Tuesday of Holy Week
Last week Tuesday we saw that Jesus tells the Pharisees, “Where I am going you cannot come” (John 8: 21). The reading for today refers back to that exchange with the Pharisees. The Pharisees completely misunderstood Jesus’ words thinking that he was talking about suicide. But Jesus was making the point that they could not follow him where he is going, because they were focused on earthly rather than spiritual things.
In the gospel reading for today (from John 13) we see Jesus making the same statement to his disciples: “Where I am going you cannot follow me now.” Like the Pharisees, the disciples misunderstand Jesus’ words. They do not understand that he is referring to his passion and death. Peter goes so far as to challenge Jesus, asking “Master, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” But Jesus corrects him, saying that Peter will deny him three times before daybreak.
This story represents a crisis point in the life and ministry of Jesus and also a moment of truth for his disciples. It turns out that this is the end of his earthly ministry and the events that follow are all leading up to his passion and death. This is the disciples’ moment either to stand by him or to forsake him. Judas has already chosen to betray him. Peter thinks that he has chosen otherwise, but he still ends up denying Jesus.
Jesus knew that what he was about to experience was something that his disciples could not and would not follow him into, let alone understand—at least immediately. They simply were not ready. And yet he seems to know that the disciples will eventually come to understand and to follow him in the way of the cross. He knows that he has to prepare the way for them to be able to do what he is doing—namely to submit themselves to God’s will and to radically humble themselves for the sake of love.
Holy Week offers us the chance to meditate on Jesus’ suffering and death, and on the meaning of his life on earth. We look forward to celebrating his resurrection, but at this point in the time leading up to Easter we look forward to Jesus’ resurrection as something that has yet to occur. Through our Lenten meditations we have reflected on our own failures to follow Jesus. Yet, we have also been led through this meditation to recommit ourselves to following him. The difference between Jesus’ disciples and the Pharisees is that the disciples eventually ‘get it’ while the Pharisees did not. The disciples were receptive to Jesus’ teachings and eventually received from him the gift of the Spirit. So they needed help, but they eventually got there.
Realizing that this is only possible because he has already achieved victory over sin and death, let us pray that we will make progress in following Jesus this week. Let us be open to the ways that we can be changed by opening ourselves up to receiving God’s grace at this time. And let us not forget that our salvation is a gift from God.
- Joel Schickel