Meditations on Holy Week
03/31/2018 ..
With palms raised and a shout of joy in their hearts, residents of Jerusalem welcomed Jesus into their city. On this first Palm Sunday, they were elated thinking Christ would release them from the torturous oppression of the Roman Empire. As Jesus approached the city, he wept over it. Such a difference in emotions! Jesus knew his death awaited him in Jerusalem; while the people pursued something more temporal – what would truly bring them peace was hidden from their eyes.
Holy week transitions us between the thrill of that procession into Jerusalem through the agonizing death of Jesus on the cross freeing us from our sins, then back to triumph as Christ is raised from the grave. This is a story of glory – one of relentless hope amid the relentless heartache found in these days. The days give us time to ask: Who am I before the Lord? Where is my heart and which character in the story am I most like?
Am I like the adoring crowds of Jerusalem who have the capacity to lift a joyous heart before God? Can I express my praise without hesitation?
The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law were conspiring to kill Jesus. Am I like one of them seeking to eradicate Jesus’ love because of my pride?
Judas, one of his disciples, pretended to love Jesus, yet Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss. Do I only pretend to love God? Am I a traitor to all Christ did for me?
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asks his disciples to stay close to him and pray. Yet, they did not fully understand the drama that encircled them, nor the suffering of Christ. Instead of praying, they fell asleep. Is your life asleep? Or is your prayer life so robust you would have remained awake during this darkest hour of treachery? Can I see the suffering that surrounds me and pray to the one who can alleviate it?
The same crowds who waved palm branches and welcomed Jesus into their city turned on Jesus, screaming for his death. Do I humiliate Christ when his plans are not the same as mine?
What about Pontius Pilate, who washed his hands as the crowds begged him to crucify Jesus? Do I do the same thing when I am faced with difficult situations? Do I assume responsibility for my actions? Or do I run from them?
As Christ walked through Jerusalem on the way to the cross, he grew weak. The soldiers asked Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross. Am I like Simon, showing kindness by taking up the cross Jesus gives to me?
When Christ hung on that cross, spanning the great divide between the holiness of God and the sin of man, the women who loved him stood nearby watching and weeping. They were faithful to the end. Do I have their courage – to stay faithful to him even when the world vilifies Christ? Can I suffer in silence with deep faith in my Lord when my life takes a dramatic turn for the worst?
When the limp, lifeless body of Christ was brought down from the cross, it was laid in a tomb. On Sunday morning, the women arrived at his burial place ready to anoint his body. Instead they found the heavy stone sealing the tomb was rolled away. Jesus was no longer in the grave, but had risen just as he promised. These women, who just a few days earlier, mourned his death would have the honor of announcing his Resurrection. Do I proclaim to the world the salvation that can be found by following Jesus?
Hope was restored on Easter when Christ conquered death and the grave. Each of us can bring that same hope to our world by serving and giving in just the same way Jesus modeled this to us. During this week, let us meditate on the perfect Lamb that who was slain for us. Let us repent for our sins and rise! Rise like he did that Easter morning to bring love, compassion and dignity to those around us, no matter how difficult the way of the cross is.