Holy Saturday

Today is Holy Saturday, the day in which Jesus Christ’s body was resting in the tomb. 

Scripture reading:

            When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

            The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.  (Matthew 27:57-66)

Collect of the Day:

O God, creator of heaven and earth, grant that as the crucified body of Your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with Him the coming of the third day, and rise with Him to newness of life, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Sermon for Good Friday - Isa 52:13-53:12

                                                                                                Good Friday

                                                                                                Isa 52:13-53:12

                                                                                                4/10/20

            “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  This is a saying that apparently goes back to the 1860’s when it first appeared in George Eliot’s novel, The Mill on the Floss. We know this expression means that appearances can be deceiving.  You can’t make an evaluation purely based on how things look.  Instead, one must dig deeper into the substance of the matter in order to arrive at an accurate assessment.

            Our text from Isaiah chapters 52 and 53 makes this point and emphasizes it in a dramatic way.  It begins by telling us about the Servant as it says, “Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.”  This is not the first time that Isaiah has spoken about the Servant, and the more he does, the more puzzled we become about his identity.

            At first, the Servant is clearly the nation of Israel.  In chapter 41 the prophet writes, “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, "You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off"; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

            Yet then in chapter 42 Isaiah turns around and speaks about the Servant in a way that makes us wonder – in a way that suggests that perhaps the Servant is an individual.  He writes, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.”

            And then in chapter 49 the prophet makes us wonder even more as he states, “And now the LORD says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him-- for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength-- he says: ‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’”

            It sounds like perhaps the Servant is not Israel, since he is going to help rescue Israel, and even be a light for the nations so that Yahweh’s salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.  The Servant sounds like a big deal, and we certainly get that impression in the first verse of our text as Isaiah says, “Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.”

            But then, suddenly it doesn’t appear so.  For Isaiah goes on to state, “As many were astonished at you-- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind-- so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.”

            We learn that the Servant’s appearance is astonishing, because it is marred. And then Isaiah continues by sharing some shocking details He says, “Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

            This Servant is compared to a root out of dry ground.  He is one who has no form, majesty or beauty that we should want to look at him and desire him. Instead, we learn that he is a man of sorrows and grief.  He is despised and there is no reason to think anything of him.

            So who is the Servant?  It’s confusing.  He is Israel, but he also seems to be an individual.  The Spirit is upon him, yet He is despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.

            The clues for the answer to the question have already been given to us by the lectionary during the seasons of Christmas and Epiphany.  On the Second Sunday of Christmas we learned in the Gospel reading from Matthew that an angel warned Joseph to take the child Jesus and his mother to Egypt in order to escape Herod the Great’s murderous plans.  Then Matthew tells us, “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’”  This verse from the prophet Hosea spoke about the nation of Israel which was called God’s son.  Yet we learn that like all the kings descended from David, Jesus the Son of David is also God’s son.  He is “Israel reduced to one.” He is Israel, and faithfully fulfills what Israel was supposed to be.

            And at the Baptism of our Lord during the season of Epiphany, we heard God the Father speak words based on Isaiah 42 as he said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”  Jesus submitted to a baptism of repentance, even though as the holy Son of God he had no sin.  God the Father identified Jesus as the Servant of the Lord – the Servant who came to take the place of sinners.

            “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  The prophet has just said, “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”  Isaiah says that we esteemed him not because he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

            But then comes the shocker!  Yes, the Servant has sorrows and grief.  But they are not his own. Instead the prophet reveals, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”  When we have been looking at the Servant, we have really been looking at ourselves!  Well, to be more accurate, we have been looking at everything that is wrong about us in God’s eyes. The prophet adds, “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”

            Jesus Christ was identified as the Servant of the Lord at his baptism.  There he submitted to a baptism of repentance in order to take our place.  He took our transgressions and iniquities – he took our sins as his own in order to receive God’s wrath and punishment against that sin.

            We do indeed have many transgressions and iniquities.  We have all kinds of sin.  Isaiah confesses in our text, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”  In thought, word, and deed we wander from God’s ways.  We choose to do things our way because it seems easier and better for us.

            Yet this amounts to thumbing our nose at the almighty Creator of the universe. Sin is not merely the breaking of abstract rules. Sin is always sin against God. And the holy and just God punishes sinners who sin. They receive his judgment and wrath. They receive his damnation.

            Left to ourselves, this is the outcome that face all of us.  But on Good Friday, God sent his Son to die on the cross.  Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, Jesus Christ lived as true God and true man in order to suffer and die for us.  As Isaiah has said, “But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”

            God did this to Jesus Christ as he hung on the cross in order to give us forgiveness and salvation. Isaiah goes on to say, “Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”  Our text describes Jesus as a guilt offering that was offered for our sin.

            And then Isaiah goes on to add: “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.”  Jesus hung on the cross bearing out sins.  He, the righteous One who had no sin, received the punishment that our sin deserved.  And because he has done this we are now accounted righteous before God. We are justified. This is the status that we already possess now.  It is the status that will be declared on the Last Day when we appear before the judgment seat of Christ.  As St. Paul told the Romans, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

            Good Friday is about the suffering and death of Jesus Christ for us.  At 9:00 a.m. Jesus was nailed to the cross bearing our sin.  At 3:00 p.m. he died.  Before sun down, he was buried in a tomb. Yet while our text focuses on Jesus’ sacrificial death for us, its structure indicates that this is not the end. 

            The first verse of our text states: “Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.”  The last verse that brackets this section then adds: “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

            We learn that death was not the final word for the Servant of the Lord - Jesus Christ.  Instead, the cross led to exaltation for our Lord. It led to his role of intercessor on our behalf. Yet as Jesus had already told the disciples, that had to wait for the third day, or as we will see, for the first day of the new week.

        

           

             

 

  

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday, the day we remember Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for our sins.  Our Lord was on the cross from 9:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m., and from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. there was darkness over the land.  Tonight the Second Service of the Triduum will take place. The Triduum consists of the services that run over the course of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.   In the Triduum we pass through the three days of Christ’s Passover and remember that through Holy Baptism we have shared in Christ’s saving death and will also share in His resurrection on the Last Day. Tonight’s service focuses on the suffering and death of our Lord on the cross.  The Gospel lesson for Good Friday is the Passion of our Lord according to St. John (John 18:1-19:42).

Scripture reading:

            When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

            So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

            Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

            The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

            Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

            Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor's headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

            So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

            After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

            Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

            From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

            So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

            When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

            “They divided my garments among them,

                        and for my clothing they cast lots.”

            So the soldiers did these things, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

            After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

            Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

            After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. (John 18:1-19:42)

Collect of the Day:

Almighty God, graciously behold this Your family for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed and delivered into the hands of sinful men to suffer death upon the cross; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, on God, now and forever.

Sermon for Maundy Thursday - Jn 13:1-15

                                                                                                Maundy Thursday

                                                                                                Jn 13:1-15

                                                                                                4/9/20

            Well this is the weirdest Maundy Thursday we have ever experienced.  Our celebration of Maundy Thursday focuses on the last supper that Jesus shared with his disciples.  The central event of this meal was Jesus’ institution of the Sacrament of the Altar.  And so the service on Maundy Thursday repeatedly focuses our attention on the Sacrament.

            You heard it in the language of the Service of Corporate Confession and Absolution which spoke about the Sacrament again and again.  You heard it in the Collect of the Day which said, “O Lord, in this wondrous Sacrament You have left us a remembrance of Your passion. Grant that we may so receive the sacred mystery of Your body and blood that the fruits of Your redemption may continually be manifest in us.”  You heard it in the Hymn of the Day that we just sang, “O Lord we Praise Thee,” which is about the Sacrament of the Altar.

            Everywhere you look in the service tonight, you hear about the Sacrament of the Altar.  However, when you look at the altar, you don’t see any communion vessels.  You don’t see any bread or wine.  Instead, the altar is bare.

            And the reason for this is that tonight we aren’t celebrating the Sacrament. We aren’t, because none of you who are seeing this via the internet can be here to receive the true body and blood of Jesus. It isn’t possible for the congregation to come together to receive the Sacrament of Unity. And so we are not going to have a private Sacrament that only the Surburg family receives because their dad is the pastor. You can’t be here, so we won’t celebrate the Sacrament at Good Shepherd until we can gather here again.

            So on this evening when we are not celebrating the Sacrament, the Gospel lesson is in fact an especially appropriate text.  It is because the account of the last supper in John’s Gospel doesn’t even mention our Lord’s institution of the Sacrament. This is a unique feature of John’s Gospel, since the other three Gospels all include an account.

            It is generally believed that the Gospel of John was the last Gospel written.  John writes with the assumption that his reader already knows the basic details of Jesus’ life and ministry.  He does not feel compelled to tell us the same things all over again.  And so instead he is free to bring out other aspects that had not already received attention.

            Our text begins by saying:  “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”  John tells us that Jesus’ “hour” had come. This term “hour” has recurred throughout the Gospel.  On several occasions Jesus’ opponents want to seize him, but they are unable to because, we are told, “his our had not yet come.”

            But things had changed in the previous chapter after Jesus had entered into Jerusalem at the time of the Passover.  Our Lord said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”  Jesus’ reference to death makes it clear that his hour is about Jesus dying as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This was the reason the Son of God had entered in to the world.  As our Lord went on to say, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.”

            As we saw during our mid-week Lent sermons, in John’s Gospel Jesus speaks about his ministry as a whole – a single movement down in death and burial, and then back up in resurrection and ascension. And so our text describes the hour as the time for Jesus to depart out of this world, and return to the Father.

            He does this, we are told, “having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”  Our text describes the disciples as “his own who were in the world.”  The exact same description is true for you.  On the way to the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus said, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” Through the word of the Gospel and through baptism Jesus has called us out of the world.  We belong to him.  Yet we are his who are still in the world.  As Jesus prayed to the Father, “And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”

            We are told that Jesus “loved them to the end.”  Certainly Jesus had loved the disciples to this, the end of his earthly ministry. But more than that, it means that Jesus loved them completely – he loved them all the way. And so next, our Lord did something in order to demonstrate this for the disciples.

             We learn that during the supper Jesus rose and laid aside his outer garments, and took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

            It was a shocking action.  Wearing sandals and walking on dirt paths and roads in the dry climate of Palestine left people with dusty, grimy feet.  When people arrived at a house, part of the hospitality provided was the washing of the feet.  However this menial and demeaning work was the task of a slave.  It was not something you expected a person who was your equal to do, and certainly not something you would ever expect your superior to do for you.

            Peter recognized the incongruity of the action and when Jesus came to him asked, “Lord, do you wash my feet?  But Jesus replied, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”  Like so much else with Jesus, it was only later, after his death and resurrection, that the disciples would truly understand the meaning of what Jesus had done. 

            When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer garments he resumed his place and said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

            Jesus was indeed their Teacher and Lord.  Yet he had washed their feet.  In this humble act of service he had provided an image of what he was about to do for them … and for us.  Jesus washed their feet knowing what awaited him later that evening in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He knew the arrest, trial, torture and crucifixion that was about to happen.  Our Lord knew that he was about to serve us by offering himself as the sacrifice for our sin.  Jesus, the sinless One, was about to suffer and die in order to rescue all who were slaves of sin.

            Jesus has served us in this way.  He had told Nicodemus, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”  Jesus was lifted up on the cross in death, and then on Easter he was lifted up from death in the resurrection.  Now, as those who believe in him, we have eternal life.

            In our text Jesus says, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”  Our Lord, of course, does not mean that we are supposed to go around whipping off the shoes and socks of other people so that we can wash their feet.  If anyone tried to do that me, I would react to it as a violation of my personal space and would have to resist the urge to shove them to the ground.

            Instead this action from the culture of first century Palestine teaches us that we are to provide humble service to others, just as Jesus Christ has for us by his saving death. We are to put the needs of others before ourselves, just as Jesus did for us.  This does not come naturally.  It is not the way of the world that is always focused on me, myself, and I.  It is only those who have been born again of water and the Spirit who can find in Jesus the reason that we now seek to act this way.

            Today is known as Maundy Thursday, a name derived from what Jesus said about this topic later in the chapter.  There he said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” The Latin word for “commandment” is mandatum, and this gave rise to the name “Maundy.”

            Our Lord says that we are to love one another as he has loved us.  This is love that serves others as we put their needs ahead of our own.  This is love that is willing to sacrifice in order to help those God has put in our life.

            Just after our text Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”  The servant is not greater than the Master.  Jesus has shown us how to live, not simply by washing the disciples’ feet, but by the action to which this pointed forward - by giving himself as the sacrifice for us on the cross. 

            Our Lord has shown us this love and given us eternal life.  Because of this, we now respond, and seek to follow our Lord’s example by loving and serving others.  As Jesus would say later that evening as he began his journey to the cross, “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”

           

             

Maundy Thursday

Today is Maundy Thursday.  The season of Lent concludes, and tonight the First Service of the Triduum takes place at 7:00 p.m. The Triduum consists of the services on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.   In the Triduum we pass through the three days of Christ’s Passover and remember that through Holy Baptism we have shared in Christ’s saving death and will also share in His resurrection on the Last Day. Tonight’s service focuses on the events of the Last Supper in general, and specifically on the institution of the Sacrament of the Altar in which Christ gives us His very body and blood to eat and drink.

Scripture reading:

            Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

            When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. (John 13:1-15)

Collect of the Day:

O Lord, in this wondrous Sacrament You have left us a remembrance of Your passion. Grant that we may so receive the sacred mystery of Your body and blood that the fruits of Your redemption may continually be manifested in us; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Wednesday in Holy Week

Today is Wednesday in Holy Week as we prepare to observe our Lord’s death and resurrection for us.  The season of Lent will conclude tomorrow on Maundy Thursday as the Triduum begins – the services that run over the course of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday.  On Wednesday in Holy Week, the Gospel reading is the Passion of Our Lord according to St. Luke (Luke 22:1-23:56).

Scripture reading:

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.

            Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

            Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

            And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

            A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

            “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

            “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”

            And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

            And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

            While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

            Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

            Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.

            When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”

            Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”

            When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

            Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. I will therefore punish and release him.”

            But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”—a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.

            And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

            Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

            One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

            It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

            Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.

            On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

           

Collect of the Day:

Merciful and everlasting God, You did not spare Your only Son but delivered Him up for us all to bear our sins on the cross. Grant that our hearts may be so fixed with steadfast faith in Him that we fear not the power of sin, death, and the devil; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.