Wednesday is halfway through the week - I would have guessed that it would be the most productive day of the week - but extensive research *** shows that Tuesday is the most productive day of the week. Who knew?
But then I thought about how much Jesus did on Tuesday (according to the Gospel of Mark - it's half of Chapter 11, all of Chapter 12 and all of Chapter 13) - yeah, a very productive day. The thing is, it pales in comparison to what Jesus accomplishes on Friday,***** yet the things Jesus taught on Tuesday were significant. He stymied the chief priests, teachers of the law and the elders who wanted to trap him in the question of authority, he told the parable of the tenants (about those same people who tried to trap him). Then the Pharisees ask about taxes - which Jesus deftly avoids their trap, too. The Sadducees ask about marriage and resurrection. Jesus then teaches about love and truly keeping the law (the Greatest Commandment) and then he pushes back against the teachers of the law with a question about the Lord and David's son. The widow's mite, talk of the end of the age ("What magnificent buildings...") and the day and the hour unknown...
Whew. That's a lot.
And on Wednesday - well, you know at first when I searched for timelines on Holy Week, Wednesday was coming up empty. The Catholic tradition calls it Spy Wednesday or Dark Wednesday - the day that Judas begins to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus. Many timelines say that Jesus did nothing this day (and, curiously, there are a lot of LDS sites devoted to the timeline of Holy Week).
Mark says, (Chapter 14:1) "Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away..." So, this suggests to me that this is a new day, separate from the day of the past two and a half chapters, so - Wednesday. But maybe not because that whole thing gets derailed tomorrow anyway.*******
So Chapter 14 either continues Tuesday (possible) or is a new day (possible).
Jesus is invited to the home of Simon the leper in Bethany (a favorite hang-out spot) for a banquet. In walks this woman with a jar of perfume which she breaks open and pours over Jesus' head.
Jesus’ burial foretold in the action of an unnamed woman who, nevertheless, holds a place of honor in the Gospel story – for Jesus himself says that when this story is told, it will be told “in memory of her.”
Here is an act of Extreme Love – indeed, RECKLESS Love – an act that is so selfless that those around cannot even understand the what and the why of it. Here is a woman – possibly only desiring to honor the celebrity guest in the home – possibly moved by the Holy Spirit to act in a very prophetic fashion – not only anoints Jesus’ head – but breaks the alabaster bottle – an act of dual significance – an act carried out to honor a guest (no “lesser hand” can ever use this bottle) but more deeply – an act of burial preparation – the body would be washed, anointed with perfumes and the perfume bottles broken and the shards buried with the body.
And the reality of what she is doing is not lost on Jesus (of course) – but is IS lost on the disciples (of course) who complain about the act being too extravagant, too reckless, too…frivolous. And that’s the problem when love is expressed deeply – it may not make any sense to those around – to those “outside” – it’s too much, it’s too costly, it could have been done better… (never hear those things in the church, eh?)
But this is the heart poured out – unstoppable, uncontainable – this is the purity of expression of love that doesn’t matter who sees, who complains, who thinks whatever of it – this is reckless love.
And don’t miss the fact that this act of devotion is framed by hatred and betrayal – the Chief Priests and the teachers of the Law – looking for a way, not just to quiet Jesus any more, not just to push him aside or put him down – but to have him killed. And Judas, looking for a way to hand Jesus over to the Jewish authorities. And between these acts of Murder and Betrayal – is an act of limitless love…
And two days later – an act of reckless, limitless love – Jesus on the cross – his death for our salvation – his blood for our forgiveness – surrounded by hatred and mocking and betrayal. Soldiers gambling for his clothes, beating him, mocking him – the Jewish people who shouted Hosanna a few days before, shouting Crucify Him and watching him die – mocking him on the cross, “he saved others…let him save himself…” – his friends and disciples running away, denying him – and yet, here he is on the cross saying “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
*** Yeah, extensive in this case is a Google search and clicking on three or four of the top ten hits. You want research? Find a PhD student. This is my blog...I get to say what I want :)
*****Okay - so maybe the cross was on Friday, I mean probably it was - but there's a WHOLE lot of theological speculation that suggests otherwise - because Jesus said he would be dead three days and three nights - so some say maybe the actual crucifixion was on Wed (since a Jewish day begins at dusk of the day before) or some suggest Thursday - since Friday would be a High Sabbath and Saturday would the the normal Sabbath. Urk. I'm not going to get into this whole debate - I'm taking the traditional timeline and following the Gospel of Mark. THAT discussion is for another time - maybe next week...
*******So the problem with Biblical timelines is that they were written a fair amount of time after the fact - and, indeed, the Gospel writers themselves don't even agree on the timelines - plus, there's these strange dating conventions (two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread - guess what - not the same day...Passover is one day and the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins THE NEXT DAY, according to rabbinic tradition that goes back to at least the first century - though the Bible uses the terms interchangeably...) Not to mention the question of which day the lamb was actually sacrificed on - if the disciples were eating the Passover meal with Jesus on Thursday, the lambs would have been slain that day - and consumed after sunset which is the beginning of the NEXT day... Yeah, that's why I'm just following Mark's timeline...sort of...
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