Word to the Wise
Saturday, April 8, 2017 - 5th Week of Lent - Sat
[Ezek 37:21-28 and John 11:45-56]SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 2017. SATURDAY IN THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT [Ezekiel 37:21-28 and John 11:45-53] He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to father into one the dispersed Children of God. So from that day on they planned to kill him. [John] In the Gospel According to John, everything that happens "on the ground" takes place against a much broader background of interpretation. The narrator supplies that interpretation. The raising of Lazarus from the dead may have been the "last straw" for the Pharisees and other plotters, but what they are doing is shown to be part of a greater drama that plays out in the mission of Jesus as the one whom God has sent. So, Caiaphas, one of the plotting villains, becomes an unwitting interpreter of Jesus' fate. Every parent who has read a bedtime story to a child knows that the child is acquainted with every detail of the story and nothing may be left out! The story has an integrity that goes beyond the details. We who read the story of Holy Week every year can become a bit dulled to the details and actions. But every detail is important. Every character in the Gospel According to John has an assigned role in revealing Jesus as the one whom God has sent. The sordid plot of Jesus' enemies "on the ground" is part of the greater plan. The passion from the Gospel According to John is the one read every Good Friday. The other accounts appear earlier in Holy Week. Together they add to the picture. But the one from John is so powerful that it has pride of place. I urge the Beloved Congregation to read it in advance as if reading it to that attentive child. AMEN
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