Tell your Story!

Luke 24:35-48

35 The disciples told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognized Jesus at the breaking of bread. 36 They were still talking about this when Jesus himself stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 37 They thought they were seeing a ghost and were scared half to death. 38 He continued with them, "Don't be upset, and don't let all these doubting questions take over. 39 Look at my hands; look at my feet-- it's really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn't have muscle and bone like this." 40 As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 They still couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true. He asked, "Do you have any food here?" 42 They gave him a piece of leftover fish they had cooked. 43 He took it and ate it right before their eyes. 44 Then he said, "Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Mo ses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled." 45 He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way. 46 He said, "You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, 47 and then a total life- change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations-- starting from here, from Jerusalem! 48 You're the first to hear and see it. You're the witnesses.

Food for thought! Tell your story and your story will tell you who you are!

Two disciples met the risen Lord on the way to Emmaus. After recognising Jesus, they hurriedly came back to Jerusalem to share their experience with the other apostles. And «While they were telling their story, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you'» (Luke 24:36).

It is in the process of sharing and of telling our story that Christ makes sense of things. Keeping silen t does not help; sharing with someone always helps bring clarity to our confusion. The whole situation seemed to the two disciples to have no explanation. Their hopes and dreams were shattered. Everything seemed meaningless until they talked; until they shared; until they told their story, first to Jesus (yesterday's gospel), and today to the others. That is when the meaning of life became clear and the darkness gave way to light.

Like we said yesterday, our individual stories are not meaningless, they are meaningful, that is, when seen through the eyes of Jesus. Look at your story, your life through the eyes of Jesus and you will see that it carries much meaning. Have you ever told your story? Have you ever shared your story? Do you come home in the evening and share the story of your day, or you think that your story is of no interest to anybody? Do you find time to sit with your people at home to listen to their story? Parents, do you ever listen to the story of your children ? Or you think their small stories are nothing? Do you prefer watching movies to listening to your spouse and children? When did you last listen to anyone’s story? When did you last tell your story to anybody? Tell your story and your story will tell you who you're; reveal your story and your story will reveal who you are.

See how Jesus' story helped the disciples to understand theirs: «Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled.» He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their stories. In other words, when we read scripture we come to understand our story. God as Master Weaver, Master Builder, redeemed the story of Joseph in Egypt. Can’t he redeem your story as well?

Jesus turned their sadness into Joy!

Luke 24:13-35 

Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast. Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days.’ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they answered ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people; and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’ Then he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself. When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’ They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.

Food for thought!

The Gospel of today is about change, from nonsense to sensible; from hopelessness to hopefulness. Jesus' death was a disaster in many ways; it disappointed everybody, including his close followers, the disciples. In this true story, they don't hide their frustration: "Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free." Their hopes were that Jesus was the man to lead them. But when they least expected, he vanished in a very shameful manner. Jesus disappointed his own. Before we go any further,  do you have anyone who might have disappointed you? Think of him as you read on.  

Notice how Jesus makes sense of things that are humanly senseless. The whole situation seemed to these two men to have no explanation, to be disappointingly absurd.. These men's hopes and dreams had been shattered. There was only regret. That is, until Jesus came and walked with them; he came and talked to them, and slowly but gradually the meaning of his suffering and death became clear and the darkness became light; it all became meaningful. With Jesus life is meaningful; he makes our nonsense become sensible; our meaninglessness become meaningful; our night become day; our sunset become dawn; he makes us see our problems and crises as opportunities; he makes life come out of death.

What Jesus did to the two disciples of Emmaus, he does to you and to me; he does to our life, our families, our communities. That is why you should never consider your life meaningless; with Jesus life is very meaningful. "Don't you see that these things in your life had to happen? Are you so thick- headed! So slow- hearted?" Let Jesus into your problem and your problem will cease to be a problem but a prospect. Try it. This means looking at your problem or looking at the person who disappointed you through the eyes of Jesus. Where Jesus is, there is hope and love and prospects. 

Jesus acted as if he were going on!

Did you notice that Jesus made as if he would have gone on? He would not force himself upon them; he awaited their invitation to come in. God gave to men the greatest and the most perilous gift in the world, the gift of free-will; we can use it to invite Christ to enter our lives or to allow him to pass on. When they did invite Jesus, he came as he says in the Book of Revelation: “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

The disciples recognized Jesus when he broke the bread!

It was at an ordinary meal in an ordinary house, when an ordinary loaf was being divided, that these men recognized Jesus. It is not only at the communion table we can be with Christ; we can be with him at the dinner table too. He is not only the host in his Church; he is the guest in every home.

They didn't waste a minute. They were up and on their way back to Jerusalem!

See how these two men, when they received such great joy, hastened to share it. It was a seven miles journey back to Jerusalem, but they could not keep the good news to themselves. The Christian message is never fully ours until we have shared it with someone else. Learn to share your joy and your joy will share you. Share your pain and your pain will vanish; share your doubt and your doubt will go. They found the Eleven and their friends gathered together and told them their story too: "It's really happened! The Master has been raised up-- Simon saw him!"

When they reached Jerusalem, they found others who had already shared their experience. It is the glory of the Christian that he lives in a fellowship of people who have had the same experience as he has had. It has been said that true friendship begins only when people share a common memory and can say to each other, "Do you remember?" Our friends are those who share our memories, our experiences, our ups and downs. Jesus is our true friend. He comes to us even when we are on our way to Emmaus.

Called by name!

John 20:11-18

Mary stayed outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, still weeping, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away’ she replied ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.

Food for thought: What's in the name?

In this reading something interesting happens. It is the name calling. When the angels found Mary, they called her "woman". When Jesus found Mary he also referred to her as "woman". As long as Mary was being referred to as "woman" she could not connect the dots; she could not know that it was Jesus.

Mary could not recognize Jesus because she was taking him to be a mere gardener. The gospel says that "Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him." It was when Jesus called her by her name “Mary” that she discovered who Jesus was. In other words, as soon as Jesus called her by name, she immediately k

new him to be Jesus. All this shows us that names are important in our life; we need them for identification. We do well to call ourselves by names and not by our titles. Titles are about our job; our names are about our person; titles are about what we do, while our names are about what we are. Titles can be lost; names cannot.

Sometimes we demand others to not call us by our name; we prefer being called by our titles like doctor, sir, Madame, mister and misses.  We feel offended when someone calls us by our real name.  When Jesus  addressed Mary by her name, she finally came to know who Jesus is.

Another reason Mary could not recognize Jesus was because of her tears. Four times the word weeping appears in the gospel reading: 

*Mary stayed outside near the tomb, **weeping**. Then, still **weeping**, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, ‘Woman, why

are you **weeping?**’ ‘They have taken my Lord away’ she replied ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you **weeping?”***

The tears blinded her eyes so that she could not see Jesus clearly. That is natural and common. When we are crying we don't see things clearly. We focus on our agony and nothing else matters but our agony. In aby way, we must never allow our tears to blind us to the promises of God. Tears there must be, but through the tears we should remind ourselves of God's promises. Sometimes in the face of tragedy and disappointment, we can only hide ourselves in the promises of God until the storm passes by. We have to reassure our heart with the facts of God when we can’t calculate the sums of life. We have to tell ourselves the truth, regardless of appearances to the

 contrary: Not some things, but all things work together.

Twice Mary was asked *Woman, why are you ***weeping? **She was consistently and constantly crying. When sorrow comes, we must never let tears blind our eyes to Jesus. Because of their tears some people gave up on Jesus; they couldn't see him through their tears. As I have always said, our problems and tears should not take us away from the Lord but to him. The more we cry the more we should hold onto him, because he promised us that he will never abandon us, come what may.

Thanks to the women!

Matthew 28:8-15 Women tell men!

Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples. And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Rejoice!’ he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.’ While they were on their way, some of the guard went off into the city to tell the chief priests all that had happened. These held a meeting with the elders and, after some discussion, handed a considerable sum of money to the soldiers with these instructions, ‘This is what you must say, “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.” And should the governor come to hear of this, we undertake to put things right with him ourselves and to see that you do not get into trouble.’ The soldiers to ok the money and carried out their instructions, and to this day that is the story among the Jews.

Food for thought.

Two women (Mary Magdalene and the other Mary) were the first to receive the news of the Risen Lord and to encounter him alive after death. They had been there at the Cross; they had been there when he was laid in the tomb; and now there are there to receive Jesus from death; these women were the first people to know the joy of the Resurrection. Because they were the first to encounter the risen Jesus, these women are urged to share the news. Their first duty is to share the news with men. "Go, tell my brothers!" is the first command which comes from Jesus to the man or woman that has discovered the wonder of Jesus Christ. Thanks to these women that men came to know of the news of the Risen Lord. Indeed, women can and should evangelize men.

This said, isn't it odd that it was just the women that came to the tomb that morning? Where were / are men? By an d large, even today, if it weren't for the women in the church, most churches would have to shut their doors! Thank God for these women who loved and love Jesus with all their hearts! We thank our women and their dedication. Because of you, our churches are still open.

The women are urged to rejoice. The word with which the Risen Christ meets them is "Rejoice!" The man or woman that has met the Risen Lord must live forever in the joy of his presence from which nothing can part him any more. Not even our trials can separate us from God. Our problems should lead us even closer to God because, as Charles R. Erdman once said, "All things work together for good not by inherent force, not by fate or chance, but by divine control." For that reason, at the outset of every crisis or problem, we either we’ll collapse in despair and say, “All these things are against me.”Or we’ll decide to view them through the prism of Romans 8:28 and say, “All the se things may appear to be against me, but according to God’s Word, all these things will work themselves out for my good in God’s timing and providence.”

This notwithstanding, as some women get ready to spread the good news,  some men are getting ready to spread lies. Always, we shall have people against what Christ tells us to do. Sometimes these people are church goers, like in today's gospel reading. When some of the guard came to the chief priests and told them the story of the empty tomb, these priests were desperately worried men. Was it possible that all their planning had come to nothing? So they formed a simple plan; they bribed the members of the guard to say that Jesus' disciples had come while they slept and had stolen his body.

It is interesting to note the means that the priests used in their desperate attempts to eliminate Jesus. They used calumny to incite the people.  They used illegality to try him. They used slander to charge him  to Pilate. And now they were using bribery to silence the truth about him. And they failed. *Magna est veritas et praevalebit*, ran the Roman proverb, saying great is truth and it will prevail. It is the fact of history that not all men's evil machinations can in the end stop the truth. The gospel of goodness is greater than the plots of wickedness. So, as Jesus said, Do not be afraid!

Hallelujah!

John 20:1-9

It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’ So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

Food for thought on Easter! DID HE OR NOT RISE FROM THE DEAD?

What do you think? Did Jesus rise or not from the dead? Well, let's look at the gospel reading of this Sunday. Mary comes to the tomb a good while before daylight. When she arrives, she finds the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Immediately, she runs to find the disciples of Jesus and she tells them that the body of their Lord is missing from the tomb. When they hear this news, Peter and John runs to the tomb to see what has happened. When they arrive, they both see that linen clothes are lying there undisturbed and the napkin that had been around His face lying folded, in a place by itself.

What do the grave clothes tell us about the resurrection of Jesus? First, I believe that Jesus left His grave clothes behind for a reason. He left them behind so that they could preach a message to all those who saw them early on that Sunday morning. The gospel says that the linen clothes were lying still in their folds. This means that they looked exactly like they were still around the body of Jesus. You see, the burial spices would have hardened the cloths around the body and would have formed a cocoon; the cloths still resembled the shape of the body of Jesus.

Another truth to note is that the scene is very orderly and undisturbed. Had the body been taken by grave robbers, the wrappings around the body would not have been removed, and if they had been removed, they would not have been left in such an orderly fashion. Then, there is the matter of the napkin, which had covered the head of Jesus. Had the body been removed by others, the napkin would merely have lain where it had fallen. Instead, it had been folded and laid in a place by itself. Everything speaks of calmness and order in the empty tomb of Jesus!

The only logical conclusion to the matter is that the tomb was a scene of order and calm because Jesus had merely passed through His grave clothes; he simply evaporated. He then must have folded His own napkin and laid it aside. He left behind a scene of peace and order so that all those who look in would believe. And they did. At least John did. The gospel says that he saw the grave clothes and believed that Jesus had risen from the dead. That's is the truth.

And talking of truth. The story of the resurrection of Jesus is the story of the triumph of falsity over truth, of injustice over justice, of evil over goodness. Jesus was falsely charged of crimes he did not commit, and unjustly sentenced to a death he did not deserve. His good friend betrayed him, his trusted companions deserted him and his number one man denied him. The people he loved demanded his crucifixion and chose to have the bandit Barabbas released in his place. It is a story of betrayal and lies, dishonesty and meanness, unfaithfulness and wicked violence directed against an innocent and apparently helpless victim. All this comes to a head on Good Friday when we see Jesus scourged, mocked, led on the death march, nailed to the cross where he dies after a few hours and hastily buried in a tomb.

It is good news to know that truth is immortal. We can suppress Truth, accuse it of being a lie, condemn it, torture it, kill it, bury it in the grave but on the third day Truth will rise again. Remember this and do not give up on Truth even when everybody seems to give up on it. Do not give up on Truth; do not give up on Justice. Do not give up on doing what is right. Truth will always be true. Justice will always be just. Right will always be right even when the world around us would have it otherwise. We must learn to believe in the sun even when it is not shining, knowing that it will shine again.

It is the end of the story that counts. That is why today we rejoice and are glad. Even when we are going through very difficult times: through betrayal, unjust discrimination, lies, misrepresentations; even when the enemy seems to be winning the battle in our lives; yes, even when those we know speak evil against us, and give us in to our enemies. Don't give in to lies. Be truthful. Be good to the end. Today Christ has shown us that being and doing good is good. To him be praise and honour and power and glory. Amen. Hallelujah!

Easter Vigil - The Last Chapter!

Mark 16:1-8

The next evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene and Salome and Mary the mother of James went out and purchased embalming spices. Early the following morning, just at sunrise, they carried them out to the tomb. On the way they were discussing how they could ever roll aside the huge stone from the entrance. But when they arrived they looked up and saw that the stone—a very heavy one—was already moved away and the entrance was open! So they entered the tomb—and there on the right sat a young man clothed in white. The women were startled, but the angel said, “Don’t be so surprised. Aren’t you looking for Jesus, the Nazarene who was crucified? He isn’t here! He has come back to life! Look, that’s where his body was lying. Now go and give this message to his disciples including Peter: “‘Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died!E2  ” The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, too frightened to talk.

Food for the thought

In the Bible, whenever God has to make an announcement of extreme importance, He sends that message through an angel. Examples, the conception of Jesus, or the birth of Jesus, were all announced by an angel. Tonight, another angel announces some important news that is unbelievable: Jesus who died, now he's risen; was crucified now he is risen; he is not in the tomb. On that first Easter morning, as dawn was breaking, this special message was delivered by a special angel to special women: "Don’t be so surprised. Aren’t you looking for Jesus, the Nazarene who was crucified? He isn’t here! He has come back to life! Look, that’s where his body was lying."

Note this: Jesus is not risen because the tomb is empty (grave robbers may have stolen the body); the tomb is empty because Jesus is risen. And Jesus is risen because death  is a phase, not a finality; death is a tunnel, not a cave. It’s a one-way route to glory, not a dead-end street to oblivion. This is the great message of the angel; the great message of tonight.

The angel is saying that death is not the end of the story. There is one more chapter to our story. This is the most important chapter because, as the saying goes, they who laugh last laugh best; it is the most important chapter because it is endless. And in the last chapter of the story of Jesus we see ours too; yes there's one more chapter to our life.

It means that just as life does not begin at birth, but before birth, life does not end at death; it continues beyond death. It means that just life does not begin in the womb, but goes through the womb, so too life does not end in the tomb; life goes through the tomb; just as life has to know birth, so too life has to know death. We do not live in the womb for ever; some day, we come out. The same with death, we shall no t stay in the tomb for ever, we shall come out. Yes, we shall overcome, someday.

"Now go and give this message ... Jesus is going ahead of you ... You will see him ... just as he told you before he died!"

It is Finished!

Good Friday - It is finished!

Today, we followers of Christ, do something not common: we celebrate death, the death of someone, of Jesus Christ our Lord. Today, we do not come to church to cry for Jesus, we come for Jesus to cry for us, to suffer for us, to die for us. It is weird, isn't it? I tell you, if you live well your life, if you live your life as Jesus lived his, if we live as Jesus has shown us how to live, when we die, our death will not be lamented, our death will be celebrated, just as we celebrate today Jesus' death.

As Jesus was getting ready to die, the Gospel tells us that He made this simple statement. "It is finished!" It means that even for Jesus, death, his death, was a satisfaction. It is a satisfaction because it came at the right moment, for a right cause. Jesus died happy. It is weird, isn't it?

It is the same satisfaction a painter gets when they apply the final stroke to the paint, and make a sigh like of Jesus, It is finished! It is the same  satisfaction that singers get after putting on a good performance, a good show; as they get away from the stage, they make the same sigh as of Jesus: It is finished. It is the same satisfaction that we get always after sealing a good business deal, as we sign the last page of the agreement, we get that same satisfaction of Jesus: It is finished. The deal is done. It was a win-win deal. It is finished.

When Jesus said, "It is finished", it meant that God the Father in Heaven was satisfied with what Jesus the Son had done on the cross. Yes, when Jesus Christ said these three little words, It is finished, He was telling the world that something great had been accomplished. He was finishing a deal that had been entrusted to him to do; He had just struck a deal.

You know each one of us came into this world, into this life for a deal. That is why you came into this life as woman, and me as man; that's why you're what and who you are, that is why you were born where you were born . That is why you have the talents you have. God custom-built you for something particular, which only you can do; God created you for a deal. How happy shall we die, if at the hour of our death we too cry out loud and clear, It is finished. I mean, our deal, our mission, our task, our vocation.

In Romans 8:28 we do have a God-given assurance that every single circumstance will sooner or later turn out well for those fully committed to him, and Jesus lived a committed life. Romans 8:28 is the promise that morphs us into resilient, cheerful people, whatever our temperament. It’s God’s darkroom in which negatives become positives. It’s His situation-reversal machine in which heartaches are changed into hallelujahs. Good Fridays of our life are changed into Easter Sundays.

So why stay depressed? Why mope around discouraged or moody? Why mark Good Friday as a Mishap? Why live as though God forgot to insert verse 28 into the eighth chapter of Romans. I f  this verse is in your Bible, it should be in your mind and heart. Happy celebrations of Good Friday.

I have given you an example!

John 13:1-15

It was before the festival of the Passover, and Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father. He had always loved those who were his in the world, but now he showed how perfect his love was. They were at supper, and the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray him. Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, and he got up from table, removed his outer garment and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘At the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘Never!’ said Peter ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus replied, ‘If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me.’ ‘Then, Lord,’ said Simon Peter ‘not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!’ Jesus said, ‘No one who has taken a bath needs washing, he is clean all over. You too are clean, though not all of you are.’ He knew who was going to betray him, that was why he said, ‘though not all of you are.’ When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes again he went back to the table. ‘Do you understand’ he said ‘what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.’

Food for thought!

Life in Palestine in the time of Jesus was hard. The popular means of transport was your feet. People walked long distances on rough, dusty roads to go from Galilee to Jerusalem, for example. Travellers often arrived their destinations with sore and aching feet. As a sign of hospitality, the host would see to it that his guests were given a warm foot bath and massage as a way of relieving their aches and pains. This was usually done by the house servants or slaves.

This service of bathing and soothing the tired feet was also provided by the rest houses or inns found at strategic locations along the major roads and highways. Travellers worn out along the way could go into these rest houses and have food and foot bath. Their energy thus restored they would then be able to continue and complete their long journey. That is how such rest houses along the way got the name "restaurants" -- they restored strength to tired and exhausted travellers on the way. The disciples would know why Jesus was washing their feet in light of this cultural background. And for us it is a pointer to the meaning of the Eucharist we celebrate.

Understood in light of the washing of feet, the Eucharist is a place of restoration for people on the way. The life of a Christian in the world is a pilgrimage, a long, hard journey. Along the way we get tired and worn out and we are tempted to give up and turn back. But Jesus has provided us with the Eucharist as a place where we can go in to bathe our aching feet and to be refreshed in body and soul for the journey that is still ahead.

In the story we find that Peter was uncomfortable with having Jesus wash his feet. Peter, who was somewhat of an activist, would have preferred to see himself doing the washing, washing the feet of Jesus and even of the other disciples. Sometimes it is harder to remain passive and allow someone else to bathe us than it is to bathe someone else, as every toddler can tell you. But having our feet washed and washing the feet of others are two sides of the coin we call the Christian life.

The first and most essential part is to let the Lord wash us. As Jesus said to Peter, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me (John 13:8). First, the Lord washes us clean so that we belong to the Lord. Only then are we qualified and empowered to wash the feet of our sisters and brothers in the Lord. When this truth dawned on Peter, he overcame his reluctance and cried out, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" (v. 9). For this to happen all that the Lord needs from us is simply for us to be there, to present ourselves to him and to let him wash us.

The other side of the coin, which is equally important, is that after our feet have been washed by the Lord, after the Lord has loved us, after he has forgiven us, we must go and wash the feet of others, and love or forgive others. That is why, after Jesus had washed his disciples' feet, he said to them: "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord -- and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you" (John 13:12-15).

Washing those who love us or we care for is a lovely thing. Washing those who have betrayed our trust and love is a hard thing to do. Judas was at the table with Jesus. Did you know that only those close to you can betray you? When you have a Judas in your life, he will be a part of your inner circle. He will have walked with you on a personal, intimate level. It is hard for many people to believe that someone who attends church regularly, sings in the choir, or walked and worked with us could possibly betray us. Jesus was betrayed by one of his own disciples!

When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes again Jesus went back to the table. ‘Do you understand’ he said ‘what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.’

They paid him thirty pieces of silver!

Matthew 26:14–25

One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The teacher says, My appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.” The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover.

When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “S urely it is not I, Lord?” He said in reply, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so.”

Food for thought!

For three days we have been with Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus. Before we leave him, we ask, why did he do it? Why did Judas betray Jesus? Why would anyone in their right senses betray someone like Jesus? And if one decided to betray Jesus, that is, to give him away, how much would one exchange for Jesus? Why was Jesus betrayed by one of his own?

The gospel sais that they gave Judas 30 pieces of, not of gold, not diamond, but of silver! What is 30 pieces of silver worth today? Well, th e best way to look at it is to remember last Monday's gospel reading. In it, we read, that Mary brought her perfume, very expensive. Judas calculated it to cost 300 silver pieces. The same Judas valued Jesus to be worth 30 silver pieces. The perfume was 10x more expensive than Jesus, that is according to Judas! Judas had lost all proportion of things.

How much money would you accept to deny Jesus? How much would it take for you to abandon Jesus, to never follow Jesus, to never read his word or even to kill him for good from your life?

As we condemn Judas, we do well to remember that we too do exchange Jesus for something else. All it takes is getting a little busy with studies, with work, with a family, or just getting busy with life. Now days, it is easy to trade Jesus for watching a movie instead of praying or reading the Word of God. Trading off Jesus for something else is getting easier and more frequent than we may want to imagine. Jesus is getting cheaper and cheaper than 30 pieces of silver.

St. Paul can help us to recover the value of Jesus. He said: "I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ." (Phil. 3:7-8).

300 versus 30!

John 12:1-11

Six days before Passover (that is, today), Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living. Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner at their home. Martha served. Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with them. Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils, anointed and massaged Jesus’ feet, and then wiped them with her hair. The fragrance of the oils filled the house. Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, even then getting ready to betray him, said, “Why wasn’t this oil sold and the money given to the poor? It would have easily brought three hundred silver pieces.” He said this not because he cared two cents about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of their common funds, but also embezzled them. Jesus said, “Let her alone. She’s anticipating and honoring the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you. You don’t always ha ve me.” Word got out among the Jews that he was back in town. The people came to take a look, not only at Jesus but also at Lazarus, who had been raised from the dead. So the high priests plotted to kill Lazarus because so many of the Jews were going over and believing in Jesus on account of him.

Food for thought!

Six days before Passover! Mary brought her perfume, very expensive. Judas calculated it to cost 300 silver pieces. Now, to get an idea of this, remember that Jesus was valued at 30 silver pieces. This perfume was 10x more expensive than Jesus, that is according to Judas. That is why this man saw it as sheer waste.

This story is a carry on of yesterday, which as you remember, was about giving and getting: "Jesus Christ’s state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself." Jesus emptied himself, that is, he gave all he had and was. The donkey owner gave it all for good, never to get it back. Today, a wom an called Mary gave away for good her very expensive perfume to Jesus. Just as the donkey man, Mary gave her perfume for Jesus' sake. FOR JESUS' SAKE.

There are things we do for Jesus' sake; things we give away for the sake of Jesus. Please, do consider what you can and will give away this week for the sake of Jesus; something you would rather not give away if it was not for Jesus and because of Jesus. Our example is Jesus himself, who emptied himself completely; he broke his bottle of life for us. He too, poured every drop out for our sake. I wonder if we have ever broken the alabaster box of our life to spend it for the sake of Jesus. That's what Jesus does throughout this holy week. Holy week is about giving our best, doing our best, being our best, talking our best, loving our best and serving our best. Nothing but the best should come out of ourselves.

As you do your best in life for the sake of Jesus, someone like Judas will criticize you. Judas are over the place,  especially where good is done. Don't be discouraged by them. As long as Jesus is happy with your action, go ahead and do it. Jesus will defend you as well.