A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Thirty-Seven

Today's Reading: Matthew 26:1-16 (NRSVUE)

Jesus has finished his time of teaching (in the last chapter) as he notes that the crucifixion is coming.

We then see the plotting - this time by the chief priests and the elders rather than the scribes and Pharisees.  These priests and elders would likely have been Sadducees.

Jesus seems to be disruptive of the religious status quo wherever he goes.  When he is in the surrounding towns and rural areas, the scribes and Pharisees would have been the religious leaders.  Now that he's entered Jerusalem, it is the chief priests of the Temple who find Jesus to be troublesome to the point of removal.

They would prefer to eliminate Jesus without causing a disturbance.  We will see that in Matthew's Gospel, an earthquake will occur at his death so they will create a violent response whether they know it or not.

The scene is moving toward crucifixion just as Jesus has predicted.

We seek to express grief
in different ways

It seems that an unnamed woman (John identifies her as Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus) is aware of his impending death more than his closest disciples.  She anoints him for burial, pouring it on his head rather than his feet as in John's account.  This would also remind the reader of Psalm 23 where God anoints the head with oil.  Jesus will later eat with his enemy as reflected in this psalm as well.

The disciples were at least listening when Jesus was just talking about righteousness and the sheep and the goats.  Not wanting to be goats, they complain about how this could have been used for the poor.  Unfortunately, while they are in sync with his teachings, they continue to remain oblivious to his coming crucifixion.  Jesus uses the anointing as a sign-act of his imminent death.

The betrayal of Judas - one of the twelve inner disciples - contrasts the woman's generosity with an act that is self-serving.  Judas is declining to be poor in spirit and misses entirely the kingdom of heaven.  He does not hunger and thirst for righteousness and so remains empty.

Judas may have been disrupted by Jesus' ministry just like the Pharisees or the Sadducees.

How do we respond to the disruption of Jesus in our lives?  We may seek to evade it in different ways.  But Lent (and especially Holy Week) is the time for self-reflection rather than self-service.  What is the one thing that holds us back the most?

Prayer for the day:

God, I'm glad to be alive - to breathe and walk; to laugh and cry; to see life's beauty and its grandeur.  I know, too, its beastliness, squalor; its poverty, disease and hate.  As I give thanks for all my blessings, give me, Lord, the will to share with others what I have so undeservedly been given.  Make me loving, courteous, considerate; give me a listening ear, a compassionate heart and a generous mind.  Let me live my life in your sight for others so that they, too, may find you and give thanks.  Amen.

Prayer by John Charles Vockler, Anglican Bishop, 20th Century

Photo by Thomas via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.