when she washed and then anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume. There is a suggestion, in John chapter six, that Jesus was always aware Judas had the potential to betray him. Perhaps that is the reason Jesus had made him treasurer of the group, treating him with trust rather than suspicion, thus offering him the chance to be better than expected. Unfortunately, Scripture informs us, this did not have the desired effect for Judas pilfered from the communal purse.
Perhaps part of the motivation Judas felt to sell out Jesus was financial, but personally I doubt this. I rather believe that, like many others, he believed Jesus to be the long awaited Messiah, and simply could not understand why, when Jesus had the attention of the crowd, he did not proclaim himself. Instead, he rode on a young donkey, in the manner of a peacemaker, and refused to seize on the adulation he received. Maybe he thought that, faced with capture, Jesus would reveal his might and majesty, and so the new age would be ushered into being. None of us can say exactly what caused him to put a price on Jesus' head.
Since then, the term "a Judas," has been applied to all who have betrayed family, friends, their nation or their church. In some cases we learn the cause of their treachery, in others it seems inconceivable that such would be the cause of so much misery. There have always been those who are "planted" within communities to spy on the lives of others, so they may be betrayed ultimately. In times of war such people seem to proliferate. During the Second World War and the Cold War, torture was refined to such an extent that many were forced to betray friends, resistance fighters and those hidden in "safe houses." Children were encouraged to become informers about their parents and other family members. Churches were closed in some countries and priests, nuns and other clergy were slaughtered. Men were shackled, while in front of them their wives and children were subjected to torture, until these men broke down and told national secrets they had sworn to keep.
Every human has a breaking point, a price. There will always be something that will cause us to change completely all previous plans and decisions. Whether it is the welfare of those we love, the plight of refugees or of the environment, there will always be a chink in our armour, a place at which our determination breaks down. Similarly every person places their own value on Jesus, for as individuals we decide just what we would believe about him. For some, the affection in which they hold Jesus is so slight that the least distraction will cause them to place their responsibilities toward Jesus on hold, while they try some new adventure. It is not that they calculatedly betrayed their faith in Jesus; rather their faith was no stronger than a wind-tossed feather.
Members of the early church were subjected to torture and death unless they renounced Jesus, and placed the value of their lives above that of their faith. For those of us who live in a world where there is no penalty incurred by being a disciple of Jesus, it is small events of the world that distract our attention from the call of our Saviour. The temptation to stay abed just a little longer after a late night may outweigh our commitment to keep an early morning appointment with God. When we begin to miss too many appointments with God, when our prayer life and our silent listening to the Holy Spirit is compromised, our spiritual identity is starved, and we too have betrayed Jesus. God gives to each of us specific tasks. Each time we put our own interests before those of God we betray Jesus no less than did Judas Iscariot.
Prayer: Redeemer God, increase our love for you and your work so that we will never betray your love. Open our eyes so we find in you the pearl beyond any earthly price. Amen.
7th Thursday in Lent - Maundy Thursday - The Role Of A Servant
John 13:14: But if I, your teacher and Lord, have washed your feet, you must be ready to wash one another's feet.
When clergy seem more interested in the style and design of vestments than in the needs of the people, when those laying a table for dinner are more concerned about the table decorations than about the meal and its preparation, while ever there are members of our governments who are more interested in building up their own images than in destroying the causes of poverty and disease, then those who are expected to serve are none other than self-serving impostors. When Christians put their own self-interests before the needs of those around them, to whom will those in need turn?
Being a Christian is a life-long occupation; there are no prescribed holidays or sabbatical leave. On a day-by-day basis one steadily follows in the footsteps of Jesus wherever those footsteps lead. Just as there are no different categories for sins - no small sins versus very large ones - there are no different categories of Christians. People who follow Jesus are disciples, those who do not are not his own. It is a totally different occupation from any other. There are no bonuses or promotions on the basis of seniority, nor are there senior posts or titles for which to strive. We commence this occupation at the invitation of Jesus, and leave whenever we are no longer able to serve, or perhaps believe in, Jesus. If we were to ask for a job description, the example quoted in our text would spell out Christ's requirements.
Those early disciples were but the first of the ever-increasing group of people whom Jesus has washed. When he cleansed the dust and grime stained feet of his disciples, he accomplished the first baptism of his ministry. John the Baptist, that day by the river Jordan, predicted that Jesus would baptise with the Holy Spirit. When Peter objected to the thought of being washed by Jesus, our Saviour gave him this warning, "Unless you let me wash you, Peter, you cannot share my lot." In our relationship with Jesus we are aware that he has washed us clean of all that had previously stained our souls and that, as we travel with him, he continues to cleanse us of any grime and dust we accumulate on our journey.
As disciples spreading the Good News of salvation, we are asked to invite others to accept this baptism Jesus offers. It is not by our words, but every action of our lives, that many choose to accept or reject our invitation. God's love pouring through us and into the lives of those we meet makes us different. If our lives were no different to those around us, why would any person choose to join the band of disciples? By his example, Jesus taught us how to live love, for this is the life God chooses. We never hear of his flinching from the lepers who approached him for healing, nor from the man declared to be possessed by demons; instead we find him addressing their needs. He assured those he healed, those he taught and the small children who followed him everywhere that they were important, and their needs also deserved his attention.
Perhaps we will never wash the feet of those we meet, but we may extend to them the cup of everlasting life. While ever God holds us responsible to address the needs of all our brothers and sisters, we will have little time left for seeking glory or praise. We will discover there are as many ways to serve the needs of others as there are stars in the heavens, and that God provides the guidance and energy to serve those laid on our hearts. It is in lives of service we discover healing of our souls has been accomplished, and that at last we enjoy a sense of fulfilment. Foot washing will never rate highly on any earthly CV, but it certainly enjoys a place of honour within God's dominion. Disciples are advised to leave behind all that could distract them from being servants of God, willing to serve wherever God has work for them.
Prayer: Divine Saviour, in washing your friends' feet you challenged both them and us. Help us reassess our priorities so we may truly be instruments of your love and peace. Amen.
7th Friday in Lent - Good Friday - Today, In Paradise
John 19: 17-18: So they took Jesus and he went carrying the cross himself, to a place called Skull Hill (in Hebrew Golgotha). There they crucified him, and two others, one on either side of him with Jesus in the middle.
The series of trials had been completed and finally Pilate, who had vacillated for so long, handed Jesus over to be crucified. Onto that back, so torn by the lead tipped scourge, was laden the cross on which he would be crucified. We have watched as he stumbled along that road, falling and being made to stand again, with still the weight of the cross bearing him down. Another was impressed to carry that blood-stained cross, for Jesus was so close to death he could no longer manage its weight. There, at Golgotha, the soldiers laid him down and fixed his wrists with nails to the horizontal arm of the cross. Then, with a sickening jolt, they raised this beam and slotted it into place on the upright of the cross, and fixed his feet to the cross. On Jesus, God incarnate, was the cruellest of all methods of execution inflicted.
As disciples, we too gather with the other onlookers and witness the agony of our beloved Jesus. In our loving, we would rather suffer in his place, yet we know that he could have chosen to avoid this death. As always, his will gave way to that of God's, and the company of heaven watched in disbelief as God's beloved son was subjected to such torture and death. Perhaps we would prefer to avoid the detail of such suffering, but our souls need to be aware of the lengths to which God's love extends. What are our reactions as we watch this event unfold? We need to pause, remembering the cost demanded of those who serve as disciples.
Look around at those gathered by the feet of those three crosses. There among the women stood Mary, who had accepted the responsibility to bear and raise this, God's own son. From the very beginning she knew his destiny was to be unlike that of any other person, but she had not prepared herself for such a fate. Her heart ached for her son in his dying, and she was torn by the injustice of his fate and her love for him. The other women, his disciples, were there because they loved Jesus and Mary, and they could be no other place that day. John, the beloved disciple, was torn between his love for Jesus and his concern for the women gathered there. How could he share with Jesus the gamut of his emotions that day, how could he say his goodbyes publicly when Jesus was in such pain?
The soldiers are there, throwing dice for his garments, men who had completed an unpleasant order, for who would choose to serve on the execution squad? There are the idle passers-by, the curious who are always attracted to scenes of accidents and fatalities. Among that crowd are also those who came to mock Jesus, to demand he use his powers to leave the cross and the death it demanded. Perhaps his words had irritated them, but more likely he had challenged their lives, as he did those who brought to him the woman caught in an adulterous act. Finally, we note, representatives of the Pharisees and Sadducees are there, making sure the man who presented such a threat to their comfortable lives had been finally eliminated.
Hear the words of Jesus as he brings Mary and John into a new relationship by extending the boundaries of family. Listen while he assures one of those crucified with him that they will both be in Paradise together. Hear too the pardon he asks for those who had rejected him, and had turned their backs on the love he offered. For all who caused him pain, he seeks God's pardon. Witness the price such a messenger of God's love is required to pay. Stay with the other disciples as Jesus weakens and cries out in the grip of maddening thirst. Stand in awe as to his God he cries, for an instant believing God had deserted him. And with the final breath of his bursting lungs, the air is rent as he calls out in pain and yet in triumph, "It is finished." And slowly his body sags on the cross and we know the physical man, Jesus, is gone.
Prayer: Loving God, as the Light of the World is extinguished, our lives are torn with pain and regret. How can we live without Jesus by our side? Heal and comfort us, God. Amen.
7th Saturday in Lent - Easter Saturday - A Time For Review
Mark 15: 33,38: At midday darkness spread over the whole countryside. The curtain of the Temple sanctuary was split in two from the top to the bottom.
The day of his death is done, the Pharisees have settled their score with Jesus. The seamless garment Jesus wore exactly fitted the description of the linen tunic worn by the High Priest. The role of the High Priest was that of a bridge-builder between worshippers and God. Jesus fitted that role better than had any High Priest, so it was no surprise that upon his death the curtain that hid the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. No longer was God hidden from humanity, now every person had access to God. No longer would we wonder about the nature of God, for in Jesus we have met God face to face.
It would appear that with the death of Jesus all he taught would slowly fade from the memories of those he knew. Yet it was not to be so, for just as in shocked horror all his disciples reviewed the events of his trial and death, they also reviewed their own lives, where they had lived up to Jesus' expectations and where they had let him down. As disciples we too take this day to examine our own lives in the light of God's love and sacrifice. As we look at the events of the past weeks, we know Jesus has challenged our service as disciples. How often have we called to him "Save me now" when we have fallen into pits we have dug by our own words, actions and attitudes? Have we, like the crowd who gathered on Palm Sunday, seen in Jesus a means to an end, rather than finding in him our total fulfilment?
When Jesus has stood by us during difficult situations, have we remembered to give him thanks and praise, or did we accept his healing and move away like the nine lepers, without even a word of thanks? Have we given over to his control every part of our lives or are we still clinging on to those things we consider too precious to share with our Saviour? Are there parts of our lives we are ashamed to expose to his sight? Just as the disciples ran away when the arresting party seized Jesus, have we too run from situations and relationships that we felt had become too difficult? Have we hidden, as they did, from the possible consequences of our relationship with Jesus? We have known fear at some point in our lives, and asked God to shelter us from all that threatened us. In God's presence we have been enfolded in the security of peace and love, so that fear lost its power to paralyse us.
Have we given generously of our time and talents as we serve Jesus? Have we welcomed those we would once have shunned, as we now see in them the face of Jesus? Are there still some people we find it difficult to forgive as freely as Jesus forgave all those who, by their plotting, had achieved his death? Each time we are unable to forgive we, in fact, deny Jesus. If we truly believe in his power to transform our lives, we would be asking that he break through our stubbornness and effect healing in us so that we too might forgive freely. Have we shut our ears and eyes to the millions who cry out for justice, delaying our help by seeking to load this responsibility onto the shoulders of others?
Have we given the demands or expectations of those we love precedence over living as Jesus expects of all disciples? He warned each of us that we could only serve one master; trying to do other would only cause us grief and pain. Jesus expects us to place our ministry of loving above all other considerations in our lives. If we are prepared to trust him with our families, our friends and those we hold dearest, he will care for them, he will guide and love them with all the gifts heaven offers. Just as he watches over them while we sleep, so he will watch over them while we are concluding the work he had chosen for our lives. Today we need to review our own lives. As disciples, what price do we place on our relationship with Jesus? Since we are to spend eternity in his presence, let us decide right now who we recognise Jesus to be.
Prayer: Holy God, we your people open our lives to you today, so that you may remove all that mars the perfection you created. Strengthen us to live as true disciples of Jesus. Amen.
Easter Sunday - Alive And Transformed
John 20:16: Jesus said to her, "Mary!" At that she turned right round and said to him in Hebrew, "Master!"
After being wracked with anguish, the women who waited at the cross come to anoint the body of Jesus as it lies in the grave supplied by Joseph of Arimathea. Yet when they arrive the stone that had been placed by the authorities to seal the grave is gone. Such is their astonishment that Mary of Magdala runs to bring Peter and John to the scene, so that they too can witness this dilemma. The disciples find the grave clothes undisturbed, the napkin that had covered Jesus' head still lies there, but of Jesus there is no trace. Even though John deduces that somehow Jesus has been resurrected, he returns with Peter to their lodgings.
But Mary remains there, for how could one who loved Jesus so much leave the last place his physical body had rested? And as she weeps in her bleakness Jesus draws close to her, and she, blinded by tears, assumes him to be the gardener who tends that garden. It is not till he speaks her name that she turns and recognises him. Anguish gives way to amazement and loss is changed to joy. And while she would hold him close to her heart, he asks her not to hold him until he has ascended to God. Instead he commissions her to tell the disciples that he has conquered death, and will be returning to God. So Mary, who loves him so dearly, becomes the first witness expressly asked by Jesus to announce his resurrection.
Jesus continues to commission us, continues to invite us to testify that we too have seen him. How can we tell of him unless we know him personally? A learned discourse on the nature and person of Jesus will inspire very few to follow him, but the testimony of daily experiences of living with and loving Jesus evoke responses in what appear to be the most stony of all hearts. When we recall the words Jesus used to Simon Peter, that day they shared a meal of bread and fish on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias, we know the commission flowed on from that day until today and through eternity. Jesus asked of Peter three times, "Do you love me?", as if each occasion was an opportunity to erase one of the times Peter had denied Jesus the night of the arrest. Then Jesus invited Peter, by the love Peter felt for his Saviour, to devote his life to feeding all the sheep and lambs of God's flock.
Scripture details the search God has for those whose love is so great that they can be trusted to speak on behalf of God about the love God has for each of us. Isaiah 6:8 demonstrates this calling, "Then I heard the voice of God saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me.'" Jesus repeated this commission when he said to his disciples after his resurrection, "Just as the Father has sent me, so I am going to send you." Perhaps we need to reread the commission Jesus gave to his disciples, so we cannot mistake what he expects from us. To his twelve closest male disciples he gave this charge, "As you go proclaim that the dominion of Heaven has arrived. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure the lepers, drive out devils - give as you have received without any charge whatever."
As we celebrate the victory Jesus has proclaimed over death, let us quietly remember that to each of us has been given a commission that falls within the parameters of this charge. As we grow closer to Jesus and our love for him increases, we may hear God's voice calling as it did to Isaiah. Will we too answer as he did, "Here am I. Send me"? Jesus defined discipleship when he said, "I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was lonely and you made me welcome. I was naked and you clothed me. I was ill and you came and looked after me. I was in prison and you came to see me there." This Easter Sunday may Jesus transform our lives so in each interaction of serving one other we demonstrate that we are fully alive, and have been wonderfully redeemed by our loving God.
Prayer: Lord of life and death, we who seek to live fully ask that we may walk your path of love. When we answer your call, teach us to serve generously as we share your love. Amen.
In parting …
As we leave the disciples celebrating the wonderful news that Jesus has conquered death, let us remember that after Easter stretches an eternity of service.
For the disciples Easter Sunday marked a new phase in their lives, for the relationship they once enjoyed with Jesus was gone, and a new relationship was being birthed. We too experience this new relationship as we leave the events of Easter behind and set forth even further down life's pathway with Jesus. For fifty days after Easter the disciples met and discussed with each other, and with those who, hearing their story, now chose to join the company of believers, the full message Jesus had lived and preached during his three years of ministry. Jesus often appeared to them, greeting them by name, and answering their questions, spoken and unspoken. He demonstrated the love and forgiveness with which God would embrace each of us. Finally it was time for him to return to glory, and so he left their physical presence.
We have walked together with the larger company of disciples through the season of Lent, and have seen the impact of the Gospel on events in our own lives and the lives of those around us. Now Jesus calls us out to serve the needs of all our brothers and sisters, indeed of the whole planet. There are no maps for us to follow diligently, nor do we have a written list detailing our duties as a disciple of Jesus. Jesus alone is the light guiding our pathway, the hand that steadies our footsteps. In those private moments we spend daily in his presence, and during times we meet and worship as a community of believers, our knowledge of Jesus will increase, and we will share his passion for all those who have not experienced the love, hope, forgiveness and restitution God offers. We will become cupbearers for Christ, carrying the precious water of life that alone can quench the inner thirst in lives that hunger for God's presence. We will be lantern bearers, carrying in our lives and words the light of God's salvation. We will stop and wash the feet of many weary travellers, for we are servants of God, disciples of Christ.
I commend you, beloved disciple of Jesus, to the care of God. Shalom. Vera.
