Good Friday Readings & Commentaries

We glory in your cross, O Lord , , , for by virtue of your cross, joy has come into the whole world.

1^st Reading:  Isaiah 52:13—53:12

This long passage is the fourth of the Servant Songs of Second Isaiah (the others are 42:1-4, 49:1-6, and 50:4-9). This final song, by far the longest of the four, is often called “The Song of the Man of Sorrows.” In each of the songs the servant is not identified.  Typical of Jewish interpretations are to see in the figure of the servant the nation itself.  Christians have taken these songs to be prophecies of the Messiah, thus the servant is Jesus. This fourth of the songs is a proclamation of the servant’s victory, but it is a victory through suffering, not only his own suffering but his suffering with others and on their behalf.  It is a primary text for understanding the salvation of sinful human kind as having been achieved by the substitution of an innocent as the sacrifice required for sin.  It should be emphasized that this is not the only way of understanding how the atonement works in the scriptures.

^52:13 See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. ¹⁴ Just as there were many who were astonished at him—so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals—¹⁵ so he shall startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. ^53:1 Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? ² For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. ³ He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. ⁴ Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. ⁸ By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. ⁹ They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. ¹⁰ Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. ¹¹ Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. ¹² Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Psalm 22

Psalm 22 is one of the psalms of lament.  It is a personal cry from one who feels abandoned, which is made very clear in vv. 1-2.  The writer then reminds God of his history of faithfulness (vv. 3-5).  But the writer’s plight is great.  He or she has become a mockery (vv. 6-8).  The psalm continues with this back and forth of complaint and the desire for trust.  At the end a certain level of hope has been reached.  This psalm has long been associated with Holy Week, and Good Friday in particular because of its first verse being the cry of Jesus from the cross in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew.

1     My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? *

                  and are so far from my cry

                  and from the words of my distress?

2     O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; *

                  by night as well, but I find no rest.

3     Yet you are the Holy One, *

                  enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

4     Our forefathers put their trust in you; *

                  they trusted, and you delivered them.

5     They cried out to you and were delivered; *

                  they trusted in you and were not put to shame.

6     But as for me, I am a worm and no man, *

                  scorned by all and despised by the people.

7     All who see me laugh me to scorn; *

                  they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,

8     “He trusted in the Lord; let him deliver him; *

                  let him rescue him, if he delights in him.”

9     Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, *

                  and kept me safe upon my mother’s breast.

10   I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; *

                  you were my God when I was still in my mother’s womb.

11   Be not far from me, for trouble is near, *

                  and there is none to help.

12   Many young bulls encircle me; *

                  strong bulls of Bashan surround me.

13   They open wide their jaws at me, *

                  like a ravening and a roaring lion.

14   I am poured out like water;

       all my bones are out of joint; *

                  my heart within my breast is melting wax.

15   My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd;

       my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; *

                  and you have laid me in the dust of the grave.

16   Packs of dogs close me in,

       and gangs of evildoers circle around me; *

                  they pierce my hands and my feet;

                  I can count all my bones.

17   They stare and gloat over me; *

                  they divide my garments among them;

                  they cast lots for my clothing.

18   Be not far away, O Lord; *

                  you are my strength; hasten to help me.

19   Save me from the sword, *

                  my life from the power of the dog.

20   Save me from the lion’s mouth, *

                  my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls.

21   I will declare your Name to my brethren; *

                  in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.

22   Praise the Lord, you that fear him; *

                  stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel;

                  all you of Jacob’s line, give glory.

23   For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;

       neither does he hide his face from them; *

                  but when they cry to him he hears them.

24   My praise is of him in the great assembly; *

                  I will perform my vows in the presence of those who

                                                        worship him.

25   The poor shall eat and be satisfied,

       and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *

                  “May your heart live for ever!”

26 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, *

                  and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.

27   For kingship belongs to the Lord; *

                  he rules over the nations.

28   To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; *

                  all who go down to the dust fall before him.

29   My soul shall live for him;

                  my descendants shall serve him; *

                  they shall be known as the Lord’s for ever.

30   They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *

                  the saving deeds that he has done.

2^nd Reading:  Hebrews 10:16-25

The Letter to the Hebrews (by an unknown writer) uses the image as the new and eternal high priest, who has entered the sanctuary (the holy of holies) and bids us, as those who now “share in his eternal priesthood” (words from our Rite of Baptism) to follow him there, with “a full heart in full assurance of faith.”  Yet this experience of forgiveness and purity is not an end in itself.  We are to “provoke” (i.e., “call forth”) love and seek encouragement through our gatherings in Jesus’ name. 

^10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,” says the Lord:  “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,” ¹⁷ he also adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” ¹⁸ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. ¹⁹ Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Passion Gospel:  John 18:1—19:37

John’s story of the Passion and Death of Jesus differs in many ways from Mark, Matthew, and Luke.  In John, Jesus is the confident one through all this crisis.  It is as if he were in charge, rather than those who are bringing charges against him.  Even on the cross, Jesus’ final words are “It is finished,” in stark contrast to Matthew’s & Mark’s, “My God, why have you forsaken me?”  Troubling in this Gospel, has always bee those passages which tend toward the later obsession of the church that the Jews were guilty of Jesus death. John 19:15 is an example.  Whenever the translation is “the Jews,” the reference can actually be to a segment of the Jewish population, such as the religious authorities.  One cannot and should not use this, or any other New Testament writing to cast an eternal guilt on the Jewish people for the death of Jesus.  Overall John portrays triumphant Jesus, ultimately even triumphant over death.  If John has an atonement theory it is the victory of Jesus over the powers of darkness and death.

^18:1 Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. ² Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. ³ So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. ⁴ Then Jesus, knowing all that was to   happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” ⁵ They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. ⁶ When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. ⁷ Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁸ Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” ⁹ This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” ¹⁰ Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. ¹¹ Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” ¹² So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. ¹³ First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. ¹⁴ Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. ¹⁵ Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, ¹⁶ but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. ¹⁷ The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” ¹⁸ Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. ¹⁹ Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. ²⁰ Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. ²¹ Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” ²² When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” ²³ Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” ²⁴ Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. ²⁵ Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” ²⁶ One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” ²⁷ Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. ²⁸ Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. ²⁹ So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” ³⁰ They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” ³¹ Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” ³² (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) ³³ Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” ³⁷ Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” ³⁸ Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. ³⁹ But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” ⁴⁰ They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit.

^19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. ² And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. ³ They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. ⁴ Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” ⁵ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” ⁶ When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” ⁷ The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.” ⁸ Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. ⁹ He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” ¹¹ Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” ¹² From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.” ¹³ When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” ¹⁵ They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” ¹⁶ Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; ¹⁷ and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.

¹⁸ There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. ¹⁹ Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” ²⁰ Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹ Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” ²² Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” ²³ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. ²⁴ So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” ²⁵ And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. ²⁸ After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” ²⁹ A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. ³⁰ When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

³¹ Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. ³² Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. ³³ But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. ³⁵ (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) ³⁶ These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” ³⁷ And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”

The Scripture quotations (except for the psalm) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.  The Psalm translation is from The Book of Common Prayer.  Commentaries copyright © 2017, Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY  14843, www.epiphanyesources.com. All rights reserved. Permission is given to reprint and/or modify for congregational use.

Good Friday First Reading in Two Parts

The first reading on Good Friday is long and usually deserves a more deliberate reading.  I've divided it into two parts, which I think might help.

Isaiah 52:13—53:12 for Two Voices

One    See, my servant shall prosper;

he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.

Just as there were many who were astonished at him—

so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,

and his form beyond that of mortals—

so he shall startle many nations;

kings shall shut their mouths because of him;

for that which had not been told them they shall see,

and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.

Two    Who has believed what we have heard?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by others;

a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;

and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised,

and we held him of no account.

One    Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases;

yet we accounted him stricken,

struck down by God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,

crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the punishment that made us whole,

and by his bruises we are healed.

Two    All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have all turned to our own way,

and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

One    By a perversion of justice he was taken away.

Who could have imagined his future?

For he was cut off from the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people.

They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.

Two    When you make his life an offering for sin,

he shall see his offspring,

and shall prolong his days;

through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.

Out of his anguish he shall see light;

he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.

The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

One    Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;

because he poured out himself to death,

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

Two    The Word of the Lord,

Form copyright (c) 2018 Epiphany ESources, Inc. 67 East Main St., Hornell, NY  14843. www.epiphanyesources.com.  A ministry of The Rev. Michael W Hopkins.

Maundy Thursday Readings & Commentaries

A new commandment I give to you...just as I have loved you, you must love one another.

1^st Reading:  Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14

In chapter 11 of Exodus, God has declared the tenth and final plague he will bring upon the Egyptians, that of the death of the first-born, both human and livestock.  Before the plague begins, he introduces the celebration of the Passover, which will become Israel’s greatest yearly celebration.  It marks how the Israelites were spared this plague, by a “passing over” the Israelite houses with blood on their doorposts and lintels.  Passover in Hebrew is pesach, hence the word that most languages use for the Easter feast, and we use in English as an “Easter adjective,” paschal.

^12:1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:  ² This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. ³ Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. ⁴ If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it.

[⁵ Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. ⁶ You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. ⁷ They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. ⁸ They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ⁹ Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. ¹⁰ You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.]

¹¹ This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. ¹² For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. ¹³ The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. ¹⁴ This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

Psalm 116:1, 10-17

Psalm 116 is part of a collection of psalms (113-118) recited during Passover, and sometimes referred to as the “Hallel” psalms. Psalm 116 is a long thanksgiving for healing, the latter portion of which has also been associated with Maundy Thursday because of the “lifting up of the cup” image. The “cup of salvation” could also be translated the “cup of freedom.”  As we begin the Paschal Triduum, we are reminded that it is our liberation from bondage that is at stake.

1     I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of

                            my supplication, *

              because he has inclined his ear to me whenever

                            I called upon him.

10   How shall I repay the Lord *

              for all the good things he has done for me?

11   I will lift up the cup of salvation *

              and call upon the Name of the Lord.

12   I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *

              in the presence of all his people.

13   Precious in the sight of the Lord *

              is the death of his servants.

14   O Lord, I am your servant; *

              I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;

              you have freed me from my bonds.

15   I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *

              and call upon the Name of the Lord.

16   I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *

              in the presence of all his people,

17   In the courts of the Lord’s house, *

              in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

2^nd Reading:  1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Paul’s brief description of the fundamental acts of the Eucharist is important because it repeats what is found in the Gospel story of the Last Supper, indicating the very early adoption of this liturgical remembrance and proclamation. Paul adds an interpretation:  when we do this, we “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”  This does not negate the resurrection, but acknowledges that the fulfillment of resurrection will happen when “he comes.” It might be helpful in understanding what Paul means here by recalling Jesus’ three-fold claim in John’s Gospel that when he is lifted up he will draw all people to himself (John 3:14, 8:28 and 12:32).

^11:23 I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Gospel Reading:  John 13:1-17, 31b-35

John does not tell the Last Supper story we expect. Instead “during supper” (which here is not the Passover meal), Jesus begins his final teaching with a profound act that summarizes that teaching. Jesus becomes the servant. Peter resists and Jesus is sharp with him (echoes of the “Who do you say that I am?” incident in the synoptic Gospels). The new commandment Jesus gives is more than calling his disciples to love one another, but to do so as Jesus has loved them, as servant.

^13:1 Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. ² The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper ³ Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, ⁴ got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. ⁵ Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. ⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” ⁷ Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” ⁸ Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” ⁹ Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.” ¹² After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶ Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. ¹⁷ If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. ^31b Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. ³² If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. ³³ Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ ³⁴ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The Scripture quotations (except for the psalm) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.  The Psalm translation is from The Book of Common Prayer.  Commentaries are copyright © 2017, Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY  14843, www.epiphanyesources.com. All rights reserved. Permission is given to copy for group study or congregational use.

Lent 5B Readings & Commentaries

Jesus and the disciples have entered Jerusalem for the final time.  Somehow the request of some non-Jews to see Jesus is important to him and sets off the speech that follows.  We do not actually know if those Greeks ever got to see Jesus.

1^st Reading:  Jeremiah 31:31-34

Jeremiah is known as the gloomy prophet of the exile, but in chapters 30—33, his tone changes, and he prophesies about the restoration of Israel. These chapters are often known as the “Book of Consultation,” since hope enters the picture where it has not been before. This passage speaking of a new covenant, announces the good news that God will bring his people out of exile and back home.  Two important aspects of this new covenant:  there will be no distinction between the people, neither in terms of relationship with God or knowledge of the Law; and forgiveness will be the predominant stance of God toward the people.  God goes so far as to promise to forget sin.

³¹ The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ³² It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. ³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord:  I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

Psalm 51:1-13

Psalm 51 is the longest of the seven traditional “penitential psalms” (the others being, Pss. 6, 32, 38, 102, 130, 143). In the first portion of Psalm 51, there is a cry for mercy from one who knows his or her own sins, which have become a heavy burden.  There is also great trust in this psalm, that God can indeed make a “clean heart,” a “renewed spirit,” and joy in the saving grace of God.

1     Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; *

in your great compassion blot out my offenses.

2     Wash me through and through from my wickedness *

and cleanse me from my sin.

3     For I know my transgression, *

and my sin is ever before me.

4     Against you only have I sinned *

and done what is evil in your sight.

5     And so you are justified when you speak *

and upright in your judgment.

6     Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, *

a sinner from my mother’s womb.

7     For behold, you look for truth deep within me, *

and will make me understand wisdom secretly.

8     Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; *

wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.

9     Make me hear of joy and gladness, *

              that the body you have broken may rejoice.

10   Hide your face from my sins *

              and blot out my iniquities.

11   Create in me a clean heart, O God, *

              and renew a right spirit within me.

12   Cast me not away from your presence *

              and take not your holy Spirit from me.

13   Give me the joy of your saving help again *

              and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

2^nd Reading:  Hebrews 5:5-10

The Letter to the Hebrews (whose author in unknown) continually uses the image of the “high priest” for Jesus.  The high priest of the Jerusalem Temple would, once a year, on the Day of Atonement, enter the heart of the Temple and make offerings.  Jesus is now our high priest who has entered made the offering once for all.  He is our sole mediator with God.  Jesus’ priesthood is eternal, the writer says, after the “Order of Melchizedek,” which he picks up from Psalm 110 (the second of the quotes below, the first being from Psalm 2).  Melchizedek is a shadowy figure encountered by Abraham in Genesis 14:18.  The implication is that the priest Melchizedek comes from a different order than the priest of the Temple, whose priesthood (especially the high priesthood) was temporary.

^5:5 Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you;” ⁶ as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” ⁷ In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. ⁸ Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; ⁹ and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, ¹⁰ having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Gospel Reading:  John 12:20-33

Jesus and the disciples have entered Jerusalem for the final time.  Somehow the request of some non-Jews to see Jesus is important to him and sets off the speech that follows.  We do not actually know if those Greeks ever got to see Jesus.  Jesus now knows that the “hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”  Understanding the death of Jesus as “glorification” is essential for John’s Gospel.  As part of his speech he utters a principle found in all four Gospels, that those who seek to save their life will lose it (see also, Mark 8:35, Matthew 10:39/16:26 and Luke 9:24/17:33).  Translated into contemporary language, Jesus (and the Christian tradition) is saying that “letting go” of life rather than being in a constant state of anxious grabbing for it is essential in order to follow Jesus.

^12:20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. ²¹ They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³ Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵ Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. ²⁷ Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” ²⁹ The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰ Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

The Scripture quotations (except for the psalm) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.  The Psalm translation is from The Book of Common Prayer.  Commentaries are copyright © 2018, Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY  14843, www.epiphanyesources.com. All rights reserved.

Lent 4B Readings & Commentaries

Our Gospel reading immediately follows on the story of Nicodemus’ visit to Jesus by night, and serves as John’s commentary on that encounter.

The First Reading:  Numbers 21:4-9

There is no getting around the strangeness of this story. Life in the wilderness for the Israelites is hard and they frequently complain. Egypt doesn’t look so bad out in the desert. Their complaining angers God, who responds with poisonous serpents.  Throughout the ancient world the serpent held an ambiguous status as symbol of both death and healing. The caduceus, two serpents entwined on a winged staff remains today as a symbol of medicine.  But why God would order Moses to construct what amounts to an idol is a mystery.

^21:4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. ⁵ The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” ⁶ Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. ⁷ The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. ⁸ And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” ⁹ So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22

Our psalm is one of the historical psalms, using poetry to remind Israel (and us) of the deeds of God.  We have here the introduction and then the portion that includes the incident from the first reading.  Other historical psalms are 78, 105, 106, and 136.

1     Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, *

and his mercy endures for ever.

2     Let all those whom the Lord has redeemed proclaim *

that he redeemed them from the hand of the foe.

3     He gathered them out of the lands; *

from the east and from the west,

from the north and from the south.

17   Some were fools and took to rebellious ways; *

they were afflicted because of their sins.

18   They abhorred all manner of food *

and drew near to death’s door.

19   Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, *

and he delivered them from their distress.

20   He sent forth his word and healed them *

and saved them from the grave.

21   Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy *

and the wonders he does for his children.

22   Let them offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving *

              and tell of his acts with shouts of joy.

The Second Reading:  Ephesians 2:1-10

Our passage (particularly the last two sentences) is a succinct summary of Paul’s teaching. Grace saves through faith which produces a life of good works. This is despite the fact that we live in the time of the Fall—when we are “children of wrath,” dead in our trespasses.  But the good news is “we are what he has made us!”

^2:1 You were dead through the trespasses and sins ² in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. ³ All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. ⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us ⁵ even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—⁹ not the result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

The Holy Gospel:  John 3:14-21

Our Gospel reading immediately follows on the story of Nicodemus’ visit to Jesus by night, and serves as John’s commentary on that encounter. It begins with the symbolism of our first reading. Jesus must be lifted up (a clear reference to the crucifixion) just as the serpent was. The result will be eternal life, which God desires for all. The passage then ends with the necessity of belief and the image of light and darkness so prevalent in John’s Gospel.  In Greek, the word translated “lifted up” can also mean “exalted,” or even “glorified.”  ohn’s Gospel always refers to the crucifixion in this way, as an exaltation. The phrase “lifted up” will be used in this way again at 8:28 and 12:32-34.

^3:14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. ¹⁷ Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. ²¹ But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.

The Scripture quotations (except for the psalm) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.  The Collect of the Day and the Psalm translation are from The Book of Common Prayer.  Commentaries are copyright © 2018, Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY  14843, www.epiphanyesources.com. All rights reserved.  Permission is given to copy for group use.