Lenten Challenge - Holy Week

Join Pastor Ken and Jordin as they look at the many events of Holy Week as we head into Easter.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Welcome everybody to our last Lenten Challenge podcast. We hope you've been enjoying these. I'm Jordan here with Pastor Ken. Hello. And uh we just had Palm Sunday, a wonderful Sunday of celebrating uh Jesus' entrance, the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and looking at all the perspectives of that. And so a lot was covered in in the sermon. And so we're not going to touch on Palm Sunday too much, but we want to use this podcast as an opportunity to look at some of the other Holy Week events. Um, where did, you know, some of the traditions that have come out of them? How do they relate to the gospels and the events uh that were unfolding there? But then also how do we as as modern, you know, Protestant Christians observe some of these um uh holidays? How do we personally as Shiloh Church do that? And so let's start with Monday Thursday, uh, which, you know, what first just tell us kind of what that is and where it came from, those sorts of things here.

SPEAKER_02 1:06

All right. So uh the Monde comes from the Latin word for commandment. Uh Gospel of John, Last Supper, Jesus says, I give you a new commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. And then a little bit later he says, Greater love has no one than this than to lay down their life for a friend. And then, of course, he's going to to do that. It's uh, of course, also celebrates not just the Last Supper, but the washing of the disciples' feet that is a part of that, as well as the you know, giving of the uh Lord's Supper as a sacrament, a means of grace that we we observe. And so um it's it's that kind of you know really poignant, intense gathering of Jesus with his disciples for the last time in his earthly ministry, including Judas there, who uh you know ends up leaving early to go and betray him. Uh and and Jesus' predictions of that betrayal, and and so it's a a very intense time. Um and so we typically celebrate that with the Lord's Supper as we're going to do this year in reflection on that.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Yes. And some people have done um, I think even at Shiloh Church, it might have been Rev Bev who did feet washing. Okay, some so sometimes people will do that as a part of it. Um but yeah, the Lord's Supper is probably the most uh focal point for various people's uh Monday, Thursday uh traditions being that. And we're kind of doing that this year, but looking at the bigger picture of the imagery of Jesus as the Lamb while also participating in communion. Last year we did a whole Seder meal, which is looking at the Jewish Passover uh and kind of going through that and seeing the connections there uh that then tie into our Christian understanding of that. And so you can kind of do this Monday, Thursday a variety of ways. You know, you mention the you know, Judas being there, and you and I had just recently discussed um something that I had never seen until I heard it pointed out on a podcast I was listening to that in Matthew, he's talking about, you know, Jesus is saying, you know, one of you is gonna betray me. Right. And they go around the table and say, not I, Lord, not I, not I, you know, and based, but they all say Lord until it gets to Judas, and he says, Not I, Rabbi, or something to that effect. And he calls him rabbi. And I think it's so subtle, but it is a yeah, it really shows that for Judas, Jesus was not Lord. Uh, he was just kind of the good teacher. And I think that's a very little interesting detail in that retelling.

SPEAKER_02 3:43

And and I had not caught that before, that that kind of subtle difference there. Um and and you know, you you mentioned the Passover. Um, Jesus says he desires to celebrate Passover with his disciples one last time. So that is the background context, which of course evokes the whole action of God to save his people and and the sacrifice of the Passover lamb uh that we'll talk about. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

Yeah, and I think looking at because you have him going into the garden to pray, like looking at the gospel of that kind of day's events, there's a lot that is unpacked in that particular day. Uh as they now for the Jewish people, once they got tonight, uh correct me if I'm wrong, but that would actually be the next day for them just because they m mark their days by sundown, roughly. Um, and so that but but from our perspective, a lot uh happened in that um in that evening between the washing of the feet and the Lord's Supper, you know, they're doing Passover and then going to him, going to the garden. Uh, I always think it's interesting they say that then they went out and sang a hymn. Uh, and there's obviously speculations on what hymn they would have sang, but many of the Passover ones would have actually been prophetic that Jesus could have been singing a hymn about himself, which is just cool to think about, whether that happened or not.

SPEAKER_02 4:59

And you know, you think about Psalm 22, which is like the crucifixion psalm that has so many of the predictions of what happens um on the cross. And of course, that kind of segues into Good Friday, which you know we think what makes it good? Well, it was originally God's Friday.

SPEAKER_00 5:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:15

Um, in in the uh English expression. And so uh, of course, it's good for us, but hard on Christ, you know, in the sense that it's the day he's put on trial, he's beaten, he's crucified, and he's buried.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:29

Uh all in in that day. Um, and so um sometimes we do Good Friday services. Sometimes um Michael Pauley has set up stations of the cross and you can go through the different aspects of that. Sometimes we do Maundy Thursday. We we typically pick one or the other every year. Right. Right. But that's it's kind of like um a whole complex of us before we celebrate Easter, remembering the cross. Yes. Uh, as really the center point of our Christian faith.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 5:59

Um, that sacrifice and the impact that it has for us.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

Yeah. And you mentioned the Psalm 22, um, which, you know, Jesus cries out on the cross, you know, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And the thought from a lot of people is like, you know, that is it Jesus dealing with the shame? Is it the pain? Is it God a bit? But very likely it's him recalling Psalm 22. Um, because I guess it would have been relatively standard practice for rabbis to recite an opening line of a psalm that that would then draw up for people in their minds. Oh, the opening line, you know, my God, why have you forsaken me? Oh, we're talking about Psalm 22, not so much like we know it, where it's like, well, Psalm 22, verse 12, whatever. Right. Um, and so that that's really, and then when you read, like, and we are not we don't have time for it in this podcast, but encourage people, read through Psalm 22 with the idea of Jesus on the cross and the amount of prophetic things that are then fulfilled is is really is really despite it being a horrific event, very cool to see the way God had laid those things out to happen. And how you could what other things could explain those prophecies other than than Christ on the cross when you look at the culmination of them together.

SPEAKER_02 7:10

Right. You know, and and it it's interesting, you know, the the gospels have uh quotations of the Old Testament throughout. But where you really find a lot are in two places the birth and the death of Christ, death and resurrection. It's kind of like the book ends, is where you find all these different prophecies and all these different connections uh to the Old Testament.

SPEAKER_00 7:33

Yes. So then you know, we recognize on Good Friday uh, you know, Jesus' crucifixion, death, and then there's you know Easter Sunday, but there's a stay in between. Right. Um you know, some might call it Holy Saturday, uh different religion, well not religions, different branches of Christianity might observe it through, like you're saying, visuals, um things where we're remembering that kind of dark unknown time in which you know Jesus has died, but yet has not risen. And have you had any experiences as a pastor doing any particular recognition of that day or thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_02 8:11

I I honestly haven't. I know that it's uh something that's observed in like some of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. Um probably the most done reflecting on that is just kind of the situation of the disciples. You know, they're afraid, they're in hiding. They don't seem to have taken to heart the predictions of Christ rising.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

I mean, you know, they are surprised. And it's only later that it kind of comes to mind. Oh yeah, he told us that this was gonna happen several times, you know. Um, and and so just that whole transformation uh that's going to happen on Easter, but between the cross, you know, the the sadness, the pain, the the uh fear, all the things that they experienced and Easter, you kind of have this in-between period.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:59

And and I think in life, we often have, you know, um but before the Easter experience, sometimes we have the dark night of the soul.

SPEAKER_01 9:06

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

Uh where we're struggling, where we're seeking direction, where it seems like we can't find God. God's not speaking to us the way we want him to. And and I think that's not that that's kind of a part of the journey in many ways.

SPEAKER_00 9:22

Right. Yeah. And I think, you know, mentioning the disciples up there, there was them at that time didn't yeah, it didn't really seem like they w recognized the plan, were on board for those things. And and I think it's a testament to then the truthfulness of the resurrection in here's these guys scared hiding, right? Uh, and suddenly they changed instantly to dramatically bold, eventually, many of them martyrs. Uh that, you know, you can try to conjure up some explanations of that, but seemingly the best one is like encountered the risen Jesus and went from being terrified and hiding to boldly proclaiming his resurrect resurrection.

SPEAKER_02 10:03

So and and the and they're willing to write a lot of stuff that's kind of embarrassing about them.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 10:09

And and you know, people aren't willing to do that unless it's really true. Yeah, yeah. We typically don't make up embarrassing things about ourselves that aren't.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Yeah, I mean, that's a great uh evidence for the reliability of the entire Bible. I mean, just even in the Old Testament. Like if you're gonna make up the story about this great people group, Israel, boy, you wouldn't want to include the unrelenting amount of failures that they seem they seem to go through. Even the big name people like Moses and David and so they have very um, you know, sketchy decisions and paths and things, and yet, you know, you see God using them. And the same with Peter and his denial and these kinds of things. Or even like looking then to Easter, uh, the fact that the women are the first eyewitnesses to Jesus' resurrection. Um, you know, we may not like it in our modern sense, but at the time, uh, most women like their testimony would not have been good in court. Uh, it was not viewed as a reliable source of information. And so uh the fact, again, you wouldn't why would you make up women being the first ones in that day and age? Um, unless it's just literally that they were the ones willing to go uh, you know, to see if Jesus, you know, the body and that sort of thing, and and find out that no, in fact, he's he's not here, he's risen.

SPEAKER_02 11:21

So yeah, and and you know, the the devotion on their part too. I mean, they're there at the cross, they're there at the burial, yeah, they're there at the resurrection. And the disciples don't even believe him when they first come and tell him until they Peter and John see for themselves.

SPEAKER_00 11:34

Yes, and John makes sure to let us know he got there first. He's a faster runner than Peter.

SPEAKER_02 11:39

Uh, you know, I think Peter went inside. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

It's the disciple that Jesus loved, he got there first. It's like John, we know you're talking about you. Um yeah, so it is, you know, it's just again when you parse out all these details of the events and you look at them in their totality, it's just these are people recounting real events that they experienced. And and then when you compare them to say some of the you know not real gospels, things proven to be fakes and forgeries much later on that that that don't they're not linear to you know those actual writings in the gospels and such.

SPEAKER_02 12:13

So yeah, the huge difference in in the style and the content and all different aspects of the thing.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

So you know, I think as we look, obviously Easter is the big celebration, but I think the point of Holy Week is to really not miss some very important steps along the way in Jesus' journey to the cross and then to his resurrection. And even the Holy Saturday as a time to remember that you know our patience in our own lives as we're awaiting um God's answer. And and um we might be surprised by the way God chooses to answer things and such. And so uh we again this year will be having our uh this Thursday, our behold the Lamb service, really looking at that uh imagery uh as Jesus of the Lamb and and then also um partaking in communion, but then just encouraging everyone to think about the other aspects of Holy Week that we don't necessarily gather together and do, and then we look forward to celebrating He is risen. Yes, He is risen indeed on uh on Easter Sunday. So anything else uh to add to Holy Week there, Pastor?

SPEAKER_02 13:15

Um you know what just just a small thing as uh you were talking, I was thinking about this is that there's a couple places in the gospel, and I'm I won't be able to say the exact chapter and verse, but where you know Jesus is is relatively safe even though there's conflict in Galilee. But when he sets his face to go to Jerusalem, I think it's in Luke, it says that those are with him marveled. And then, you know, the indication that that that John talks about is when the Greeks come looking for him, and he says, you know, unless a grain of of um wheat fall to the ground and die, it cannot bear fruit. Um there there's a courage that you see in Jesus facing, you know, and of course, after the triumphal entry, the first thing he does is go and cleanse the temple.

SPEAKER_01 14:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:02

And then it's just this week of intense conflict with him knowing how this is gonna end up. Um and you know, I I I find uh a lot of um I'm impressed by his incredible courage and his willingness to embrace God's mission for him, which then becomes an example for us to embrace God's mission for us.

SPEAKER_01 14:26

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 14:27

Uh and and you know, you also mentioned the the beloved disciple. Uh I I like the argument, uh, again, interpreting John, that that one reason he calls himself the beloved disciple is because he's like every beloved disciple. If you want to be the beloved disciple, you act like John.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:44

You lean on Jesus' breast, you ask him what's going on. You're you're there at the cross and you're there at the resurrection.

SPEAKER_01 14:51

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

And you believe without having to stick your finger in the holes in his hands or his side that he is like the example of how all of us can have Jesus lay down his life for us because we're his friends.

SPEAKER_00 15:07

I love it. Well, thank you all, and we hope you enjoyed.