I Spy
Holy Week is full of funny words describing each day. For example, today is called “Spy Wednesday.” Why Spy Wednesday, you may ask? Well, tradition holds that it was on Wednesday of that Passover week that Judas went, like a spy, and made the deal with the chief priests to betray Jesus. Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday, sometimes mistakenly called “Monday Thursday.” Maundy comes from the Latin “mandatum,” which we more readily recognize as the source of the English word “mandate.” This is because of the new mandate, or new commandment, that Christ gave his disciples at the Last Supper to love one another as he had loved them. That commandment to love was given in the context of Jesus having just lowered himself to wash their feet.
Good Friday rounds out the week, and people often ask, “What’s good about being crucified?” Well, from Jesus’ perspective, I suppose very little, except that in this ultimate act, He fulfilled ultimate obedience to the Father, and that is more than good, it’s great. From our perspective, however, it’s easy to see that Jesus’ Crucifixion is the only thing that could provide atonement for the guilt of our sin, release from the power of our sin, and deliverance from the shame of our sin. It is the best day in human history because it is the day around which all of history pivots. On Good Friday, we observe our Tenebrae service, which means a service of “shadows.” As we journey through the Gospel account of the last 24 hours of Jesus’ earthly life, the shadows slowly overtake the light as one by one the candles are extinguished. We leave in silence and darkness to enter the tomb with Jesus on Holy Saturday, so that on Easter Morning the light of the Resurrection shines all the brighter.
Living these rhythms, throughout the Christian Calendar and especially in these intense times like Holy Week, helps us to embody the story of Christ in our lives. And that’s exactly what we have been talking about throughout Lent, in our “For the Body” series. Christian Faith is more than a set of beliefs, more than ritual practices; it is the continuation of Christ’s Incarnation as we, Christ’s body, the church, are filled by His Holy Spirit. This is what it means for us to live with Eternal Purpose in our Everyday Lives. These funny words and these re-enactments of the story help us to connect the rhythm of our living to that of Christ, and as we abide with Him, our lives begin to be reshaped in His image.