Monday of Holy Week
Today, being Monday of Holy Week, we are anticipating the special liturgies, praying and reflecting on what we have done through these weeks of Lent, and begin preparing for Easter Sunday celebrations with family and friends. While I was reading and reflecting upon today’s Scriptures, I felt like I was looking through the wide angle lens of a camera—they present a much bigger picture than what we may tend to focus on during Holy Week. There are times when we encounter Christ in Scripture and we can experience what may be an amazing glimpse of the ‘big picture’ and it brings everything together in a way only God is capable of doing.
The first reading from Isaiah is a wonderful example of this. I hope you read the full text of this passage, but here is an excerpt:
“Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Upon whom I have put my Spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations, To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.”
These short verses bring into sharp focus, not only what God’s plan for the universe is through Jesus, but they also outline the heart of discipleship. It sets before us God’s basic mission through Jesus that we, as followers of Jesus, are privileged to take part in. The ancient and timeless nature of these verses serve to remind us of the eternal significance of Jesus’ life and mission. It serves to remind us that, although we are approaching a climactic series of events, marked by rejection, suffering, and death, the totality of God’s plan in Christ transcends the constraints of time or specific events or even our own human capacity to comprehend Jesus. The ultimate meaning of JESUS cannot be expressed in one event nor confined to a few days of remembrance. The ‘big picture’ will forever be too big for us to comprehend in this life.
The passage from John’s Gospel brings us to Bethany where Jesus is sharing one of his last meals with Martha, Mary, and Lazarus as his entry into Jerusalem draws near. Even this close to his passion and death, Jesus is focused on living each moment of his mission as it comes—accepting and defending the tender anointing of Mary, reprimanding Judas, and welcoming new followers. Jesus always lived in the ‘big picture’. Jesus knew his time was approaching and was aware of what was necessary to fulfill his Father’s will. Still, Jesus was present to the moment with his friends and, notwithstanding his reference to impending events, Jesus keeps in mind the ‘big picture’, staying present to exactly what is placed before him. Jesus knows that what is inevitable is only part of God’s plan.
This week, as we make our way through the mystery of how our salvation is accomplished by Jesus, may we try and keep the ‘big picture’ in mind. During these next days, may we truly embrace the mysteries—the pain, suffering, humiliation, and death—placed before us. As well, may we keep in mind the mission, how Jesus lived that mission to the very last days of his life. Jesus always lived mindful of the ‘big picture’. By God’s infinite grace, may we live in conscious awareness of this ‘big picture’ and live our lives accordingly.
--Gail Lyman