Part VII

THE BEGINNING OF HOLY WEEK

On sunday, April 2, the day after the anointing in Bethany, Jesus went on to Jerusalem. He was accom­panied by cheering throngs who had heard of the resur­rection of Lazarus, and His entry into the city was in the nature of a triumphal procession. That day He preached in the temple, received a delegation of Gentiles, and addressed a final exhortation to the people, a speech which was followed by the confirming voice of the Father, thundering from the heavens. After spending the night in Bethany, He returned to Jerusalem Monday morning and drove from the temple the vendors and money-changers who were turning the holy place into a business center. In the evening He again retired to Bethany.On Tuesday He returned to Jerusalem, where His enemies beset Him with tests and challenges : the Scribes and priests brought up the question of His authority, the Pharisees proposed the enigma of the morality of Roman taxation, and the Sadducees probed His beliefs on the resurrected life. These questions occasioned several para­bles (the Vine-dressers, the Marriage Feast) and also a terrible denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees. In the late afternoon He went with the disciples to Mount Olivet to spend the night in prayer. As they sat on the hillside, He warned them of the need for watchfulness both against the dangers of the imminent future and the final judgment of this world, punctuating His prophecies with the para­bles of the Fig Tree, the Wise and Foolish Virgins, and the Talents. On Wednesday, as the Council of the Jews met to discuss plans for seizing and executing Jesus, Judas presented himself and contracted to betray his Master to them.

The Anointing at Bethany

Chapter 80
MATT. 26:6-13; MARK 14:3-9; JOHN 12:1-11

Leaving Jericho with the disciples, Jesus began His last journey to Jerusalem. Six days before the Passover they reached Bethany, the home of the family of Lazarus, whom Jesus loved. On the Sabbath they were offered a supper at the house of Simon the Leper, and the family of Lazarus was also present. Lazarus himself reclined at the table with Jesus and the other guests, and Martha served.
While they were at table, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, came to Jesus carrying an alabaster jar of ointment. Breaking open the jar, she poured out the contents, anointing His head and His feet. Then she dried the feet of Jesus with her hair.
The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. It was genuine oil of spikenard, one of the most precious of oriental perfumes, and the disciples began grumbling about the waste of the ointment.
One of them voiced his resentment openly, saying to the other disciples:
"Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the poor?"
It was Judas Iscariot who was speaking. He had really no interest in helping the poor, but he was the treasurer of the apostolic band and he used to pilfer the funds entrusted to him. We can appreciate his anxiety more when we consider that he was to betray his Master for a sum ten times less than the three hundred denarii at which he valued the spikenard with which Mary anointed Jesus.
The general reaction to Mary's generous homage was cen­sure and complaint, but Jesus came to her defense, saying to her critics:
"Let her be. Why do you trouble her? She has done Me a good turn. For the poor you have always with you, and when­ever you want-you can do good to them; but you do not always have Me. She has done what she could; she has anointed My body in preparation for burial. Amen I say to you, wherever in the whole world this gospel is preached, this also that she has done shall be told in memory of her."

How prodigal Mary was in her love for Christ! There was no narrow weighing and measuring in her gift-making. It was all or nothing, and with Mary it had to be all. Is my service of Christ only what is required by His law? In my practice of virtue, do I merely remain this side of sin?

Parable of the Gold Pieces

Chapter 79
LUKE 19:11-28
At Zacchaeus' house Jesus told a parable inculcating dili­gence and showing that His kingdom was not imminent.
"A certain nobleman went into a far country to obtain for himself a kingdom and then return. And having summoned ten of his servants, he gave them ten gold pieces and said to them, 'Trade till I come.' "But his citizens hated him; and they sent a delegation after him to say, 'We do not wish this man to be king over us.' And it came to pass when he had returned, after receiving the king­dom, that he ordered the servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him in order that he might learn how much each one had made by trading. "And the first came, saying, 'Lord, thy gold piece has earned ten gold pieces.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because thou hast been faithful in a very little, thou shalt have authority over ten towns.' "Then the second came, saying, 'Lord, thy gold piece has made five gold pieces.' And he said to him, 'Be thou also over five towns.' "And another came, saying, 'Lord, behold thy gold piece, which I have kept laid up in a napkin; for I feared thee, be­cause thou art a stern man. Thou takest up what thou didst not lay down, and thou reapest what thou didst not sow.' He said to him, 'Out of thy own mouth I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I am a stern man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow. Why, then, didst thou not put my money in a bank, so that I on my re­turn might have gotten it with interest?' And he said to the bystanders, 'Take away the gold piece from him, and give it to him who has the ten gold pieces.' But they said, to him, 'Lord, he has ten gold pieces.'
The parable ends with a rebuke by the angry king:
" 'I say to you that to everyone who has shall be given; but from him who does not have, even that which he has shall be taken away. But as for these my enemies, who do not want me to be king over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.' "
Each of us has been given "gold pieces" by our Creator. These talents are to be used to praise God and to secure eternal life with Him. We cannot rest secure in them, think­ing that with them we need the help of no one—not even God, at times. For at death they are to be re­turned to their Maker, and an account rendered of their use. Do I realize that I am only the steward of the talents I possess?

Events at Jericho

Chapter 78
MATT. 20:20-34; MARK 10:35-52; LUKE 18:35—19:1

During the journey to jericho, Salome, the mother of James and John, came to Jesus with her sons, asking a favor, and Jesus said:
"What dost thou want?"
She asked that He give her sons places at His right and left hand in His kingdom, and Jesus asked:
"Can you drink of the cup which I am about to drink?"
They replied that they could; and He said:
"Of My cup you shall indeed drink; but as for sitting at My right hand and My left, that is not Mine to give you, but it be­longs to those for whom it has been prepared by My father."
The other disciples were angry at James and John, but Jesus called them together and said to them:
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. Not so is it among you. On the contrary, whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; even as the Son of Man has not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
At Jericho, two blind men by the wayside (one of them named Bartimeus) cried out to Jesus for mercy, though the crowd tried to silence them. He stopped and said to them:
"What will you have Me do for you?"
When they asked that their sight be restored, Jesus in compassion touched their eyes, and they recovered their vision and joined His followers.
In the crowd at Jericho was Zacchaeus, a publican. A short man, he could not see Jesus; so he climbed a tree by the way­side to get a better view. As Jesus passed him, He looked up and said:
"Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay in thy house today."
The crowd complained that He should accept the hospital­ity of a public sinner, but Jesus commended Zacchaeus:
"Today salvation has come to this house, since he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost."

How many wish to be with Christ in His glory while avoiding Him in His Passion! We eagerly desire to sit at His banquet table but refuse to drink of His cup of suffering. We long for the happiness of heaven but use every means possible to avoid the only way it can be obtained— through purification by suffering. Am I using the suffering in my life—which is inevitable—as an offering to be joined to Christ and take my place in the king­dom of God?

The Raising of Lazarus

Chapter 77
MATT. 20:17-19; MARK 10:32-34; LUKE 18:31-34; JOHN 11:1-56

As spring approached, Jesus again crossed into Perea. While He was there, word was sent to Him by Martha and Mary of Bethany that their brother, Lazarus, was sick. "Lord, behold," they said, "he whom Thou lovest is sick."
Christ sent back this message:
"This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that through it the Son of God may be glorified."
After two days He said to the disciples:
"Let us go again into Judea."
Pointing out the danger from His enemies, they sought to dissuade Him. "Rabbi," they said, "just now the Jews were seeking to stone Thee; and dost Thou go there again?" But Jesus quieted their fears, the time for Him to suffer had not yet arrived.
"Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if he walks in the night, he stumbles, because the
light is not in him. Lazarus, our friend, sleeps. But I go that I may wake him from sleep."
The disciples misunderstanding this, He explained:
"Lazarus is dead; and I rejoice on your account that I was not there, that you may believe. But let us go to him."
Near Bethany they were met by Martha. She expressed her faith in Jesus' power to help them, even though Lazarus was already four days dead. Jesus consoled her, saying:
"Thy brother shall rise."
She thought He referred to the final resurrection, but Jesus corrected her:
"I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, even if he die, shall live; and whoever lives and believes in Me, shall never die. Dost thou believe this?"
She affirmed her faith in Christ, and went to summon Mary, who came to Jesus weeping, accompanied by the mourners, who had already assembled.
When He saw her tears, He groaned in anguish and said to her:
"Where have you laid him?"
Weeping, He went with them to the cave where Lazarus was buried. Then He said:
"Take away the stone."
Martha began to protest, but Jesus said:
"Have I not told thee that if thou believe thou shalt be­hold the glory of God?"
The tomb having been opened, He looked upward and prayed, saying:
"Father, I give Thee thanks that Thou hast heard Me. Yet I knew that Thou always hearest Me; but because of the peo­ple who stand round, I spoke, that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me."
Then He called in a loud voice:
"Lazarus, come forth!"
At once the man who had been dead came up from the tomb, still wrapped in the cerements. And Jesus ordered he mourners:
"Unbind him, and let him go."
A number of Jews from Jerusalem had witnessed the rais­ing of Lazarus. Many of these were converted to believe in Christ. But some returned and told the Pharisees what Jesus had wrought. The Pharisees and chief priests then called a council to decide what could be done to offset the influence of this great miracle on the people.
They apparently expected some public disturbance would result which would involve reprisals by the Roman authorities. "If we let him alone as he is," they said, "all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
Caiphas, the high priest, decided their course of action. "You know nothing at all; nor do you reflect that it is expedient for us that one man die for the people, instead of the whole na­tion perishing."
As Saint John comments, Caiphas was unconsciously de­livering a prophecy: "He prophesied that Jesus was to die for the nation; and not only for the nation, but that He might gather into one the children of God who were scattered abroad."
The high priest's reasoning, that Christ's life must be sacri­ficed for reasons of state, was obviously fallacious, but the council accepted his proposal; and from that day on their plan was to procure His death.
But the time for His suffering had not yet arrived, and Jesus withdrew to the town of Ephrem, in a rocky wasteland about fifteen miles north of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the Passover was approaching, and the country people were already arriving in Jerusalem, for it was required that they be cleansed of their contact with Gentiles before celebrating the feast. In the Temple these people began asking where Christ was and whether He was not going to be present for the Passover. But the Jewish leaders who had formed the conspiracy against Christ had given an order that anyone seeing Jesus was to re­port to them so that they could arrest Him.
After about two weeks at Ephrem, Jesus and the disciples went down to Jericho, about fifteen miles southeast of the des­ert town. The disciples were troubled with vague fears, and to allay their anxiety, Jesus told them plainly what was go­ing to happen to Him:
"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that have been written through the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and scourged and spit upon; and after they have scourged Him, they will put Him to death; and on the third day He will rise again."
But they did not understand Him.

We all must pay the penalty of death. But we, as Christians, do not believe it is the end of our lives—not even the life of the body, for belief in the resurrection means the resur­rection of the body. Do 1 have the pagan at­titude of the world toward this body of mine or do 1 reverence it as a "vessel of election" destined to share in eternal glory?

The Reward of Christ's Followers

Chapter 76
MATT. 19:27—20:16; MARK 10:28-31; LUKE 18:28-30
The rich young man would not renounce his wealth for the sake of Christ, but the disciples had left everything to follow Him. Thinking of this, Peter asked what their reward would be. And Jesus answered:
"Amen I say to you that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of His glory, shall also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting. But many who are first now will be last, and many who are last now will be first.
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. And having agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And about the third hour, he went out and saw others standing in the market place idle; and he said to them, 'Go you also into the vineyard, and I will give you whatever is just.' So they went. And again he went out about the sixth, and about the ninth hour, and did as before. But about the eleventh hour he went out and found others stand­ing about, and he said to them, 'Why do you stand here all day idle?' They said to him, 'Because no man has hired us.' He said to them, 'Go you also into the vineyard.' But when eve­ning had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers, and pay them their wages, beginning from the last even to the first.' Now when they of the eleventh hour came, they received each a denarius. And when the first in their turn came, they thought they would receive more; but they also received each his denarius. And on receiving it, they began to murmur against the householder, saying, 'These last have worked a single hour, and thou has put them on a level with us, who have borne the burden of the day's heat.' But answering one of them, he said, 'Friend, I do thee no injustice; didst thou not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is thine and go; I choose to give to this last even as to thee. Have I not a right to do what I choose? Or art thou envious be­cause I am generous?' Even so the last shall be first, and the first last; for many are called, but few are chosen."

"Have I not a right to do what I choose?" God distributes talents among men accord­ing to His own design, endowing each with the gifts most suitable. Who are we to ques­tion the wisdom of His plans? None of us is without some gift, besides the great gift of life itself. Who, then, cannot find much within himself with which, and for which, to render thanks to God?

Lessons in Prayer

Chapter 75
MATT. 19:3-26; MARK 10:2-27; LUKE 18:1-27
To teach His disciples to pray persistently and confi­dently, Jesus told them this parable:
"There was a judge in a certain town who did not fear God and did not respect man. Now there was a certain widow in that town, and she kept coming to him saying, 'Do me justice against my adversary.' And he would not for a long time. But afterwards he said within himself, 'Although I do not fear God, nor even respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will do her justice, lest by her continual coming she finally wear me out.'
"Hear what the unjust judge says; and will not God avenge His elect, who cry to Him day and night? And will He be slow to act in their case? I tell you that He will avenge them quickly. Yet when the Son of Man comes, will He find, do you think, faith on the earth?"
In behalf of humility and against self-righteousness, He told another parable:
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, the one a Phari­see and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and began to pray thus within himself: 'O God, I thank Thee that I am not like the rest of men, robbers, dishonest, adulterers, or even like this publican. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I possess.' But the publican standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me the sinner!'
"I tell you, this man went back to his home justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be hum­bled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."
Some Pharisees came up and sought to trap Him by asking whether it was lawful for a man to repudiate his wife (as many rabbis were then teaching this could be done for any cause). And Jesus answered:
"Have you not read that the Creator, from the beginning, made them male and female, and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? Therefore now they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined to­gether, let no man put asunder."
They then asked Him why, if this were so, Moses had pro­vided for a wife being dismissed through a written notice. And Jesus answered:
"Because Moses, by reason of the hardness of your heart, permitted you to put away your wives; but it was not so from the beginning. And I say to you, that whoever puts away his wife, except for immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries a woman who has been put away commits adultery."
The disciples were surprised to hear Jesus teach that the marriage bond could not be broken; and they asked Him whether it would not be better for a man not to marry at all. Then Jesus said to them:
Not all can accept this teaching; but those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born so from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who were made so by men; and there are eunuchs who have made themselv­es so for the kingdom of Heaven's sake. Let him accept it who can."
As Jesus was speaking, some little children had been brought forward for Him to bless them. The disciples began to rebuke the children and their escorts, thinking perhaps to save their Master annoyance. But when Jesus saw what they were doing, He said indignantly:
"Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for of such is the kingdom of God. Amen I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God as a little child will not enter into it."
And calling them to Him, He embraced the children and blessed them.
As Christ continued His journey, a young ruler came to Him, saying, "Good Master, what good work shall I do to have eternal life?" Jesus said:
"Why dost thou ask Me about what is good? One there is who is good, that is God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."
The young man asked, "Which?," and Jesus replied:
“Thou shalt not kill,
Thou shalt not commit adultery,
Thou shalt not steal,
Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Honor thy father and mother,
and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
The youth said he had kept all these, and asked what more was required. Then Jesus counseled him:
"If thou will be perfect, go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
The young man went away depressed, for he would not give up his wealth; he was too attached to his material comforts. And Jesus said to His disciples:
"Amen I say to you, with difficulty will a rich man enter the kingdom of heaven. And further I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through an eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."
The astonished disciples asked who could be saved if this were so, and Jesus replied:
"With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

In the first of these parables, Christ empha­sizes the necessity of perseverance in our efforts to grow in holiness. By continually as­piring to union with God by constant prayer we will finally achieve Him. Possession of Him will not be denied us if our prayers are persistent and confident. "Pray always" in word and work should be the watchword of the soul striving to lay hold of eternal life. Is prayer an effective, constant, integral part of my spiritual life?