TUESDAY, April 7: In Matthew’s Gospel the story of Palm Sunday begins Chapter 21. There are five chapters of parables and teaching before we get to what is believed to be the activity of Tuesday. That is found in Matthew 26:1-13: Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
6 While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, 7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
8 When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. 9 “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
10 Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you,[a] but you will not always have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
From this passage we know that Jesus was aware of the time table in his life, not only of the great tradition of Passover Celebration, but also of his destiny with the cross. Is it not amazing how the great celebrations of faith are held in tension with the reality of our daily lives Do you recall that when the demands of the Egyptians upon the Hebrew slaves had reached the height of their cruelty and daily made their despair more intense, God sent a message to Moses to get the people ready for the greatest display of God’s glory that they had yet to see. While Moses had already appealed to Pharaoh multiple times and already each time a more disturbing plague has followed Pharaoh’s denial, the worse was yet to come – the plague of death for the first born of everything in Egypt. At this point, Moses lays out the plans to the Hebrew people for what would later be called Passover. A lamb would be slain and roasted and unleavened bread for prepared and the blood of the lamb painted over the doorpost of each house so that the faithful would be spared from the final plague. It was the final step before they would be allowed to leave Egypt. Later they were told that this meal of remembrance and celebration of God’s grace should be kept every year.
Today I heard a discussion on television between a Jewish Rabbi and Christian Bishop about what the religious observances of Passover and Holy Communion mean for the faithful during this pandemic virus, when we are told not to gather as the community of faith, not to hold hands or sit near others. Both the Jew and the Christian affirmed that the power of God connects us even without our touching one another physically and that God has a plan of rescue for us above all illness and sorrow!
Even while Jesus and his disciples were talking about Passover and beyond, the chief priests and the elders of the people were conferring with the high priest, Caiaphas, to figure out a sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him.
As a part of the schedule Jesus went to the house of Simon the Leper for dinner in Bethany. It is noted that since Jews were forbidden to eat with Lepers, that Simon probably had already been healed of leprosy and maybe by Jesus, so it was okay to be there. Lazarus, who had been raised from the dead, and his sisters, Martha and Mary are also at the meal. Women and men would have been separated from one another at the meal. While the men were at table, including Jesus, a woman, probably Mary, sister of Lazarus, broke open a box of very expensive perfume over the head of Jesus while he was reclined at the table. The various gospels tell us that the disciples or some who were there or even Judas alone protested this action as a waste of money.
I can think of many times in life when I have heard someone describe some action or deed as a waste of money: the cost of an elaborate party or wedding, flowers for a funeral, a vacation or even renovations to a house, while other people saw no problem with it.
Jesus rebukes those making derogatory remarks and says that she has done a beautiful thing. Have you given someone a gift or shown an active of kindness or made a comment that others mocked as been wasteful, goofy or foolish only to have the person you had sought to help or honor stand up for you and say that it was beautiful, appreciated or very special? That’s what Jesus did. Imagine the esteem it provided for Mary. Perhaps she wanted to honor Jesus’ friendship, or to say thank you for raising my brother to life or just do something that felt right in the depths of her soul.
This woman’s actions became a part of the gospel story and is repeated in memory of her actions, her deeds and her faith story. Just like Jesus said!
This Tuesday story reminds that our lives are often intertwined with lots of events and happenings. Usually there is not just one thing going on. In the midst of terrible things, there are also things of honor and glory.
When the UMYF’ers were sitting in the parsonage living room cutting wire and bending and shaping and counting to make sure enough were being made there were lots of different conversations about things going on in their lives, how challenging it was to bend the wire, asking if they could do something else, getting a snack or drink, slowing down and speeding up. Never could we have imagined at that time that our Holy Week observance would have one object we could all have in common – a simple wire cross.
(Refrain)
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.
1. Come, Christians, follow where the Master trod,
our King victorious, Christ the Son of God.
2. Led on their way by this triumphant sign,
the hosts of God in conquering ranks combine.
3. Each newborn servant of the Crucified
bears on the brow the seal of him who died.
4. O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree,
your death has brought us life eternally.
5. So shall our song of triumph ever be:
praise to the Crucified for victory!
Holy God, when we awaken to each new day, there often seem to be some many different directions for us to go in. Nothing is simple. There are always lots of things on our minds, but often there will be one experience, one conversation, one image that will characterize that day. For this season of Lent and Holy Week we thank you for our youth, for their gift and for our remembrance of the cross of Jesus Christ. Amen.