Isaiah 50.4-9; Psalm 68; Matthew 26.14-25
‘Spy Wednesday’ this day is traditionally called, a day in which darkness and danger are palpable. ‘Where shall we go to prepare?’ the disciples asked Jesus, and the question is pertinent to us as well. To follow Jesus on the way of the Cross in the coming days will demand reservoirs filled with strength.
We follow not as observers of a play but as participants, as sharers. [Philippians 3.10] We find ourselves in the midst of a fickle crowd, acclaiming Jesus one day and the next demanding his death. We are the Pharisees and Scribes and Sadducees, zealous to protect our interests and wellbeing. Ours is the cravenness of Pontius Pilate, the narcissism of Herod. And when all the disciples desert Jesus and run away [Matthew 26.56] we gallop as fast as any of them.
‘Not I, Rabbi, surely?’ Judas slickly inquires. But I did is written across the pages of the Passion Gospel. And our confession makes possible our forgiveness, our healing, our restoration. Our reservoirs are re-filled with the strength we need to bear our own crosses and follow Christ.