Matthew 27:57-60

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

It is over. The stone was put into place.  The radical, constantly irritating, zealot was dead.  He is out of the way and for most out of mind.  Joseph of Arimathea did what he could to lend some sense of decency for Jesus’ body. He had become a disciple, a follower, a keeper of the flame.  Now the flame dimmed with the last sound of a stone moving into a cut groove of his own well prepared tomb.  The earth had swallowed up Joseph’s hopes, his devotion, his high expectations.  It was now done. Yet in that moment of stillness all the earth awaited the quiet victory of the stone moving once again. We wait, we darken our homes, our own flames dim.  But Sunday is coming.

John 18:3-11

So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.  Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”  “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.  Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.  Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

Good Friday, one of the most somber days in the Christian calendar, marks the day of Christ’s crucifixion. For the Hebrews, the Sabbath started Friday at sundown.  Leaving the second-floor apartment the motley crew followed Jesus to a small private garden to pray.  A place of seclusion, a place apart from all the noise and clamor of trumpets from the temple. Prayer of questions and acceptance brought peace to the heart of Jesus. The sweet serenity of the moment was broken by a small squad of Roman soldiers with torches and weapons.  Questions of “why” and “who” were accompanied with flashing swords and healed ears.  Peace interrupted. But not peace destroyed.  Jesus simply let go of this moment of peace and grabbed another. “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, Shall I not drink it.” Peace for me!

Matthew 26:26-29 A meal with friends pointing to a coming kingdom.

And while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said “Take, eat; this is my body.” And when he had taken a cup and given thinks, He gave it to them, saying “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Fathers kingdom.”

We all have an understanding of Good Friday the cross  and the big day Easter and the empty tomb, but what Maundy Thursday?  Today is the day to remember a single meal in a little upstairs flat filled to the walls with religious zealots.  It starts with washing of feet an example of humility and love. It included a proclamation of a new commandment: “to love one another.” And it came to a conclusion with a ceremony about forgiveness. It was finalized with a promise of a new kingdom.  A kingdom that included those who are humble, those who love, those who are forgiven.  A kingdom where the father is delighted to meet with us face to face.  A kingdom where we can laugh and behold his glory.

Matthew 26:14-16 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give to me to deliver Him up to you?” And they weighed out to him thirty pieces of silver.

Often, we focus on the crucifixion’s impact and horror this week.  Many in the faith practice a Wednesday of quiet introspection and self-examination. But here we see more than a quiet waiting for something bigger to happen. We discover the price the established religious hierarchy will pay to shut someone up.  The price to silence the voice that proclaimed the grace and mercy of God.  The price some would pay to muffle the voice which invited all that were thirsty to drink of the water that would never run dry.  The truly sad part of this account is Jesus being betrayed not by an enemy but a friend.  Is thirty pieces of silver worth your silence?

Matthew 21:23 When He had come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”

It is a question that has been posed for two thousand years.  By what authority did Jesus do all that He did? Was Jesus more than a teacher, or a magician, or a charismatic leader? Is Christianity from God or is it just another man-made religion?  These questions were more than innocent questions by religious leaders.  They were questions of the very center of belief in God.  Religious leaders ask.  Elders ask. Leaders ask.  You may well ask. Yet all their asking was because of unbelief. The very nature of their asking was unbelief.  It is their unbelief questioning an omnipotent and all powerful God. Their question was can God make a difference in the world.  Any acknowledgement of the authority of Jesus diminishes all others. The effort to accept God’s authority over all other, starts with the asking.  Let us not let unbelief and opinions of others to be our authority.  It is quite acceptable to ask, as long as you accept the answer that Jesus is Lord.

Matthew 21:12-13  And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.  And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of thieves”

Our intent is often lost in the bustle of the every day.  The temple, designed by God to be a place for all to find a place to pray, a place to be forgiven, a place to connect with God.  Yet, instead of prayer, forgiveness and connection, there was nothing but distraction.  Doves, sheep, coins, barter, signs of business attracted the penitent away from purpose. Jesus was not just overturning tables and whipping the merchants, he was overturning the entire religious establishment. This week must be more than bunny rabbits and chocolate eggs. The house of God must not be sold by the latest merchandise.  The church, the body of believers must hold the sacred of our lives and not be distracted.

The first day of Holy week is a celebration of the Messiah: God breaking into the usual. It is a day of palm branches and shouts of pure joy. The euphoria of the moment passed quickly.  Jesus had performed countless miracles, yet most did not believe in Him. If God performed miracles today as He did in the past, the result would be the same. People would be amazed and would believe in God for a short time. That faith would be shallow and would disappear the moment something unexpected or frightening occurred. A faith based on miracles is not a mature faith. God performed the greatest “God miracle” of all time in coming to earth as the Man Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins (Romans 5:8) so that we could be saved (John 3:16). God does perform miracles—many of them simply go unnoticed or are denied. However, we do not need more miracles. What we need is to believe in the miracle of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

The emptiness of the cross and the tomb are twofold visions of assurance.  Both proclaim God is more than an absent slum lord. I sit here and focus on the emptiness, and faith springs again in my heart. The terrible sight of Roman cruelty creates in me a confidence, an assurance of my ultimate destiny. An empty tomb gives me hope and a vital assurance.