Word to the Wise
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 - Holy Week - Tues
[Isa 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 your life for me? Amen, amen, I saw to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times."
The scene in the gospel today moves to the Last Supper table from the dinner table [yesterday] in Bethany, where Mary anointed the feet of Jesus and Judas protested. The scene in today's gospel features Judas and Simon. It is a scene of two betrayals! In the Gospel of John, Jesus always knows what is going on and in this scene, Jesus shows that he knows both Judas AND Peter will betray him, albeit in different ways. There is no outraged protest from Judas. He is going to follow through on his plan. His name will forever be synonymous with betrayal. But Peter's betrayal is a different matter.
When I was in grade school, during the Cold War years, our contemporary heroes in faith were those who professed the faith in the face of Community persecution! When we were confirmed, the theological emphasis was on the "church militant" and we were exhorted to be "soldiers for Christ" and to be ready to give our lives for the faith! Does that sound like Peter? You bet! I dare say we would not have been happy to hear from Jesus that no matter how well-intentioned our protests of loyalty and sacrifice, in the end we would fail to live up to them and "betray" him! And if we're honest, we have to look at all our relationships, especially the very close ones of parenthood, marriage, family, friendship, and ask ourselves just how "reliable" we are willing to be. In the case of Judas and Peter, does it make any difference to us that the motive is money [maybe more than that] in one case and cowardice in the other? How can we sit in judgment of either man?
Holy Week is not a pageant from the distant past. It confronts us on all sides with our own discipleship and weaknesses. Judas leaves after receiving the telltale morsel from Jesus. Peter stays but we know what is going to happen in the high priest's courtyard! Do we know what is going to happen when it's our turn? AMEN
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