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Below are readings for daytime services on Holy Saturday, applicable to all three years of the Lectionary.
Emphases below are mine.
Before getting to the readings, Holy Saturday sees the end of Lent in the evening and is very much food related, especially in anticipation of Easter. These posts discuss various Easter traditions:
Holy Saturday and food traditions
Easter food explored — part 1 (Mary Berry, BBC — 2016)
Easter food explored — part 2 (Mary Berry, BBC — 2016)
Holy Saturday: preparing for an Easter feast (2017)
For those wondering why we have chocolate bunnies and eggs for Easter, the next post explains these ancient symbols of life. Centuries-old churches even have hares carved on them:
Easter, the egg and the hare (one of the fullest accounts about Easter symbolism)
Mary Magdalene and the legend of the egg (Christian — not pagan!)
This post has more about Holy Saturday in general:
What happens on Holy Saturday?
Now on to the readings.
First reading
There are two choices for the first reading.
Option One
This passage from Job concerns intimations of mortality and what happens after death.
Job 14:1-14
14:1 “A mortal, born of woman, few of days and full of trouble,
14:2 comes up like a flower and withers, flees like a shadow and does not last.
14:3 Do you fix your eyes on such a one? Do you bring me into judgment with you?
14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one can.
14:5 Since their days are determined, and the number of their months is known to you, and you have appointed the bounds that they cannot pass,
14:6 look away from them, and desist, that they may enjoy, like laborers, their days.
14:7 “For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease.
14:8 Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground,
14:9 yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth branches like a young plant.
14:10 But mortals die, and are laid low; humans expire, and where are they?
14:11 As waters fail from a lake, and a river wastes away and dries up,
14:12 so mortals lie down and do not rise again; until the heavens are no more, they will not awake or be roused out of their sleep.
14:13 Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14:14 If mortals die, will they live again? All the days of my service I would wait until my release should come.
Option Two
This passage from Lamentations is more hopeful than the one from Job.
Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24
3:1 I am one who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath;
3:2 he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light;
3:3 against me alone he turns his hand, again and again, all day long.
3:4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away, and broken my bones;
3:5 he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation;
3:6 he has made me sit in darkness like the dead of long ago.
3:7 He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has put heavy chains on me;
3:8 though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer;
3:9 he has blocked my ways with hewn stones, he has made my paths crooked.
3:19 The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall!
3:20 My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me.
3:21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
3:22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;
3:23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
3:24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
Psalm
Here David proclaims his confident faith in God.
Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16
31:1 In you, O LORD, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.
31:2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.
31:3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
31:4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
31:15 My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
31:16 Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.
Epistle
Peter exhorts his flock to discard the world and embrace a life of righteousness, following our Lord’s example.
1 Peter 4:1-8
4:1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin),
4:2 so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God.
4:3 You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry.
4:4 They are surprised that you no longer join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme.
4:5 But they will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.
4:6 For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.
4:7 The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers.
4:8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.
Gospel
There are also two choices of Gospel reading.
Option One
This passage from Matthew explains that the Jews encouraged the Romans to seal up Jesus’s tomb, lest the disciples steal His body. This notion that His body was stolen is still a popular one among unbelievers today.
Matthew 27:57-66
27:57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.
27:58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
27:59 So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth
27:60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.
27:61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
27:62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate
27:63 and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’
27:64 Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.”
27:65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.”
27:66 So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
Option Two
These verses were read on Good Friday.
John 19:38-42
19:38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body.
19:39 Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds.
19:40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews.
19:41 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid.
19:42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
The mood of all of these readings is sombre, reflecting what Jesus’s friends and disciples must have felt, not understanding that He would rise from the dead.
Easter Vigil readings — heard in the evening — are jubilant, recalling God’s faithfulness to His people throughout biblical history.
Below are readings for Good Friday from the three-year Lectionary.
Emphases mine below.
Before proceeding to the reading, these posts discuss various aspects of our Lord’s horrifying and humiliating death on the Cross:
Barabbas: an inspiration for liberation theology?
Reflections on the Crucifixion
Good Friday: in whom can we trust? (John 18:12-27)
Martin Luther’s ‘How to Contemplate Christ’s Sufferings’: the false views
Martin Luther’s ‘How to Contemplate Christ’s Sufferings’: the true views
Martin Luther’s ‘How to Contemplate Christ’s Sufferings’: the comfort
Good Friday: the horror of the Crucifixion (John MacArthur)
First reading
This prophecy is about Christ as Messiah and Redeemer. Matthew Henry’s commentary calls it the ‘gospel of the evangelist Isaiah’.
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
52:13 See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.
52:14 Just as there were many who were astonished at him–so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals-
52:15 so he shall startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.
53:1 Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
53:2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
53:3 He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account.
53:4 Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.
53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
53:8 By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people.
53:9 They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
53:10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the LORD shall prosper.
53:11 Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
53:12 Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Psalm
David speaks largely of himself in this Psalm, yet perfectly prophesies his descendant, Christ Jesus.
Psalm 22
22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
22:2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest.
22:3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
22:4 In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.
22:5 To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
22:6 But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people.
22:7 All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
22:8 “Commit your cause to the LORD; let him deliver– let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”
22:9 Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
22:10 On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
22:11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
22:12 Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
22:13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.
22:14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;
22:15 my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
22:16 For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled;
22:17 I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me;
22:18 they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.
22:19 But you, O LORD, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid!
22:20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog!
22:21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me.
22:22 I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
22:23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
22:24 For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.
22:25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
22:26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever!
22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
22:28 For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
22:29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.
22:30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord,
22:31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
Epistle — first selection
There is a choice of two Epistles, both of which are from Hebrews. This is the first selection, which speaks of God’s forgiveness of our sins through the one and sufficient sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross.
Hebrews 10:16-25
10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,”
10:17 he also adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
10:18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
10:19 Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,
10:20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh),
10:21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
10:22 let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
10:23 Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.
10:24 And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds,
10:25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Epistle — second selection
The second selection from Hebrews focusses on a common theme running through that particular book: Christ as High Priest, the source of our salvation.
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
4:14 Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.
4:16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
5:7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
5:8 Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered;
5:9 and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,
Gospel
This passage from John recounts Jesus’s arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter’s denial of Him, His crucifixion and burial. (St Luke’s account was the Gospel reading on Palm Sunday.) John speaks of himself in John 19:26-27 and John 19:35. It is less clear who the other disciple of John 18:15-16 is.
John 18:1-19:42
18:1 After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.
18:2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples.
18:3 So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
18:4 Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?”
18:5 They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.
18:6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground.
18:7 Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
18:8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”
18:9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.”
18:10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus.
18:11 Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
18:12 So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him.
18:13 First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.
18:14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people.
18:15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest,
18:16 but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in.
18:17 The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
18:18 Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.
18:19 Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.
18:20 Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret.
18:21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.”
18:22 When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?”
18:23 Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”
18:24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
18:25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”
18:26 One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?”
18:27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.
18:28 Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover.
18:29 So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”
18:30 They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.”
18:31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.”
18:32 (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)
18:33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
18:34 Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?”
18:35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?”
18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
18:37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “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.”
18:38 Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him.
18:39 But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”
18:40 They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit.
19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.
19:2 And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe.
19:3 They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face.
19:4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.”
19:5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
19:6 When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.”
19:7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.”
19:8 Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever.
19:9 He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
19:10 Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?”
19:11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
19:12 From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.”
19:13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha.
19:14 Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!”
19:15 They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.”
19:16 Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus;
19:17 and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
19:18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them.
19:19 Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
19:20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.
19:21 Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.'”
19:22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
19:23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top.
19:24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.”
19:25 And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
19:26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.”
19:27 Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
19:28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.”
19:29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.
19:30 When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
19:31 Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed.
19:32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him.
19:33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
19:34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.
19:35 (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.)
19:36 These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.”
19:37 And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”
19:38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body.
19:39 Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds.
19:40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews.
19:41 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid.
19:42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
The Gospel reading makes the passage from Isaiah and the Psalm truly resonate. May we also remember the verses from Hebrews and give solemn thanks this Good Friday for our loving High Priest who made the ultimate sacrifice for us.
What follows are readings for Thursday of Holy Week, also called Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday.
Maundy comes from the Middle English maunde (1300 AD) and the Old French mandé, both of which have their roots in the Latin word mandatum — mandate or commandment, referring to John 13:34 (see today’s Gospel), when Jesus said:
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
John’s Gospel has five chapters about the Last Supper. Here are several posts about some of that content:
‘One of you will betray Me’ (John 13)
Maundy Thursday and the Last Supper: Jesus’s words of comfort (John 14, alludes to the Holy Trinity)
John 17 — the High Priestly Prayer: parts 1, 2 and 3
Not all Jews celebrated Passover on the same day:
Why some Jews celebrated Passover on Thursday and others on Friday (here and here)
John MacArthur on Passover as celebrated at the Last Supper
Another event on this particular day was Jesus’s foretelling Peter that he would deny Him three times before the cock crowed on Friday morning:
Jesus foretells Peter’s denial (Mark 14:26-31)
The evening of Maundy Thursday marks the beginning of the Triduum — the three most important days in the Church calendar, which end on the night of Easter Sunday:
Now on to the readings. Emphases mine below.
First reading
This is the story of Passover, commemorated throughout Jewish history by divine commandment (verse 14). It includes the solemn feast which Jesus and the Twelve took part in at the Last Supper.
Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14
12:1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:
12:2 This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you.
12:3 Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household.
12:4 If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it.
12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
12:6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight.
12:7 They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
12:8 They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
12:9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs.
12:10 You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.
12:11 This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the LORD.
12:12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.
12:13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
12:14 This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.
Psalm
The Psalm is one of joyful thanksgiving to the Lord for all His goodness. May we be especially thankful for sending His Son to die for our sins and bring us to everlasting life.
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
116:1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
116:2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
116:12 What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
116:13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
116:14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
116:16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.
116:17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.
116:18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
116:19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
Epistle
Paul wrote of the events of the Last Supper, as our Lord related them to him. These verses, beginning with the second half of verse 23, are part of the traditional Anglican prayer of consecration before Holy Communion.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread,
11:24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
11:25 In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Gospel
The washing of the feet took place before the events in Paul’s Epistle. Once again, Jesus said He was glorified (see Gospels for Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week).
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
13:1 Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
13:2 The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper
13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God,
13:4 got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself.
13:5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.
13:6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
13:7 Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
13:8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.”
13:9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”
13:10 Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.”
13:11 For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
13:12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
13:13 You call me Teacher and Lord–and you are right, for that is what I am.
13:14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
13:15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.
13:16 Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.
13:17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
13:31b When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.
13:32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.
13:33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’
13:34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This commandment to love also includes service, i.e. the washing of the feet. These days, many churches take it literally and have their own footwashing rites during the Holy Thursday evening Mass or service.
However, when I was growing up, such rites were few and far between in the churches I attended.
The key takeaway was ‘example’ (verse 15).
As such, the British monarch hands out Maundy money in an annual tradition that dates back centuries. The number of recipients of these small purses of money has depended on the age of the monarch since the 15th century. In 2019, as the Queen is 93, there will be 93 recipients of Maundy money at a special service held in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Thursday.
What follows are the readings for Wednesday of Holy Week, referred to by some traditionalists as Spy Wednesday, because spies at the temple wanted to know where Jesus went every day after He finished preaching in order to bring Him to trial.
This is where Judas steps into the picture, and the betrayal plot begins. These posts explain more about Spy Wednesday and Judas:
Wednesday of Holy Week — Spy Wednesday (2017, Henry and MacArthur on Judas)
Now on to the readings. Emphases below mine.
First reading
In this passage, Isaiah refers to himself, but the verses apply equally to Christ’s obedience to God the Father, His source of help when enduring suffering.
Isaiah 50:4-9a
50:4 The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens– wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.
50:5 The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward.
50:6 I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.
50:7 The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
50:8 he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me.
50:9a It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty?
Psalm
This Psalm is nearly identical to Psalm 40, and it is thought that David used it as a remembrance prayer to cover other prayers and petitions made to the Lord. These first five verses are a request for help against one’s enemies.
Psalm 70
70:1 Be pleased, O God, to deliver me. O LORD, make haste to help me!
70:2 Let those be put to shame and confusion who seek my life. Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire to hurt me.
70:3 Let those who say, “Aha, Aha!” turn back because of their shame.
70:4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”
70:5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!
Epistle
The author of Hebrews encourages the faithful to adopt Christ’s patient endurance of hostility and suffering. Matthew Henry has an excellent commentary on this chapter.
Hebrews 12:1-3
12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
12:2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
12:3 Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.
Gospel
John’s account of Jesus’s betrayal by Judas includes His words about being glorified, as did yesterday’s reading from John 12. Incidentally, John refers to himself in verses 23-25.
John 13:21-32
13:21 After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
13:22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking.
13:23 One of his disciples–the one whom Jesus loved–was reclining next to him;
13:24 Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking.
13:25 So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
13:26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot.
13:27 After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.”
13:28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him.
13:29 Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival”; or, that he should give something to the poor.
13:30 So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
13:31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.
13:32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.
One cannot equivocate about Judas. I have read some surprising sermons from a few of today’s modern clergymen who try to rationalise Judas’s behaviour and give him a pass. It is a mystery how such men can consider themselves in the Lord’s service.
Below are the readings for Tuesday of Holy Week, which apply to all three Lectionary years.
Emphases below mine.
Readers might also be interested in the following posts about the days immediately before the Crucifixion:
Contemplating the withered fig tree
The High Priests plot against Jesus
First reading
Isaiah prophesies the Messiah; the Lord wanted Jesus to bring the tribe of Jacob back to Him but, in a greater sense, be a light unto the whole world.
Isaiah 49:1-7
49:1 Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The LORD called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away.
49:3 And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
49:4 But I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the LORD, and my reward with my God.”
49:5 And now the LORD says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and my God has become my strength-
49:6 he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
49:7 Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, “Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
Psalm
It is thought that David penned this psalm during a time of affliction in his household, but also intended it for believers to use any time they were troubled, trusting that the Lord will deliver us from suffering and one’s enemies.
Psalm 71:1-14
71:1 In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
71:2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me.
71:3 Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
71:4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
71:5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
71:6 Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.
71:7 I have been like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.
71:8 My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all day long.
71:9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent.
71:10 For my enemies speak concerning me, and those who watch for my life consult together.
71:11 They say, “Pursue and seize that person whom God has forsaken, for there is no one to deliver.”
71:12 O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!
71:13 Let my accusers be put to shame and consumed; let those who seek to hurt me be covered with scorn and disgrace.
71:14 But I will hope continually, and will praise you yet more and more.
Epistle
In this famous passage, Paul tells the Corinthians that the Cross is a stumbling block to those who seek signs and foolishness for those looking for wisdom. This post, with commentary from Matthew Henry and John MacArthur, explains more:
Epistle for Tuesday of Holy Week — 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
1:18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1:19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
1:20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.
1:22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom,
1:23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
1:24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1:25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
1:26 Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
1:27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are,
1:29 so that no one might boast in the presence of God.
1:30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
1:31 in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Gospel
Greeks — whether Hellenist Jews or Gentiles — come in search of Jesus. Jesus says that His followers must serve Him. God then glorifies Him, for the crowd’s benefit. He also reflects upon His death to come and urges the crowd to walk with the light — Himself — while they still have it, less they stumble into the darkness.
John 12:20-36
12:20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks.
12:21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
12:22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
12:23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
12:24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
12:25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
12:27 “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say–‘ Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.
12:28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
12:29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
12:30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine.
12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
12:33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
12:34 The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”
12:35 Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going.
12:36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.
The Gospel is particularly powerful. Combined with the Epistle, these two passages give us much to contemplate.
Below are the readings for Monday of Holy Week, which apply to all three Lectionary years.
Emphases below mine.
Readers might also find these posts interesting in contemplating the last few days before the Crucifixion:
The righteous anger of Jesus towards the money changers
First reading
These verses prophesy the Messiah’s coming in gentleness yet with power, as God promised.
Isaiah 42:1-9
42:1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
42:2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;
42:3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
42:4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
42:5 Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:
42:6 I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations,
42:7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
42:8 I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols.
42:9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.
Psalm
The Psalm proclaims God’s everlasting righteousness and goodness.
Psalm 36:5-11
36:5 Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.
36:6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O LORD.
36:7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
36:8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
36:9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
36:10 O continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your salvation to the upright of heart!
36:11 Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me, or the hand of the wicked drive me away.
Epistle
The author of Hebrews explains that Christ is the great High Priest, making the ultimate sacrifice of Himself as the one oblation for our sins.
Hebrews 9:11-15
9:11 But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation),
9:12 he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified,
9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!
9:15 For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.
Gospel
The first eight verses of this passage from John were also read on the Fifth Sunday in Lent. Note the last three verses in particular, wherein the Jewish leaders wished to put the resurrected Lazarus to death along with Jesus.
John 12:1-11
12:1 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
12:2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him.
12:3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
12:4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said,
12:5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?”
12:6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)
12:7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.
12:8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
12:9 When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
12:10 So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well,
12:11 since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.
Spiritual blindness, manifesting itself here as violent hatred, truly is soul destroying.
What follows are two selections of readings for Palm Sunday, April 14, 2019.
Both are for Year C in the three-year Lectionary used in public worship.
The first set of readings is for the Liturgy of the Palms.
The second is for the Liturgy of the Passion.
Churches will use one or the other but not both.
Emphases below are mine.
Before proceeding to the readings, it is worth noting that the day before Palm Sunday is Lazarus Saturday, when Jesus raised Mary and Martha’s brother from the dead:
Holy Week begins tomorrow – today is Lazarus Saturday
Liturgy of the Palms
Psalm
The Psalm used is the same for all three Lectionary years. It is thought that David wrote this Psalm of thanksgiving after he became king. Our Lord cited verses 22 and 23 in reference to Himself (Matthew 21:42). The joy expressed here ties in well with that of the people who greeted Jesus upon His entry to Jerusalem.
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
118:1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!
118:2 Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”
118:19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD.
118:20 This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it.
118:21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
118:22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
118:23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
118:24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
118:25 Save us, we beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!
118:26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD.
118:27 The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.
118:28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you.
118:29 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Gospel
Luke’s version of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem follows (colt instead of donkey). These posts on the significance of this event might be useful:
The greatest reality story of all time begins on Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday and the Jesus watchers
Luke 19:28-40
19:28 After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
19:29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples,
19:30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here.
19:31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.'”
19:32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them.
19:33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
19:34 They said, “The Lord needs it.”
19:35 Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.
19:36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road.
19:37 As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen,
19:38 saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”
19:39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.”
19:40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”
Liturgy of the Passion
The first two readings and the Psalm are the same for all three Lectionary years.
First reading
This reading from Isaiah alludes to Christ’s humiliation and suffering to come.
Isaiah 50:4-9a
50:4 The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens– wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.
50:5 The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward.
50:6 I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.
50:7 The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
50:8 he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me.
50:9a It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty?
Psalm
The Psalm further reflects the themes of suffering and desperation at the hands of mankind, when only the Lord is faithful.
Psalm 31:9-16
31:9 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also.
31:10 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away.
31:11 I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.
31:12 I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.
31:13 For I hear the whispering of many– terror all around!– as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.
31:14 But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”
31:15 My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
31:16 Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.
Epistle
Paul explains the redemptive purpose of Jesus’s human likeness.
Philippians 2:5-11
2:5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
2:6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
2:7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,
2:8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death– even death on a cross.
2:9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
2:10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
2:11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel
What follows is Luke’s account of the Last Supper, the betrayal of Jesus, the violent humiliation of the Crucifixion and His burial.
One of the two readings will be used.
Option One
Luke 22:14-23:56
22:14 When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him.
22:15 He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;
22:16 for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”
22:17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves;
22:18 for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
22:19 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
22:20 And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
22:21 But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table.
22:22 For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!“
22:23 Then they began to ask one another, which one of them it could be who would do this.
22:24 A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest.
22:25 But he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors.
22:26 But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves.
22:27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
22:28 “You are those who have stood by me in my trials;
22:29 and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom,
22:30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
22:31 “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat,
22:32 but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
22:33 And he said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!”
22:34 Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.”
22:35 He said to them, “When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “No, not a thing.”
22:36 He said to them, “But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one.
22:37 For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, ‘And he was counted among the lawless’; and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled.”
22:38 They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” He replied, “It is enough.”
22:39 He came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him.
22:40 When he reached the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”
22:41 Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed,
22:42 “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.”
22:43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength.
22:44 In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.
22:45 When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief,
22:46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”
22:47 While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him;
22:48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?”
22:49 When those who were around him saw what was coming, they asked, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?”
22:50 Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
22:51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him.
22:52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple police, and the elders who had come for him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit?
22:53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!”
22:54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance.
22:55 When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.
22:56 Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man also was with him.”
22:57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.”
22:58 A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
22:59 Then about an hour later still another kept insisting, “Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.”
22:60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about!” At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed.
22:61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.”
22:62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
22:63 Now the men who were holding Jesus began to mock him and beat him;
22:64 they also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?”
22:65 They kept heaping many other insults on him.
22:66 When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, gathered together, and they brought him to their council.
22:67 They said, “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” He replied, “If I tell you, you will not believe;
22:68 and if I question you, you will not answer.
22:69 But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
22:70 All of them asked, “Are you, then, the Son of God?” He said to them, “You say that I am.”
22:71 Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips!”
23:1 Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate.
23:2 They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”
23:3 Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered, “You say so.”
23:4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation against this man.”
23:5 But they were insistent and said, “He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.”
23:6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean.
23:7 And when he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time.
23:8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign.
23:9 He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer.
23:10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him.
23:11 Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate.
23:12 That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies.
23:13 Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people,
23:14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him.
23:15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death.
23:16 I will therefore have him flogged and release him.”
23:18 Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!”
23:19 (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)
23:20 Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again;
23:21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!”
23:22 A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.”
23:23 But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed.
23:24 So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted.
23:25 He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished.
23:26 As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus.
23:27 A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him.
23:28 But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
23:29 For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’
23:30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’
23:31 For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
23:32 Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him.
23:33 When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing.
23:35 And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!”
23:36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine,
23:37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”
23:38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
23:39 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
23:40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
23:41 And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.”
23:42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
23:43 He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
23:44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,
23:45 while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
23:46 Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last.
23:47 When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.”
23:48 And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts.
23:49 But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.
23:50 Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council,
23:51 had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God.
23:52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
23:53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid.
23:54 It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning.
23:55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid.
23:56 Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
Option Two
The second Gospel option is Luke 23:1-49 (see verses above).
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We are now in Passiontide, as Holy Week begins.
May we meditate in the days ahead on our Lord’s betrayal and suffering for our collective sinful sake.
Prime Minister Theresa May went to Brussels on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.
Another trip to Brussels for her, another Brexit extension for us. This one is called a ‘flextension’. It expires on Halloween. You couldn’t make it up:
There will be a progress check on June 30, but that is likely to be a mere formality:
It would be nice if this actually were the final deadline, unlike others, such as March 29 and April 12 …
… but the Brexit timetable continues to roll on and on and on:
Sadly, No Deal preparations have now stopped:
Emmanuel Macron and his EU team tried their best to block an extension, but the EU project is much bigger than Macron:
His scheduled press conference did not take place late Wednesday. Someone higher up in the EU is displeased with him:
Meanwhile, talks with Labour have not been going well. No surprise there:
The flextension is unhelpful for the UK:
That said, MPs will be happy …
… just like schoolchildren:
More Brexit news will appear as and when.
The lies from Britain’s Remainers about Brexit’s Leavers are quite incredible.
For the past three weeks, if not longer, Remainers have told Leavers they did not know what they were voting for in the 2016 Brexit referendum.
False!
Let’s go back to when David Cameron was still Prime Minister.
This is what party leaders — Conservative, Lib Dem and Labour — had to say about the referendum. There would be only one:
Cameron summarised the process. Article 50 would be triggered promptly. In February 2016, he said:
Leavers watched the televised debates.
They also researched sites other than Big Media. Guido Fawkes was one of them. Here Guido explains tariffs:
This was the referendum result on June 23, 2016 — 52%-48%:
David Cameron stood down as Prime Minister the morning of Friday, June 24.
Theresa May succeeded him a few weeks later.
In 2017, under May’s premiership, a WTO Brexit was part of the Conservative Party manifesto for the general election held in June:
The Conservative Party manifesto excluded a halfway house Brexit with a foot in each camp. Leavers were told they would get a WTO Brexit:
Before the election, Labour MP Yvette Cooper — whose Bill No. 5 blocking a parliamentary/government No Deal is now law — pledged to honour the Brexit mandate, which, incidentally, the Labour Party manifesto also supported. Note that she represents a Leave constituency:
This is what Leavers voted for:
Fast forward to 2019, and who wants a second referendum — a ‘People’s Vote’? Remainers.
Remainers can rest comfortably knowing that their allies in both Houses — Commons and the Lords — will see to it that they get their wish.
Should Britain end up with a halfway house Brexit — heaven forfend — that is not what Leavers voted for in 2016.
Remainers can share the blame for that with their advocates: parliamentarians and peers alike.
Thankfully, Abby Johnson, upon whose life the film Unplanned is based, is a staunch pro-life advocate.
However, it was not always that way.
Many people know that Johnson worked for Planned Parenthood — and, as a local clinic director, was their Employee of the Year — until she had to assist with an abortion herself.
What most of us do not know is that Johnson actually had two abortions before being employed by Planned Parenthood. These episodes are covered in the film.
After reading a Christian Post article by Brandon Showalter, ‘”Unplanned” movie will cause men to repent for mistreating, abandoning women and shift the culture’, I was amazed that any woman who went through two traumatic abortions would even want to work for Planned Parenthood.
One cannot help but think that God was trying to send her a message. When the first one did not reach her psyche, He seemed to have tried again. Incredibly, that one also failed.
These, quite possibly, involved Johnson’s two abortions, both of which involved her boyfriend, then husband, Mark.
Showalter tells us that Johnson’s first abortion took place while she was in college and partying quite a bit with Mark. The inevitable happened, and Mark offered her a lift to an abortion clinic to ‘take care of it’. He couldn’t afford to pay for her abortion, so:
Abby applied for her first credit card to pay for it herself.
Unplanned shows Ashley Bratcher, who plays Abby:
being handed a few crackers as she’s seated alongside several other dazed and traumatized women dressed in pink hospital gowns as they’re herded in and out of the procedure room at the clinic like cattle.
Abby’s father warned her about Mark, but she went ahead and married him anyway. A year later, on Valentine’s Day, he was cheating on her. She filed for divorce, then found out she was eight weeks pregnant with his baby. She went to the Planned Parenthood clinic which later employed her as its director. Perhaps she worked there to improve standards, because this was her experience (emphases mine):
… she’s told that because she’s only eight weeks pregnant she qualifies for a chemical abortion that she can perform by herself at home.
Actress Ashley Bratcher turns in a stunningly convincing performance as Abby Johnson. She fully inhabits the role. And in my view, the most unforgettable scene was how she portrayed the grisly, excruciating night of desperation that a young, panicked Abby endures as she bleeds out and discards the pieces of her second pregnancy. One can palpably feel her anguish as she writhes in intense pain, sobbing all alone in the fetal position on her bathroom floor.
Her ordeal was followed by several weeks of severe abdominal cramps and blood clots, health risks Planned Parenthood never warned her about when they gave her the RU-486 abortion pill couched in professional-sounding assurances that she’d be just fine.
Wow.
So she went to work at a place that could have killed her. She also encouraged, even indirectly, other women to have abortions there.
Thankfully, the Lord got through to her mind and heart in the end.
Fortunately, everything ended well. Showalter elaborates:
It’s extra hopeful in that she was fortunate to find a good man in her second husband, Doug, a stay-at-home dad who I interviewed in the latest CP podcast, and with whom she’s now expecting their eighth child.
The one thing Showalter does tell us is that his reaction to the abortions portrayed in the film — Abby’s and the one in which she had to participate — is not unusual for other men who have also seen Unplanned:
The film’s promoters told me that my visceral response to the movie was something they’d seen from many men at other prescreenings around country. If that’s true, then I dare say we are on the cusp of a massive shift in the national conversation about abortion. And it won’t just be about this or that legal restriction and the usual toxic politics we have trained ourselves to tune out or compartmentalize as just another issue.
Go see “Unplanned” this weekend. Take several friends with you. I’d advise taking a box or two of tissues. This one is not to be missed.
Make sure your sons, nephews and their friends see Unplanned. Just because it’s about abortion does not mean it’s ‘only’ a ‘woman’s’ film.
