Wednesday April 13 Wednesday in Holy Week
Click here for simplified daily office prayers
Psalm 55
I am terrified at what is happening. The city is full of corruption and my dear familiar friend has betrayed me. I will not cease imploring God to intervene and put things right.
The early Christians saw in this psalm some of the details of Jesus’ arrest and betrayal by Judas, one of his friends.
Lamentations 2.1-9 What’s Lamentations about?
Six hundred years before Jesus, the prophet understands that God has turned against Jerusalem which is why the Babylonians have conquered the city. He recounts in detail the devastation of the city as if the city were a woman violated.
Nobody would ever write poetry with such careful construction of meaning rhymes if they really thought God was a wrathful destroying hateful power. What the poet is expressing is their sense of being abandoned and of utter devastation at the destruction of Jerusalem as the consequences of their country’s injustice to its own people, and at the same time the underlying hope that God will rescue them. Which in fact happened.
These were the feelings the disciples had when Jesus was crucified. It looked as if there was no hope. But only someone who ultimately trusts in God’s goodness can face devastation as terrible as this.
Mark 12.1-12 What’s Mark about?
Having challenged the leaders to choose between justice and loyalty to the Roman occupation, Jesus then tells a story illustrating how the religious leaders are being unfaithful to God’s vineyard—a common symbol of the people of God. The leaders have betrayed the city and the temple dedicated to justice for all.
Forty years later when the city was destroyed by the Romans, Mark likely added Jesus’ comments that the city (referred to as a vineyard) would be destroyed and given to foreigners.
No wonder the leaders’ determination to kill Jesus is becoming focused—in only three more days he will be executed.
Today’s collect:
Lord God,
your Son our Saviour gave his body to be whipped
and turned his face for men to spit upon.
Give your servants grace to accept suffering for his sake,
confident of the glory that will be revealed,
through Jesus Christ our Lord
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Click here to share your thoughts on the web site.