and it was dark

 

SERMON PREACHED AT HOLY TRINITY, RINGWOOD EAST

MAUNDY THURSDAY

March 23^rd, 1989

 

It must have been a strange night, that night of our Lord’s last supper. It had been a strange week. First, his glorious entry into Jerusalem, and then he's going on and on about glory and about the coming of his “hour,” at the very same time that the crowds were becoming impatient with him and he was beginning to lose popularity.

Judas in particular was getting cross. He had waited for years for this wonderful hour, and now it seemed to be slipping away from him. For years he had been telling the people that the Messiah was coming, and in these past three years had swung all his support behind Jesus. He would relate to stories about the magnificent liberation of Israel in the old days and how now once more the state of Israel would be established, freed from the tyranny of Rome. He even talked of a racially pure state – expelling from the Jewish lands all who were not the chosen people of God.

And now this Jesus that Judas trusted and expected so much of seemed to be letting the side down. Early in the week it had been great. He had the crowd eating out of his hand, and the word was that Pilate was getting quite nervous about an uprising. A man named Barabbas had been arrested when he became over-excited, speaking of glorious revolution, and had killed some Roman citizens.

But then it had started to go wrong. Jesus was losing his popularity. He was shilly shallying around, speaking of being “a servant” and even of dying. He seemed to be losing his nerve, and Judas wanted none of it.

It was all a bit beyond the disciples, the events of this week. Judas was not alone in expecting decisive political events to take place following the entry into Jerusalem. Even Peter, ever faithful to Jesus, has been polishing his sword, ready for God’s decisive victory about to be worked through this Messiah, Jesus.

But Jesus now was behaving most strangely. Rather than using this Passover meal as an opportunity to rally the disciples and to regain the popularity of the previous Sunday, Jesus was now wandering around washing feet. Peter wasn’t too pleased about that at all, and Judas was looking very sour at it all.

Washing feet? No self-respecting Messiah would do that. The public must never hear of this bizarre behaviour. Jesus would lose all credibility. Could it be that the glorious chosen one of God was cracking under the strain? Was this the beginning of a nervous breakdown?

Yes, the disciples were very confused that night. What kind of a hero grovels at the feet of his followers? What kind of hero takes upon himself the task even the servants sought to rise above?

                              I think you’ve made your point now.  
                              Perhaps even gone a little bit too far.

 
It was only later, months and years later, that they realise that it is in precisely the shameful and disparaged things of the world that God reveals his nature. And that realisation came only after Jesus had sunk even lower than washing feet. It came after he died, alone, naked, and fly-blown, on a cross.

Only then did he become bread and wine to a hungry and thirsty world.

Only in the stupidity, the stupidness of the Cross does Jesus become Saviour of the World. Only in the shame, the scandal of the Cross does Jesus become revealed as the Messiah.

But Judas never realised that.

Judas went out into the night.

And it was dark.