Word to the Wise
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - Tuesday of Holy Week
[Isaiah 49:1-6 and John 13:21-33, 36-38]"My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I told the Jews, 'Where I go you cannot come,' so now I say it to you." Simon Peter said to him, "Master, where are you going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later." Peter said to him, '"Master,why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." Jesus answered, "Will you lay down you life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times."
Today and tomorrow our pilgrimage will hesitate at the scene of the Last Supper under the guidance of the evangelists, John and Matthew. (Isaiah remains our "deep background" guide, supplying us with an Old Testament context for understanding the events which we are witnessing, namely that of the "songs of the Suffering Servant.") What we are witnessing at the Last Supper today and tomorrow is not the creation of the eucharist but the drama of betrayal. We are treated to two different accounts of Jesus' confrontation with his betrayer at supper. Today's account, from John, displays, as always, the hand of the dramatist and the use of dramatic irony. Just as we are ready to jump into the scene to confront Judas on our own, we realize that another betrayal is about to be revealed and it's one of the "true blue" guys - Peter! Suddenly our own idealism is challenged. Would we travel this road with Jesus to the end? Just as we congratulate ourselves on knowing that Judas is the "bad guy," we are warned that, like Peter, we're not going to be much better when the chips are down. When the disciples break and run from the Mount of Olives, are we going to panic and join them? And when we are questioned about our allegiance, will we deny we ever knew Jesus? By placing Judas and Peter almost side by side, the picture becomes more complex and in viewing the scene, our judgment of Judas is turned back on us by the revelation that one of our heroes will have "feet of clay!" Our pilgrimage becomes more sober and thoughtful in comparison with the excitement of Palm Sunday. Yet, we must continue in the realization that somehow WE are involved in these events and that what Jesus is doing is not just for those who followed him THEN. It's for us NOW! AMEN
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