The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!

 

 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat of the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as he had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."

 

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

 

- Mark 14:12–26 

 

Yesterday we read that after two days (following Jesus' prophesy of the "end times" to the disciples) it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."  And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."   Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

 

  Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat of the Passover?"  The synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) date the Crucifixion to the first day of Passover.  But St. John's Gospel dates it to Preparation Day, the day before Passover.  So this Passover meal is the occasion of the Last Supper here in St. Mark's Gospel.  In St. John's Gospel, Jesus dies at the exact time they killed the Passover lamb.  My study Bible comments that, while it is impossible to determine which is historically accurate, both traditions are theologically accurate -- the Mystical Supper which Jesus initiates in today's reading is the fulfillment of the Passover meal (synoptic tradition), and Christ's death is the fulfillment of the Passover lambs being slain (St. John's tradition).  

 

 And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as he had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  These two disciples are identified in St. Luke's Gospel as Peter and John (Luke 22:8).  Let us note once again, as in Christ's instructions for preparation for His entrance into Jerusalem (see this reading) Jesus gives very particular and explicit directions to the disciples for this preparation for the Passover Supper.  

 

  In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish."   My study Bible comments that here Christ emphasizes both that His betrayer is one of the twelve and also that he is one who dips with Me in the dish not so much to identify who the person is, as to emphasize the level of betrayal.  He indicates that this was one of His closest friends (see Psalm 55:13-18).  That he "dips with Me in the dish" indicates a communion that will be betrayed and broken. 

 

 "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."  My study Bible notes that divine foreknowledge of the betrayal does not take away Judas' moral freedom or his accountability for his act.  For God, it says, all things are a present reality; God foresees all human actions, but does not cause them.  

 

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."   The Greek word meaning to give thanks has at its root the word ευχαριστω/eucharisto.  Eucharist (or, in Greek, ευχαριστια/euxaristia) immediately came to refer to both the Liturgy and also the sacrament of Holy Communion, as explained by my study Bible.  It refers us to the Didache, a teaching manuscript written before the end of the first century, in which we find the celebration of the Liturgy referred to as "the Eucharist."  In 150 Ad, St. Justin says of Holy Communion, "This food we call 'Eucharist,' of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing [holy baptism] for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ commanded us."  Jesus says, "This is My body."  In the Orthodox Church, my study Bible says, these words have always been accepted as true.  According to St. Justin, "that the word of prayer which comes from Him is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus."  

 

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.   This hymn is a psalm from a group of psalms which were traditionally sung after the Passover meal (Psalms 116-118).

 

My study Bible says that Christ puts emphasis on the depth of betrayal by Judas toward Christ.  First of all, we may approach this subject by understanding what my study Bible says about Judas' responsibility for his act.  Divine foreknowledge does not erase his accountability or his moral freedom in choosing to betray Christ.  Of course we know Jesus' words regarding the consequences of such an act: "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."   We need to consider betrayal and what it means, exactly.  Betrayal is a type of ultimate lie, for what has been presented as the truth to a person or a group of persons -- within this communion of the disciples, imaged in Jesus' phrase, "one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish" -- is betrayed to all of them.  To violate a trust goes perhaps more deeply into our understanding of faith than we might usually consider, for in the Greek of the Gospels, the very word translated as faith or belief has as its root the word for "trust" (πιστις/pistis).  As "trust" relates to truth, we need to consider the betrayal of Christ as a kind of great lie, as is the betrayal of any friendship or depth of relationship that we know.  Somehow that trust is twisted by the lie of betrayal, and it is a denial of that relationship.  So the destruction of right-relationship, or righteousness, is a break in the goodness God asks of us, and gives us in the power to love.  In the Revelation we read, "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie" (Revelation 22:14-15).  That "whoever loves and practices a lie" gives us a sense of the spiritual impact of betrayal, in that it turns a relationship of trust into a lie.  Perhaps we could say that, building upon that understanding, the betrayal of Christ, who is not only a Friend and Teacher in this context, but our Creator and Lord and author of all goodness.  And, as we know that God is love (1 John 4:8), Judas' act of betrayal is a betrayal not only of divinity and goodness, but of pure love itself.  Therefore the "woe" that Jesus pronounces on the betrayer is one of those profound condemnations reserved only for those in such a category (see also Matthew 23).  Let us, in response even today, seek God's love as our basis for how we live our lives and forge our relationships, and continue as disciples in the trust of the Communion He gives us.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover

 

 And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him. 

 

 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.  

 

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you  carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.  Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

 

- Luke 21:37-22:13 

 

Yesterday we read that, following His prophesies of destruction to come in Jerusalem, and of the end of the age, Jesus spoke to the disciples a parable:  "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.  When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.  For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

 

  And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.   During this Passover season, in the final week of Christ's earthly life, He lives as another pilgrim to Jerusalem, staying on the mountain called Olivet.  The setting is here for what will happen.  We note His popularity as all the people come gladly to the temple to hear Him.   

 

  Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  My study Bible comments that the Passover (Greek Πασχα/Pascha) is the celebration of the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt and the deliverance of God's people from bondage (Exodus 12 - 14).  In remembrance of this, an unblemished lamb was slaughtered, and the Jews would partake of it with unleavened bread, as was eaten at the first Passover.  My study Bible says this is a prefiguration of Christ's Passion, in which the only-begotten Son of God is slain in order to deliver His people from their bondage to sin and death, and then is raised to lead them into the eternal Kingdom.  So, therefore, Pascha is the primary term by which the Orthodox and many others refer to the death and Resurrection of Christ, known in the West as Easter.  Note also how this passage explains that the religious leaders (the chief priests and scribes) fear the people due to Christ's popularity among them.

 

 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.  My study Bible explains that Satan does not enter person except by that person's consent.  The reason Satan chose Judas, it says, and none of the others, is because Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, and the others did not.  Luke's mention of Judas as numbered among the twelve gives an emphasis to the depth of the betrayal and shows that religious position is worthless if not accompanied by faith and virtue.  Once again, there is an emphasis on the popularity of Jesus.  His betrayal and seizure must happen in the absence of the multitude.  

 

 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you  carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.  Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.  Once again, my study Bible notes the use of the term Pascha, or Passover.  It notes that this word can refer to the original event itself, or the celebration of that event, or the food that is eaten, or even the lamb that is slain.  According to patristic commentary, Peter represents zeal and John represents spiritual understanding, the virtues with which we all are to partake of the Lord's Supper.    We note again, as we did with the disciples preparations for Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the careful and deliberate preparations for this meal Jesus gives to the disciples.  

 

As today is celebrated the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist in many Christian denominations across the world, it is perhaps fitting for us to consider the Baptist's testimony to Christ, and the role he played in Christ's ministry, for this reading involving the preparations for the Passover Supper, and the celebration of the Passover in Jerusalem at this last week of Christ's earthly human life.   It was John the Baptist who proclaimed, in introducing his own disciples to Jesus, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  In other words, John's role as a prophet is fulfilled in this prophesy of Christ as the Passover Lamb, who will be slain on the Cross, and in so doing, take away the sin of the world.  The Passover lamb was an offering in commemoration of God's liberation and freedom from slavery for the people of God; that is, Israel.  As St. Paul writes, "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7).  In the first Passover, all those with the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorpost of their homes were freed to become Israel, the people of God.  Christ is our Passover Lamb whose blood unites us into one people, and liberates us from slavery to sin.  For as our Passover Lamb, with His voluntary sacrifice, He will be the One who judges, the One who sets free, the One with the power to forgive sins, so that we may dwell in Him and in His name.  Moreover, in the tradition of the Orthodox Church, St. John the Baptist also preceded Christ into hades, and preached His coming to the souls there, where, after He was slain and before His Resurrection, He would trample on the power of the devil and death, another essential aspect of liberation in His role as Passover Lamb.  This is the power of our Passover Lamb who unites us into one people and gives us freedom.  In the Revelation, St. John the Theologian (the same St. John who was Christ's disciple, and gave us one Gospel and three Epistles) writes of a Lamb standing, as if slain, in the midst of the throne of heaven (see Revelation 5:6).  This is a clear reference to Christ our Passover, triumphant and in authority over the cosmos.  Christ is our Passover, not because He had to "pay" a debt, but because He takes His place as the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8) for our liberation, for His authority to forgive sins and free us from the devil and death.  Ultimately the Cross is the great sign of victory for precisely this reason, for the power of the devil is debt and slavery to sin, and Christ is the One who holds all of it in His hand and has the power to forgive and to set free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it

 

 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  

 

In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

 

- Mark 14:12–26 

 

Yesterday we read that after two days (following Christ's prophecy of the destruction of the temple  and discourse on the end times), it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."  And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.   

 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"   And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.   These two disciples are Peter and John (Luke 22:8).  My study Bible notes that the synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) date the Crucifixion to the first day of Passover, while John puts it on this day, the Preparation Day (the day before Passover), on which they killed the Passover lamb (John 19:14).  Therefore in the synoptic tradition, the Last Supper is the Passover meal, while in John's Gospel, Jesus, the Lamb of God (John 1:29), dies at the exact time the Passover lambs are being slain in the temple.  It's impossible to determine which is historically accurate, but both are theologically accurate.  The Mystical Supper is the fulfillment of the Passover meal (in the synoptic Gospels), and Christ's death is the fulfillment of the Passover lambs being slain (John's Gospel).

In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish."  Jesus emphasizes both that His betrayer is one of the twelve and also that he is one who dips with Me in the dish.  My study Bible remarks that this is not so much to identify the person as an emphasis on the level of betrayal involved here -- that this was one of His closest friends (Psalm 55:13-15).

 

"The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."  My study Bible comments that divine foreknowledge of the betrayal doesn't take away Judas' moral freedom, nor does it take away his accountability.  For God, all things are a present reality:  God foresees all human actions, but does not cause them.  

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  To give thanks has at its root the Greek word eucharist.  This word immediately came to refer to both the Liturgy and the sacrament of Holy Communion.  My study Bible reminds us that the Didache -- written before the end of the first century -- refers to the celebration of the Liturgy as "the Eucharist."  In 150 AD, St. Justin said of Holy Communion, "This food we call 'Eucharist,' of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing [holy baptism] for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ commanded us."  Christ says, "This is My body," which the Orthodox Church has always accepted as true, "that the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from Him is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus" (St. Justin).

 

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  My study Bible tells us that this hymn is a psalm from a group of psalms traditionally sung after the Passover meal (Psalms 113-118).

As Christ is surely on His way to His Crucifixion, He extends the final great gift to His flock, and to the Church.  He gives us the gift of the Eucharist.  Surely I am not going to be the most eloquent writer among all those, sainted and not, who have written and taught us about the significance of the Eucharist and all that it gives us -- nor among those to come.  But today it strikes me that this final parting gift (in addition, of course, to His Passion to come) is something we must never underestimate in its lasting impact and gifts to us.  We must understand the Eucharist as much more than simply a memorial or a way of remembering Christ and His Passion.  We must understand it as the first Christians understood it and as instituted right from the beginning in the Church.  It is inseparable from mystery in the fullest theological sense and in the context of the Church itself and its varied Mysteries.  A mystery in this sense is a kind of a door to the mystical Kingdom of Christ.  Here, His literal reference to His Body and Blood is also inseparable, it seems to me, from what it means to be part of the fullness of the Body of Christ, the entire mystical Church, and to be united within that communion, which is also the communion of saints.  To take the Eucharist is a way of affirming that we enter into participation in Christ's Body as fully as possible -- and the fullness of this is an ongoing mystery.  It is something into which we enter as a lifelong process of faith and its work within us.  And let us not forget that through Christ, we are also in the presence of the Father and the Holy Spirit, for where One is, there is also the Trinity.  In short, in the Eucharist, Christ is offering us the gift of Himself, even as He goes to His Cross and His physical death as a human being.  In the Eucharist, He makes it explicitly clear this it is the very icon of His Incarnation, and as my study Bible indicates, His words, "This is My body" and "This is My blood" were from the beginning understood as solemnly true.  We may not understand at all how this happens, but it was from the beginning accepted as simply a mystery that could not be explained in worldly terms.  For the Orthodox Church, it has always remained so, and scholastic explanations were never a part of doctrine.   Whatever we understand about the Eucharist and its deep and enduring mystery, we understand that we are invited into Christ's Incarnational life, and that the Eucharist gives us Christ Himself, both fully human and fully God.  In our taking of the Eucharist, one way it is understood is as medicine.  Just as God became human in order to heal our brokenness, so the Eucharist is a kind of medicine for what ails us; we seek a deeper union with God in all ways possible:  through prayer, through worship, through the practices of the Church available to us, and through the Church's Mysteries.  In it, Christ offers His fullness for our own lives and we must consider, in my perspective, the fullness of the varieties of levels -- both known and unknown -- on which this might be at work within us.  What do we need help with?  Do we have a spiritual problem?  Do we have an emotional problem?  Do we have problems with relationships?  Do we need help finding God's way forward for us?  All of these and more questions are addressed and may be answered in the giving of this gift for which we give thanks, identically as we give thanks for the gift of His life, the Incarnation itself.  Let us not underestimate the extent of the gift with which He leaves us -- for the value of the gift is determined by the Giver, Whose sight is infinite and Whose horizon is so inexpressibly far from our own.  These immeasurable measurements also extend to the depths of who we are which only God knows, and to the full trajectory of our lives of which God only knows the fullness.  Let us be truly thankful for the gift whose value is so far beyond our capacity to calculate for ourselves.

Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve

 

 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude. 

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.  Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

 

- Luke 22:1–13 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given an excerpt from John's Gospel, which told us the story of the woman caught in adultery.  During the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, staying with many of the other pilgrims to Jerusalem for the feast.  Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.  Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery.  And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned.  But what do You say?"  This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.  But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.  So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.  And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?"  She said, "No one, Lord."  And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."   

 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  My study bible explains that the Passover (in Greek, Pascha) is the celebration of the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt and the deliverance of God's people from bondage (Exodus 12 - 14).  In remembrance of this, an unblemished lamb was slaughtered and eaten with unleavened bread.  This prefigures the Passion of Christ, in which the only-begotten Son of God is slain in order to deliver God's people from their bondage to sin and death, and then is raised to lead them into the eternal Kiingdom.  Therefore, "Pascha" is the primary term by which the Eastern Church refers to the death and Resurrection of Christ, known in the West as Easter.  

Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.   My study bible comments here that Satan does not enter a person except by that person's consent.  The reason that Satan chose Judas, and none of the others, is that Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, and the others did not.  Luke mentions Judas as numbered among the twelve in order to emphasize the depth of betrayal.  It also teaches us that religious position isn't worth anything unless it is accompanied by faith and virtue.

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.  Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.   My study bible elaborates that the term Passover (or Pascha in the Greek) can refer to the original event itself, the celebration of that event, the food that is eaten, or the lamb that is slain.  According to patristic commentary on this passage, Peter represents zeal while John represents spiritual understanding, the two virtues with which we are to partake of the Lord's supper.  

What do we think of the Gospel's report that Satan entered into Judas?  My study bible sums up the traditional patristic understanding of the Church, that this doesn't happen without at least some form of consent on the part of the person so afflicted.  It says that Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, and the others did not.  We don't really know why, although John's Gospel tells us that Judas used to steal from the treasury of the ministry, as he kept the money box.  In fact, John tells us this in the reporting of the anointing of Jesus' feet by Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus, as it was Judas who criticized her for this lavish act of love (see John 12:1-8).  Perhaps it was Jesus' open rebuke of Judas on that occasion that influenced Judas' decision to betray Christ.  Perhaps it was a wounded sense of pride that made him vulnerable and left him open with a "place in his heart" for Satan.  If that is so, then once again, as in yesterday's reading and commentary, today's passage brings us again to the importance -- even the absolute necessity -- of humility as a virtue in the ministry and discipleship of Christ.  A wounded pride is quite easy to come by, especially if we are made to feel humiliated before others, most notably those whom we consider to be our peers.  We can put ourselves in Judas' place on that occasion, and imagine a perhaps somewhat quick-tempered and slightly immature personality, one used to a certain measure of honor or status, given a public rebuke by Jesus -- and in favor of a woman like Mary.  John also reports three times that Judas was the son of Simon, first in John 6:71, then notably in telling the story of Mary's anointing of Jesus in John 12, and finally in John 13:26.    In Matthew 26, the anointing of Jesus' feet by an unnamed woman takes place in Bethany, at the home of "Simon the leper," and the betrayal by Judas immediately follows (Matthew 26:6-16).  Putting these texts together, we might make a possible case for this rebuke to have happened in Judas' father's home.  In Luke chapter 7, Jesus dines in the home of a Pharisee named Simon, at which a similar anointing by a notorious sinful woman takes place (Luke 7:36-51).  All of these stories may easily be separate, having notably different aspects to them.  Nonetheless, even without the verification of which Simon might possibly be the father of Judas mentioned by John (or even if he appears in the Gospels), a good case is made for the fact that Judas suffered an open rebuke from Jesus, and so it is possible to infer a lesson for us all.  The Book of Proverbs is full of sayings about the value of a rebuke made in love.  Proverbs 1:23 commands: "Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you."  In other words, those who respond positively to a rebuke of the Lord are fit vessels for God's wisdom and grace.  Psalm 141:5 proclaims:  "Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness.  And let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it."  Proverbs 3:12 tells us, "For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights."  In Revelation 3:19, the Lord declares, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent."  It's tough to accept a rebuke.  It's even tougher when that rebuke comes in front of others who are your peers.  In Judas' case, that would be the other disciples among whom he perhaps counted on a certain amount of authority regarding money matters (as "he had the money box," as John 12:6 tells us).  Especially after Judas' open criticism, Jesus' rebuke comes as a direct rebuttal, not only to Judas' statement about the waste of money, but also that he should leave the woman alone as she has done something good for Christ.  We can just imagine the public embarrassment, and the kind of character it really takes to be a good disciple, to accept correction, especially where our own vulnerabilities are concerned.  Today many of us seem to live in a world where correction seems sometimes forbidden, or to diminish someone else's standing in front of others seems a threat so hurtful that competition itself of any traditional sort becomes problematic.  In yesterday's commentary, we remarked on the harmful and hurtful nature of false accusation, open condemnation and vilification of those who err, and especially when we forget we are just as liable to need forgiveness for sin as the next person.  But in today's reading, we get another point of view that adds another facet to a teaching on humility.  It is not simply humility which might help us bear the brunt of an injustice or falsehood or harmful public disparaging, but even more importantly, it is humility that helps us benefit properly from a just rebuke made by a loving teacher.  Humility is the indispensable virtue that allows us to know a rebuke made in love by the Lord, whether that comes in the form of a stumbling block or any type of circumstance where we learn a lesson -- and more about ourselves -- by possibly falling flat on our faces, one way and another.  In a time, once again, when social media magnifies both a false pride and an over disparaging criticism or ridicule, we must consider the currently underestimated virtue of humility and how necessary it is to a Biblical perspective on our faith and discipleship.  I don't think it's fair to say that, at least in accordance with what we can read from the Gospels, humility might have prevented that vulnerable place in Judas' heart from being open to Satan.  It might have helped him to acknowledge that the rebuke from Christ was made by One who loved him.  It possibly may have allowed him to correct himself and his attitude.  And if he truly made the remark from greed, and because he was a thief, it opened the door for correction -- but his heart responded in a way to push him down a road of terrible destruction.  This is really a lesson for us all, as it illustrates something found repeatedly in the early teachings of the disciples, quite notably in what is called the Didache, the earliest teaching document of the Church, attributed to the disciples of Christ.  The Didache emphasizes the "two ways" we can choose:  the way of life and the way of death.  We can read this teaching also in Jesus' words, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).  Judas illustrates for us the importance of understanding that our choices are important, and most especially the ways in which we are capable of responding to a rebuke made in love, especially when we find ourselves in humiliating circumstances.  We need to have the humility it takes to give us the capacity to ask ourselves what God might be teaching us, and to accept a lesson we may need to learn in order to change to go forward on the road to life.  A refusal can so easily take us down the opposite road, even with consequences of great destruction to others and to ourselves.  Let us remember that a rebuke may indeed be a good and necessary thing, for none of us is without need of correction.  It is important to find a way to turn to our loving Lord to discern how best to respond, lest we give room the one who only destroys.

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat"

 And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.  Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"  Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

- Luke 21:37-22:13

Yesterday, we read that Jesus gave a parable, after warning His disciples about the destruction that was to come to Jerusalem in future, and also about the time of His second coming:  "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.  When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.  For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."  And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.

 And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.  This is Jesus' practice during this Holy Week, in which pilgrims arrive and all prepare for the Passover.  Staying on Mt. Olivet was common practice for pilgrims to Jerusalem, and Jesus -- although welcomed as Messiah by His followers -- stays with them.  We note how all the people come to Him in the temple to hear Him.

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  The Passover is the celebration of the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt and the deliverance of God's people from bondage, my study bible reminds us (see Exodus 12-14).  In commemoration, the practice was to slaughter an unblemished lamb and partake of it with unleavened bread -- such as the bread which was taken by the Jews as they fled Egypt in haste (see Deuteronomy 16:3).  My study bible notes for us that this prefigures the Passion of Christ, in which the only-begotten Son of God is slain in order to deliver His people from their bondage to sin and death, then is raised to lead them into the eternal Kingdom.  Therefore, in the Greek, Pascha (from a transliteration of the Aramaic word for Passover) is the primary term used to refer to the death and Resurrection of Christ, known in the West as Easter.  Passover can refer to the original event itself, the celebration of that event, the food that is eaten, or the lamb that is slain. 

And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.  Satan, my study bible says, does not enter a man except by the man's consent.  The reason Satan chose Judas and none of the others is that Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, while the others did not.  Luke tells us that Judas was numbered among the twelve, so that we understand the depth of the betrayal.  It shows us that religion position is worthless if it is not accompanied by faith and virtue, says my study bible.  In a kind of affirmation of Christ's words criticizing the scribes (given in Luke at the end of chapter 20), we understand that nominal members of the Church are not exempt from all of His warnings about position and hypocrisy and the true state of the heart.

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.  Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"  Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.  We see the careful preparations taken for Passover, even directions given in minute detail by Christ for what Peter and John are to do.  All is prearranged and known by Christ.  It tells us of the deliberate nature of what is going to happen, even in the humble and ordinary images of the instructions:  a man carrying a pitcher of water, a furnished upper room, the Teacher.  According to traditional interpretation, Peter represents zeal and John represents spiritual understanding, the virtues with which we are called to partake of the Lord's Supper, the Eucharist.

The themes of Passover seem to overlap and reflect upon one another in today's reading.  We can think of the Jews fleeing Egypt, with God's help, in complete haste:  hence, the commemoration with unleavened bread.  There is a message here of taking action when God demands and asks of us to go, having no time even to wait for bread to rise, for yeast to take its effects.  To be "unleavened" is also symbolic for purity in the Scriptures.   Jesus uses the word negatively when He says to His disciples, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees" (see Luke 12:1-3).  Contrary to this more prevalent use of leaven in a negative sense of impurity, Jesus uses it positively in the parable of the Leaven, in which a woman mixes it with meal until it is all leavened (Luke 13:20-21), giving us a different type of purity, illustrating the mysterious transforming action and working of the Kingdom.   This parable is found coupled with that of the Mustard Seed, also an illustration of the possibilities of growth in the action of the Kingdom.  As tradition tells us, Christ Himself is our Passover, the unblemished One who will be slain in His own work and mission to liberate us.  The story of the unleavened bread speaks to us of themes Christ has emphasized of not looking back, of keeping our minds focused where they need to be (see yesterday's reading, above), and we may even see it reflected in the specific directions given to Peter and John, their following the Teacher to the letter in their instructions.   The story of the unleavened bread also teaches us that we are sojourners in the world, but in search of the kingdom of God (again, bringing us to the parable of the leaven that permeates the whole of the meal).  Christ offers that Kingdom to us in a particular way, our liberation being one of transcendence, mystery, a working of the holy in our world -- both within us and among us.  He stays with the pilgrims in Jerusalem.  Although welcomed and hailed as king and Messiah in the Triumphal Entry, He remains a sojourner, without a place to rest His head.  And His departure from Jerusalem, His "exodus" as the Greek text has referred to it in the Transfiguration, will also be swift, at the proper time, "His hour" when it comes.  Even in the way Jesus has spoken (again, in yesterday's reading, above)  of our own distractions and forgetfulness being a sort of a trap as we await His second coming has ramifications in the story of the unleavened bread.  Our very alertness and wakefulness to the things of God are what our own liberation and freedom depend upon.  If we forget that we are sojourners, that we are meant to travel light, so to speak, then how may we, too, respond when called?  How are we to know what hour it is, and what we're to be about?  All of these themes are present and intermingle, as Christ makes arrangements for His last supper with the disciples, and for "His hour" in Jerusalem, which He's called the time of His glory.  St. Paul sums up all of these themes when he tells us, "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us"  (1 Corinthians 5:7).   The time of the Cross will be a time of sacrifice, but also of liberation and freedom and redemption for all of us, showing the way.  This is the glory to which we are all called, in which we follow Him.  

Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me

 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

- Mark 14:1-11

"Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.  Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning -- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.  And what I say to you, I say to all:  Watch!"

 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."  My study bible explains that the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins with the Passover meal on the evening of 15 Nisan (on the Jewish calendar) and lasts seven days (Exodus 12:12-20).  These two feasts together commemorate Israel's liberation from slavery in Egypt.  The word Passover is used in connection with the "passing over" of Hebrew homes by the angel of death when killing the firstborn of the Egyptians, because the Jews had put lamb's blood on their doorposts (Exodus 12:13).  Unleavened bread as the tradition reminds all of the haste with which the Hebrews left Egypt (Exodus 12:39).  My study bible adds that this Passover was fulfilled in Christ, the Lamb whose blood was shed to free humanity from bondage to sin and death.

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."   My study bible says that Simon the leper must have been healed earlier by Jesus, because lepers were forbidden to live in towns.   It explains that because of her fervent faith, Jesus promises perpetual public memory of this woman who anointed Him for His burial.  There is no traditional consensus of opinion on her identity -- there are similar events reported in Matthew 26:6-13, Luke 7:36-38, and John 12:1-8.  Some commentators say there were three different women in the four accounts, but others say there were only two.

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.   A note tells us that Judas seeks on his own initiative to betray Jesus.  While his motives have been debated, traditional commentary tends to agree that greed was the primary motive.  It is the opinion given in John 12:4-6, where it is stated that Judas was upset by the "waste" of myrrh in the story of the woman with the alabaster flask because he was a thief.  The fact that Judas was one of the Twelve serves as emphasis on the great depth of betrayal here.  Interestingly, one of the Greek texts calls Judas the son of Simon in this passage in John.  Perhaps we might speculate that the betrayal is linked to a rebuke given inside of his family home. 

This story appears in all four Gospels, in one form and another.  As stated above,  the identity of the woman is debated in each story, and how many separate events are really incorporated here.  In John's Gospel, she's certainly identified with Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus and Martha.  But the really powerful story is of the love that is expressed, and a kind of split in the way in which we might think of things.  Its great importance to the whole of the New Testament is noted simply because of the accounts that appear in all four Gospels.  My study bible notes that John Chrysostom says that the disciples aren't necessarily all wrong in their criticism -- he says that mercy shown to the poor is more fitting than outward signs shown even to God (Matthew 25:40, James 1:27).  But once the gift was given, it was a greater mercy to accept it with love.  Had Christ known of it in advance, says St. Chrysostom, He surely would have directed her otherwise.  But once the gift was given, the only thing to do was to look to the gift itself.  What good would be a rebuke?  The same could be said of  a gift made to a Church of a beautiful ornament.  While the point is well-taken, I think there's something more here.  It's linked to the passage in which Jesus stated that it was harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.  When Jesus teaches him to sell all he has and give it to the poor, it's not an instruction specifically for the poor, it's an instruction given specifically to the rich man for a particular reason.  It teaches us that nothing should keep us back from the fullness of love for God (like attachment to our possessions).  What we can see in this story of the anointing is the depth of simple and straightforward love in the heart of the woman for Christ.  Love trumps everything.  One commentary (Pulpit Commentary) refers to this act (in John's Gospel) as one of "royal self-forgetting love."  The loosening of a woman's hair would have been an act of a depth of humility before Christ, and those at this very public dinner.  What Jesus praises is not the gift, but the depth of love involved.  It's a true gift of anointing for burial, an act of grief and love, like the closest family member, a statement of His central importance to her.  He goes to her defense, really, against all of His disciples; it's not only Judas who criticizes.  His statement about her is a kind of grace we associate with Christ's love for each of us, in His knowledge of our own hearts.  We note Jesus' statement that "she has done what she could."  We are almost at the Cross, and the theme here is given again:  formal observance of the commandments is not enough, there's a deeper level in which faith rests that He seeks.  It rests in love, and it's in the name of this kind of love expressed by this woman that true kindness to the poor is an extension of the love we have for God.  Let us keep in mind that "poor" applies to any kind of poor in any situation; the poor are also "the least of these," the ones with less clout or currency, or even importance, just as she herself may be "poor" among the disciples and the others at dinner here in today's reading, and it is Christ who comes to her defense.  Do we doubt that such a deeply loving heart would deny any help to the poor (particularly in the name of Christ), or lack in kindness and compassion?  Let us remember the power of love and its transcendent power to trump all things.  It's this kind of love that is linked to the fact that with God all things are possible.  In another way, this woman exemplifies what Jesus taught to the lawyer who asked, "Who is my neighbor?"  This is an active love, one that doesn't wait for others to love first or with a motive for gain.  Her anointing of Christ is like a symbolic anointing of grace, imitating God, loving as He has loved us.

Take, eat; this is My body

 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared, there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover. 

In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 

- Mark 14:12-26

In yesterday's reading, we note that Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He has just finished telling His disciples the prophecy of the destruction of the temple, and of the end of the age and His return.  After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."  And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.
 
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb,  His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  My study bible tells us that this first day of Unleavened Bread is 14 Nisan, "when the Passover lambs were ritually slaughtered at noontime.  Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread actually begin after sunset on that same day, which is then 15 Nisan, because the Jewish calendar counts days from sunset to sunset."

And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him."  My study bible explains, "The deity of Christ again shows through.  Jesus knows they will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water, and He knows how that man will respond."  As on the other important occasion of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Jesus makes arrangements which His disciples carry out, to the last detail.

"Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'   Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared, there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  As with the colt in the story of the Triumphal Entry, my study bible tells us, "so with the upper room.  Jesus is not presumptuous in the use of the room.  It was a gift to the man to have the Son of God use it and thus forever set it apart as holy.  Whatever gifts God asks of us today are similarly sanctified."

In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."   My study bible points out:  "Jesus says this not in deprecation of this man, His own creation, but in deprecation of that man's choice and rashness.  For it was the rashness of Judas's own will that made the Creator's gift of goodness useless to him.  Divine foreknowledge of the betrayal takes away neither Judas's moral freedom nor his accountability.  For God all things are a present reality; He foresees all human actions, but does not cause them."

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."    And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.   This Passover meal, we recognize, constitutes the first Eucharist.  As my study bible puts it, this is "the heart of Christian worship, which celebrates the New Covenant and sacramental union with Christ.  By uttering the solemn words this is My body and this is My blood, Jesus clearly refers to the bread and wine He offers to His disciples as His own body and blood.  . . . The body denotes the totality of man.  On behalf of all mankind, Christ offers Himself in the totality of His Person."  When Jesus says that His blood is shed for many, He is using a Semitic expression, a way of saying "for all."  As my study bible puts it, "for an innumerable people."  Regarding the hymn sung, it also notes that "a hymn means a psalm from a group of psalms (Psalms 115-118) traditionally sung after the Passover meal.  A detailed prophecy of the Crucifixion is found in Psalm 22:1-21.  Psalm 22:22, as quoted from the Septuagint in Hebrews 2:12, reads, 'I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.'  On the night of the arrest, Jesus sang praise to God 'in the midst of the assembly.'"

My study bible also points out that for the Eastern Church, the truth of Jesus' words, "This is My body" and "This is My blood," has always been affirmed, "no more and no less, but without scrutinizing or theorizing about this great mystery of faith."  There is an emphasis here, therefore, not only on union, but on the totality of the human person being given the totality of the Person of God, Christ.  If we look at the Eucharist this way, without measuring or asserting assumptions or premises, then what we really have here is a total Gift.  (Hence the essential and important meaning of the word, Eucharist, which means to give thanks.)  The other word we use for the Eucharist is Communion, also emphasizing this Gift of union of total person and total Person.  There is nothing being held back here, and also in the depth of this union, nothing is held back.  Somehow -- a great mystery we really can't explain nor fathom -- Christ gives us His body and blood to become a part of us, as food.  This is what we're offered, a kind of totality we really can't know all the dimensions of in our lives, but which we can feel and know through relationship to Him, through the care of the Father and through the Holy Spirit.  Another important dimension of this Eucharist is the depth to which we may rely on Christ.  Sometimes in life we will experience the falling away of many things, the undependability of wealth (Jesus calls this the deceitfulness of riches in explaining the parable of the Sower), false friends and even family relations, as well as corrupt or imperfect institutions of all kinds.  We may find a great stripping away in life, an emptying in our faith journey, of things we can no longer rely on -- especially assumptions we have made about ourselves and about life that the world has taught to us.  But what we have as replacement is this goal of union, this place where Christ fills us when we are empty, and teaches us to rely on Him.  The great gift we're given is no less than God, the Christ, who teaches us that He is our refuge and our strength, our daily bread, our food.  Ultimately, when life is disappointing, the place where we turn to be filled with better things is Christ.   His gift of Himself is in this Eucharist, this sacrifice, this new covenant which He not only makes as His human person, but in the whole of the relationship that is possible through the Holy Spirit.  It is this action that constitutes what the Orthodox call theosis, a life-long process of union.  In actuality, it is a gradual and constant process of repentance, of change of mind, of emptying in order to be filled.  When life disappoints us, it seems that the real message of the Eucharist, this great Gift, is that we must seek His Way to be filled and to go forward.  We may rely on Him, and this is the difference between stumbling in the dark, and having something that lights our way on sure ground.  Every day, we may be given challenges to meet in our life.  But every day becomes an opportunity for reliance on Him, on our true daily bread, to show us the way, to fill the empty spaces that once held something we thought was precious and wasn't, to show us the better way.  "I am the light of the world," He said.  His gift of Himself is the gift of light that shines in our darkness.

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover

 And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.  Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

- Luke 21:37-Luke 22:13

In the recent readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He has made His Triumphal Entry, cleansed the temple, and faced the challenges of the leadership.  He has also returned a few challenges of His own.  He speaks to the leadership, His disciples, and also the public.  (See readings from last Saturday,  Monday,  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday).   In Friday's reading, Jesus began to speak about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, and how they are to endure what is to come, and on Saturday we read His teachings on both the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age, when He will return.  In yesterday's reading, He spoke to them a parable:  "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.  When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.   So, you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.  For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

 And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.  My study bible tells us:  "Olivet is the Mount of Olives, a hill on the east side of Jerusalem where pilgrims stayed when the city was overcrowded during festivals such as the Passover."

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.   My study bible says that these two feasts were distinct but largely overlapping -- so they could be identified as one.

And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.  My study bible notes:  "That the religious leaders feared the people means the populace at large favored charismatic figures such as Jesus.  Therefore, there is need for treachery, night arrest, and quick trial."

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. A note tells us that "the Passover lambs were ritually slaughtered about noon on the first Day of Unleavened Bread, roasted in the afternoon, and eaten that evening -- marking the beginning of the Passover Festival.  Unleavened bread was eaten in remembrance of the urgent Exodus from Egypt, in which there was not time for the bread to rise."

And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.  Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.  This scene given us in Luke reminds us of the earlier similar teachings of Jesus, in which two of His disciples were told where they would find a donkey's colt for Him to ride on, as He made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. 

There are many elements in today's reading that we might call "elemental" to the Gospels, as they are hints of phenomena that surface again and again, giving us glimmers and reminders of events in common.  There's the prescience of Jesus on display again, as noted above.  First, before His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, He told two disciples they would meet a man who would give them the colt for Him to ride upon into Jerusalem.  Today, there's the particular exactitude again of the particular phrase they are to say to the man they will meet, and the particular room to make ready for the Passover.  These elements mirror and reflect one another, and they cause us to reflect.  Somehow the events and their exactitude, their precise elements described and foretold by Jesus give us a hint about what is happening here, and especially their importance.  We don't often see this side of Jesus, but it does occur and it teaches us something about Him, as well.  It's another quality of His holiness, although not used as often in His public ministry as powers of healing, or feeding, and casting out demons, and teaching; it's something shared with His apostles who are "sent" on these specific missions.  There's another familiar element in Luke and that is the fear of the leadership for the people.  Tellingly, Luke doesn't really give us a reason why Judas goes to the authorities, except to say that there is a spiritual battle going on here.  His betrayal of Christ is meant to teach us something about that -- and Luke's Gospel has just told us of Jesus' warnings of future betrayals and persecutions to His followers.  And there is His daily teaching of the people, who flock to hear Him, and His exchanges with the leadership.  He stays with the pilgrims on Olivet, a sojourner in Jerusalem.  The Passover teaches us something, the Feast of Unleavened Bread reminding us of Exodus.  Jesus will be our Passover Lamb, our sacrifice in His voluntary mission to us, and remains so for us today.  His "Exodus"  is imminent and will come at the end of this Passion Week.  ("Exodus" is the word used in Greek as He discussed what was to happen in Jerusalem with Elijah and Moses at the Transfiguration).  All of these various elements happen in a repeated pattern, so that we are reminded, we remember, and we reflect.  Over and over again, we get glimmerings of spiritual truths for our understanding, so that we understand what Jesus is about, what His holiness means, what He offers us, and His fulfillment of the spiritual history of Israel, as well as His example to us all.  The familiarity of elements teaches us what holiness is, and serves as a model for the future.  He cares for His disciples.  He takes care of every need appropriate to His duties, including making sure the Passover is properly cared for, the place where they are to meet all arranged.  The elements are set for what is necessary and what is to come, and especially the Last Supper at which He will introduce yet another remembrance and repetition from His ministry, something central (and truly "elemental" in a most phenomenal way) which we are told to repeat in the fullness of what is to come, which we will read about in tomorrow's lectionary reading.  The elements mix and tumble, even as elements in our own lives mix and tumble, of good and bad, high and low, exaltation and betrayal.  But Jesus is the pivot, the Teacher, the One around whom all things revolve.  What does His remembrance teach you today?