Word to the Wise
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - Wednesday of Holy Week
[Isaiah 50:4-9a;; Psalm 69; Matthew 26:14-25]I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. (Isaiah) Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak, I looked for sympathy, but there was none; for consolers, not one could I find. Rather they put gall in my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
A good pilgrimage involves not only the particular scene(s) to be visited but knowledgeable guides and occasional hymns and speakers who can give background information. Isaiah and David the Psalmist provide the background and the music for our Holy Week pilgrimage. In composing the gospels, the evangelists brought together the various resources that the community relied on in telling the story of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. Since Jesus was seen as the fulfillment of God's promises as given in the scriptures (the Old Testament), the community relied on those scriptures to understand what happened to Jesus. Isaiah's "Songs of the Suffering Servant" and Psalms 69 (quoted above) and 22 ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!") are examples of the scriptures that helped the community. We on the pilgrimage need only look at the excerpts quoted above to see why. They are eerily descriptive of what we know about Jesus' passion! Torture and abandonment are among the primary feelings invoked as we witness and participate. Jesus' Passion does not begin with his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemani. He suffered insult and rejection long before then. However, the betrayal by Judas and the subsequent abandonment by his disciples amount to a terrible loss. Isaiah and David remind us that the events of Holy Week have been a long time coming and we shouldn't be surprised at what happens. Neither should we close our eyes and ears. There is much yet to experience. Perhaps we will meet that "certain man" who provides the room for the Last Supper or hear the jingle of the 30 pieces of silver in Judas' purse.........AMEN
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