Dear St. Paul’s Family,
With the pageantry of Palm Sunday now behind us, our gaze fixes squarely on the events of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. We prepare ourselves for what we know will soon come. With betrayal, bloodshed, and burial imminent, we try to anesthetize our nerves with the assurance that Easter is just around the corner. Sunday will be here soon. The resurrection is coming.
As quickly as John moves to get to the events of Thursday and Friday, he is the slowest to get to Easter. He draws out the passion narrative more patiently than any of the other gospels. There is a lesson to be learned, and John does not want us to miss it by skipping ahead to the empty tomb.
Much of John’s version of the passion is consumed by Jesus’ confrontation with Pilate, the Roman provincial governor and ultimate adjudicator of Jesus’ fate. His portrayal is 50% longer than in the other gospels. This Pilate is also more inquisitive: he asks nearly twice as many questions of Jesus as the other three gospels combined. And, unlike the other gospels, where the extent of Jesus’ rebuttal is only a handful of words, this Jesus engages Pilate more fully, with talk about the kingdom of God and the purpose of his mission.
But most interesting is the open-endedness with which John explores Pilate’s internal struggle. The other gospels quickly and summarily dismiss Pilate as a self-serving antagonist to Jesus. Matthew’s Pilate washed his hands of the mess in order to prevent a riot. Mark concludes similarly: Pilate wanted to “satisfy the crowd.” Luke’s conclusion is the boldest: Pilate and Herod “became friends” after this event.
But John’s assessment of Pilate is not as straightforward. John’s Jesus questions Pilate directly: “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you?”
And later, they share this exchange:
Pilate: So you are a king?
Jesus: You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
Pilate: What is truth?
This is not an exchange between a hero and a villain. It is more like a test between a sage and a seeker, between the confident and the curious.
Such exchanges occur consistently throughout John’s gospel. Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the blind beggar – all of them had personal encounters with Jesus and were forced to make a choice:
- Was he the Son of God or not?
- Was he to be believed or denied?
- Did he speak the truth, or lead others astray?
According to John, Pilate struggled, even until the very end, and perhaps even retained a shred of pro-Jesus sentiment. Pilate had a sign on the cross above Jesus that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The Jewish leaders responded, saying, “Do not write, the ‘The King of the Jews’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’”
And these are the last words we hear Pilate speak: “What I have written I have written.”
In the end, our struggle must be the same as Pilate’s: What will we do with this Jesus? Will we believe him, or will we deny him? Lest we are too hasty to decide and too quick to skip to the resurrection, John invites us to ponder our surroundings.
- The call of the crowds is deafening.
- The culture around us is convincing.
- The cost of following Jesus just seems too great.
And as difficult as it is to choose, it is a choice we must make. We must decide. There is no middle ground. In his book John: The Maverick Gospel, biblical scholar Robert Kysar writes:
Interestingly, (Pilate) is the supporting actor in the whole drama of the Gospel whose character is explored most fully. It appears that the evangelist did not want us to slip through the Gospel without becoming aware of how dangerous it is to try to remain neutral to this Jesus figure.
This Thursday and Friday, as we gather together to hear again the stories of the week that changed the world, come with hearts and minds ready to answer the greatest question humanity must answer:
What will you make of this Jesus?
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE
Thursday and Friday night feature two very different worship experiences. Maundy Thursday is a standard service with sermon, Holy Communion, and music offered by the Chancel Choir. Friday night features a powerful Tenebrae service, with readings from John’s passion narrative interspersed with anthems and hymns led by the Chancel Choir. Nursery care is provided for both services.
- March 20 Maundy Thursday with Celebration of Holy Communion 7:00 pm
- March 21 Good Friday Service (Tenebrae: Service of Darkness) 7:00 pm
EASTER SUNDAY, MARCH 23 “Something to Believe In: I am the Resurrection and the Life” John 20:1-18
This Sunday, we will be offering two identical worship services, both led by the Chancel Choir and with the same sermon. The early service will also include the Celebration of Holy Communion. Because there is no Sunday school that morning, we invite everyone to join us between services for a wonderful Easter Brunch provided by the Youth Program.
- 7:00am Easter Sunrise Celebration with Holy Communion
- 8-10:00am Easter Brunch in the Fellowship Hall
- 10:10am Easter Celebration
SERMONS A LA CARTE AVAILABLE
We now have an audio recording of all the sermons given during the recent “Sermons A La Carte” program at Memorial Presbyterian. Let me know if you would like a copy. In addition, all the recordings are available for download from our blogsite, http://blog.cherokeespumc.org or from our iTunes Podcast.
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