“I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the center of the market place as well as on the steeple of the church, I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on a town garbage heap; at a crossroad of politics so cosmopolitan that they had to write His title in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek … and at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died, and that is what He died about. And that is where Christ’s [followers] ought to be, and what church people ought to be about.”

Rev. George Fielden MacLeod

Just to make to clear, I write this from a position of privilege.  I am a white male Christian, who has never faced any discrimination in my life.  I have never been prevented by anyone from practicing my faith as I see fit, and I do not buy into the argument that Christianity is under attack in America.  Regardless of what people think we still have more freedoms than most of the world’s population.

I also understand the fear and how fear sells in politics and I also know that many people in America and the world are fearful right now.  But what we do not need is more fearmongering what we need is more love and understanding.

Two of the Republican Presidential candidates, hours after the Brussels bombings, called for roving patrols in a Muslim neighborhood in America and the ability to torture people to gain information.  If there is one way to ensure that you will radicalize a population it is single them out and blame them for all of the problems.  In his statement about the terrorist attack, Governor John Kasich said, “We are not at war with Islam, we are at war with radical Islam.”  I would add that we should be at war with radicalism that flies under any flag be it Muslim or Christian.

Not long ago, in fact, it was after the terrorist attack in Paris, my church hosted a gathering of religious leaders in our community.  There were Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Jews, and non-believers all gathered together to pray, in our way, for peace in the world.  We gathered as religious leaders but also as fellow members of humanity as a sign of solidarity.  We heard prayers for peace from all of those religions and we all joined our voices together as one.

America is an incredibly polarized place right now and what we need is unity, not more polarization.  I do understand that people are afraid but rather than sending armed patrols into Muslim neighborhoods, I’m not actually sure those even exists, why not have people gather at churches, mosques, and community centers and talk about what brings them together and how we can all work to end violence and racism in our communities.  Sending armed guards and rounding up people just because they are of one religion is history repeating itself and not in a good way.

What brings people together is understanding, the understanding that comes from mutual love and respect for all our neighbors, not just the ones that look like us.  Polarization is a tactic that is used to win elections and making us afraid of those who look different.  America should be different than that.

Soon Christians will celebrate Holy Thursday.  It was on this night that Jesus washed the feet of his Apostles and gave them a new command. The Gospel of John records the events of that evening and this new command of Jesus not only for those that were there on that night but for all of us. “I give you a new commandment, which you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you have a love for one another.”

During this holy week on the church calendar, Scripture passages will be read about what hatred can do and the destruction it can bring and leading to the horrible death of Jesus Christ.  Thankfully we Christians know that the story does not end there and that what the story is truly about is sacrifice and unconditional love, and it was that love that changed the world.

We have to do more than pray for peace we have to work for peace, we have to, in the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “be the change we want to see.”  Throw off the fear, throw off the hate and take on a love of neighbor.  Get to know people and truly understand them and what they believe.  In the end, we will be a stronger nation.

The Wednesday of Holy Week has as its theme the betrayal of Jesus by one of his Apostles namely Judas Iscariot.  Traditionally it is believed that one this day Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Lazarus, who he raised from the dead, and Lazarus’ two sisters Mary and Martha.  This was the night that Mary anointed Jesus’ feet and then dried them with her hair.  It is also the night that Judas made a big ruckus about the cost of the ointment that Mary used.  He claimed that it could be sold, and the money was given to the poor, but we are led to believe that Judas wanted the money for himself.

It is also believed that this is the night that Judas left the house and went and made a deal with the Jewish authorities to betray Jesus a few days later.  I have always found Judas to be a curious figure.  Why did Jesus pick him as one of his Apostles?  We do not hear much about Judas until this time in the story so was he always concerned about the money?  We know from Scripture that he was in charge of the purse, so money must have been on his mind.  Did he participate in the healings like the others did?  Did he preach along the highways and byways of the area as the others did?

I believe that Jesus knew the character of each of the people he chose, and it was for that reason, their character, that they were chosen.  Knowing that he was to be betrayed by one of his closest friends he chose Judas, someone of weak character and given to greed and avarice, to be one of his intimate friends.  Many of us have been betrayed by those close to us so in a way I can sympathize with Jesus when this happens.  But at the same time, he knew this was coming.  I get the feeling it still hurt a little.

But what of Judas?

Scripture tells us that he did, in fact, betray Jesus, but he then had a moment of conscious and tried to give the money, what he called blood money, back to the Jewish Authorities.  They would not take the money back for the same reason that Judas wanted to give it back; it was dirty money.  Judas throws the money at them and runs off.  In the end, they do take the money, but they use it for the purchase of a burial ground.

But Judas, now faced with what he has done, runs off into the wilderness where he ends his life.  But does he physically kill himself or is the end of his life more of a spiritual thing?  Judas is so overcome with the realization of his betrayal, and he agonizes over this fact.  In the recent television portrayal, The Passion (read my review here) we see this awareness play out with Judas.  Where or not he physically killed himself is not the point here the question is what happened to him?

Later on in the story, when Jesus is praying, he says that he did not lose one of the ones, the Apostles, which God had given him save the son of perdition.  It is believed that he is speaking of Judas.  But did Jesus mean he lost him as a follower in the physical sense or that he lost him as a follower in the spiritual sense?  It is certainly unclear.

Now I have nothing to back this up other than my faith in an all forgiving God, but I believe that Judas was redeemed in the end.  Here is my thinking.  Someone had to betray Jesus, and it was Judas that was chosen.  Betrayal was his vocation and maybe even the reason he was born.  In another place in Scripture, Jesus tells his followers that a man was born blind so that he could be healed and glory brought to God.  So God chose Judas, as he did all of the others, for a purpose and that purpose was the betrayal.

In the end, Judas repents of what he has done.  We see this in the action of his attempt to return the money to the Jewish Authorities.  My theology teaches that if we repent from our wrongdoing and are truly sorry for what we have done, God will forgive us.  The way I read the story is that Judas was indeed remorseful and repentant for all that he had done so God must have forgiven him!

My belief in a truly merciful God a God that believes all of us are his children, would not have let Judas perish.  God gave Judas a job, a job he had no choice in, and in the end, he carried out God’s will and then repented for what he had done.  So it is my belief that at the end of the day Judas has been forgiven and will be in paradise.

 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 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. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. John 12:23-26

In this passage from John, Jesus is saying three things that are all variations of the central truth and at the heart of the Christian faith and life.

He is saying that only by death comes life. The grain of wheat is ineffective and unfruitful so long as it is being preserved in safety and security.  It is only when the grain of wheat is thrown into the cold ground, and buried there; this is will bear fruit.  It was by the death of the martyrs that the Church grew.

It is always because people have been prepared to die that the great things have lived. But it has to be more personal than that.  It is only when people bury their own aims and ambitions that they can begin to be of real use to God.  By death comes life! By the death of personal ambition, a person becomes a true servant of God.  This hold true for the Church as well.

Jesus is saying that only by spending life do we retain it. The person who loves their life is moved by two aims, by selfishness and by the desire for security. Jesus insisted that the people who hoarded their lives must, in the end, lose it, and the ones who spent their lives must in the end gain it.

Jesus was saying that only by service comes greatness. The people that are most remembered and loved in this world are the ones who have served others. So many people are in business or politics only for what they can get out of it. They may well become rich, but only one thing is sure – they will never be loved, and love is the true wealth of life.

Jesus came to the Jews with a new view of life. They looked on glory as a conquest, the acquisition of power, the right to rule. Jesus looked on it as a cross. Jesus taught that only by death comes life; that only by spending life do we retain it; that only by service comes greatness. When we come to think about it, truly think about it, Christ’s paradox is nothing other than the truth of common sense.

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 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. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (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.) Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” John 12:1-8

It was coming near the end of the ministry of Jesus.  As I mentioned in my last essay (The Entry of the King) the action of Jesus coming to Jerusalem, when there was a price on his head, took great courage.  The crowds in the city during Passover would have been so great that finding lodging with the town would have been impossible, and so they went to Bethany to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

He arrived at the home of his friends, and they made a meal for him and it was at this time that the love that Martha and Mary felt for Jesus overflowed.  Of course, they loved Jesus, after all, he raised their brother from the dead, but it was deeper than that.

Martha was a very practical person, and the way she chose to show her love for Jesus was to serve at table and with the work of her hands. As we have seen before, Martha also gave what she could. Caring for the creature comforts of one at home enables them to concentrate on their work outside of the home and Martha was doing this for Jesus.  Service to Jesus takes on many forms and Martha shows us just how important the various roles of his followers truly are.  It is just as possible to serve Jesus in the kitchen as on the public platform.  The one who cares for others physical needs in ministry is the hands of Christ as much as the one who cares for the spiritual needs of others.  Martha shows this to us by her love for Jesus.

Mary was the one who above all loved Jesus, and in this passage we see three things about this love.

We see love’s extravagance. Mary took the most precious thing she possessed and spent it all on Jesus.  Love does not love if it nicely calculates the cost.  Love gives all, and its only regret is that it has nothing left to give.

We see love’s humility. It was a sign of honor to anoint a person’s head. The psalmist says, “You anoint my head with oil.” Psalm 23:5. But Mary would not look so high as the head of Jesus; she anointed his feet. The last thing Mary thought of was to confer honor upon Jesus; she never dreamed that she was good enough for that.

We see love’s unselfconsciousness. Mary wiped Jesus feet with her hair. In Palestine, no respectable woman would ever appear in public with her hair unbound. On the day, the girl was married her hair was bound up, and never again would she been seen in public with her hair unbound.  To appear in public in such a way was a sign of an immoral woman. But Mary never thought of that. When two people love each other, they live in a world of their own.  Many are self-conscious about showing their Christianity; they are always concerned about what others are thinking about them. Mary loved Jesus so much that it was nothing to her what other thought.

But we see something more in this passage.  John tells us that when Mary anointed the feet of Jesus, the fragrance filled all of the room.  This statement, like so many others in John’s Gospel, has a double meaning. One is on the surface, and one lies just under the surface.   Mary’s action has filled the entire Church with the sweet memory of what she did for Jesus by anointing his feet. But the action goes deeper than that. The fragrance filled the room and moved out from the house into the entire world.  The fragrance changed the surrounding area with the sweet smell of love and added a bit of beauty to the world around them.

When we do something nice for someone else out of love the world changes around us just a little bit.  Do something for someone today for no other reason than they are a fellow human being and you love them.