Passion Week - Spy Wednesday

 

Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him. (Mark 14:10-11 ESV).

 

Wednesday finds Jesus at the apex of his unpopularity with the religious leaders of Jerusalem. In our reading today we see the betrayal of Judas begin to climax. At a house in Bethany, just a couple miles east of Jerusalem, Simon the leper was hosting a meal. Jesus, the disciples, and some others were reclining around the dinner table. And then she came. John 12:3 tells us that the woman was Mary the sister of Lazarus, even though Mark is content to leave her nameless (v. 3). The emphasis is on very costly in reference to the ointment Mary brought to anoint Jesus. In fact, it was actually worth a year’s worth of wages (vv. 4-5). The truth was more sinister than the extravagance of such a gift. Selling the ointment would give Judas a fresh stash of funds from which to draw (cf. John 12:6). Jesus rebuked the murmuring, much like he had the Sea of Galilee.

 

Here Mark shifts his narrative focus from Bethany back to the chief priests. Judas, found the religious leaders in their lair. Maybe he was seething from the shame he had received back at Simon’s house. Maybe his love for money had so muddied his thinking that he couldn’t get over the waste he had just seen. And not just waste, but waste that Jesus praised vv. 6,8). And so, Judas offered the chief priests the solution they had been waiting for: He would betray his master, but not without something in return. Mark simply records that the chief priests promised to give Judas money (v. 11). The word “promise” suggests that Judas wasn’t surprised by the offer. It appears that he had pressed the priests for payment (cf. Matthew 26:14-15). The drama of Mark 14 revolves around two characters, the woman and Judas and their opposing reactions to Jesus. But there is a third character, an antagonist both sinister and stealthy: money. Notice how quickly Judas and his fellow grumblers are able to appraise the value of the ointment at Simon’s house. Like veteran pawnbrokers, they could intuit at a glance how much something was worth. The nard had barely left the flask before they were calculating, “This ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii” (Mark 14:5).

 

And yet, the irony of Mark 14 is that Judas could see the value of the ointment, but he couldn’t see the value of Jesus. The woman, on the other hand, could see both the value of the ointment and the value of Jesus. That’s why she broke the flask. Spy Wednesday is a tragic reminder of the danger of the pursuit of money for money’s sake (cf. 1 Timothy 6:10). But Spy Wednesday is also full of hope, because it shows us that the beauty of Jesus can break the spell of financial gain. This is the woman’s message to us, a message that Jesus wanted us to hear again and again: “Truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her” (Mark 14:9).

 

Passion Week - Holy Tuesday

 

As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:20-25 ESV).

 

Tuesday of Passion Week is often simply called “Holy Tuesday. If the most accepted dates are correct, it is March 31^st, 33 AD. The disciples point to the withered fig tree that Jesus had cursed the day before. Jesus gives his disciples a simple lesson from it: Have faith in God. In particular, he says, if they have faith without doubting they can throw even the mountains into the sea. Perhaps if this was post Pentecost the disciples would have understood this saying better. Jesus was not teaching them they would possess some mystical power to curse fig trees or crumble mountains. There is something much bigger at stake than this. And, he closes the teaching with a lesson about forgiveness (v. 25). Jesus is teaching them that the greater miracles are built on their relationship to Him. Further, he is reminding them that this relationship will begin with forgiveness as well as continue with it. In short, failing to forgive looms as a bigger obstacle to answered prayer than a mountain. The disciples will soon face great challenges to their faith and their ability to forgive.

 

As they approach the Holy City, the events from the day before could not have been far from their minds. As Jesus enters the Temple Mount, crowds gather to hear him teach (Luke 21:38), and the chief priests, scribes, and elders waste no time in making their move. They will try to lay four traps to catch him in some unforgiveable heresy: first, they question His authority (cf. Mark 11:28); second, they question His loyalty (cf. Mark 12:13-17); third, they question Him about a controversial question about marriage in heaven (cf. Mark 12:18-27); and, fourth, they question Him about the commandments (cf. Mark 12:28-34). He turns the tables on them launching a lengthy, scathing critique of the scribes and Pharisees, pronouncing seven woes of judgment upon these “hypocrites” and “blind guides” (cf. Mark 12:38–40). If there was any doubt as to Jesus’ intentions, agenda, or goals, they are removed completely now. He has no desire to ally himself with the current leadership. He has come to overthrow their authority. There’s no way both sides can survive the escalating conflict.

 

With another tension-filled day behind them, Jesus and the disciples begin to head back to Bethany. They stop on the Mount of Olives to rest, giving them a wonderful view of

Jerusalem as the sun begins to set behind it in the west. The disciples marvel at the size and the grandeur of these impressive buildings, but Jesus tells them that a day is soon coming when not a single stone will be left upon another. He goes on to explain that his followers will experience increasing persecution and tribulation, leading up to the final Day of Judgment. Their task is to remain vigilant and persist in faith. Tuesday is now done. But Friday is coming. This is not the flannel-board Jesus some of us learned as children. This is the real, historical Jesus: fully in control as he responds with grace and truth to traps on all sides. He knows what he is doing. And he knows what is coming. Every word and every step is for the fame of his Father’s name and the salvation of those willing to pick up their cross and die with him. Our question today is the same as with those first disciples. Are we willing to have faith without doubting? The answer must be yes.

 

Passion Week - Holy Monday

 

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. (John 2:23-25 ESV).

 

Today is known as “Holy Monday” in the modern church. Remember that yesterday in Jesus’ last week of His earthly life, He made his Triumphal Entry into the Holy City, riding on a donkey over a royal “red carpet” of palm branches and cloaks, hailed by his disciples and the Galilean pilgrims as the messianic king. Monday would be different than Sunday. Our reading tells us he knew the heart of man; he knew the acclaim of the disciples and the crowd was built on a messiah of their own imagination. They were excited about a national savior who would overthrow the despised Romans. They had no categories for the idea that victory would come through experiencing, rather than inflicting, wrath and degrading shame.

 

This was not going to be a meek and mild Monday. Jesus was about to show them that judgment begins at home, with Israel. As they walked together over the rocky terrain of the Mount of Olives, Jesus spotted a fig tree off in the distance. From external appearances, it looked healthy, but on closer inspection, the tree was barren of fruit, with nothing on it but inedible leaves. The disciples could not have expected what Jesus did next. He called down a curse on the fig tree, declaring that it would never bear fruit again (cf. Matthew 21:18–19; Mark 11:12–14). Jesus will explain this visual parable the following day. But if the disciples were viewing the tree through spiritual eyes, they would remember that in the Old Testament, Israel was often referred to as a “fig tree” (Jeremiah 8:13; Hosea 9:10, 16; Joel 1:7). Judgment must begin at home.

 

They continued walking, the disciples undoubtedly unnerved by this unexpected behavior. But Jesus was just beginning. When Jesus entered the Temple Mount later that day, he was surrounded by pious Jews who had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover. Not only would they have to pay the Temple tax, but they would also have to purchase an unblemished sacrificial animal in the Court of the Gentiles. As Jesus looked at the moneychangers and merchants, a holy zeal and righteous indignation welled up within him. They were turning his Father’s house of prayer for the nations (cf. Isaiah 56:7) into a den of thieves to prey upon the poor Passover pilgrims and to pervert true worship (cf. Jeremiah 7:11). Jesus began overturning the tables and chairs of the moneychangers, throwing out the merchants and their scurrying customers, refusing entrance to any who carried goods for sale. From this point forward, there would be no turning back. It is an incredible example of the life we are called to live. Often I fear we shrink from the possibility that our faith might cause some inconvenience or loss of esteem from others. Today is a good day to reexamine our commitment.

 

Passion Week - Palm Sunday

 

And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:28-40 ESV).

 

I know I have quoted a larger passage of Scripture for our reading today; however, as we begin the last week before Easter Sunday, there is a larger story to tell. Today is Palm Sunday, the first of seven devotionals will center on this day of Passion Week. Sometimes Palm Sunday reminds me of a roller-coaster. There's always one point where you find yourself sitting at the very top of a steep incline from which you will then feel the car lurching forward toward a huge, deep drop. That's Palm Sunday. You know that any moment now you'll be heading for the ground at a terrifying speed, but right now, at the top of the world, the view is amazing.

It must have been like that for Jesus. He knew perfectly well what was to come. There would the cleansing of the temple, the Last Supper, the betrayal, Gethsemane, arrest, trial, torture, and death. But for just a short time, He was looking at a tiny preview of the way it will be at the end of the world when humanity is set free and celebrating. John sees it like this: "A great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" (Revelation 7:9b-10)

This was the purpose of His Incarnation. He came to this world to turn wretched, shivering slaves of sin into the free, joyful people of God. And Palm Sunday was a foretaste of the joy that would be. No wonder He said, "If these (people) were silent, the very stones would cry out!" (v. 40). Palm Sunday is a time for joy, because our Savior has come and is setting us free! Today, intentionally look forward to that day… refuse to allow the circumstances of your life rob you of this great hope already secured by His death and resurrection!