Read Matthew 26 online here.
Annus Horribilis – “A Horrible Year!” Queen Elizabeth II declared in her Christmas address of 1992 after the divorces of her 2 sons and the fire at Windsor Castle. Since her usage of this Latin phrase to describe that year for the Royals this has been a term adopted into the English language to describe the worst of times.
As we look at this chapter it could possibly be described as Diem Horribilis — “A Horrible Day” as we see what appears from our worldly perspective a terrible unraveling of the life of Jesus of Nazareth — the Plot to kill Jesus, the Anointing for burial, Judas’ bargain for betrayal, a Passover meal with ominous symbolism, Jesus’ predictions of desertion and denial, an agonizing Gethsemane, the Arrest, the Trial, and Peter’s Denial. Now, I don’t know about you, but that would rank right up there as the worst day ever if it happened to me.
In all of these things that are going on in this passage you may see the greed of Judas, the grasping for power by the Jewish leaders, and the other selfish and cowardly acts as horrible things, but in the grace of God they are about to be turned into good.
I believe that the jewel of this passage is the Passover meal that Jesus shares with his disciples. This meal had great meaning for the Jews who were delivered in the Exodus and it was about to take on new meaning as Jesus was instituting God’s new covenant. The Passover meal reminds the Jews of all the great things — the miracles of the plagues, the intervention on their behalf, and even the provision in the wilderness later. God is about to do another miracle on behalf of all mankind and thus transform all of the horrible things done to Jesus into a very good thing — salvation for mankind. God is now the divine catalyst who will transform what is a horrible day and horrible things into the greatest miracle of all times.
John Dryden published an epic poem in 1667 called "Annus Mirabilis" (Year of Miracles) in which he praised God for the miracles of deliverance for England with the sparing of much of London from the great fire and the English defeat of the Dutch Navy. As I look at this passage and this time in Jesus’ life and ministry I am reminded of Romans 8:28 where Paul says, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Instead of being a Diem Horribilis this is truly a Diem Mirabilis — it is our day of miracles, a day of deliverance, a new covenant with a new Passover Lamb. Praise God for His Grace and transforming power.
A discipleship point to ponder: If we are truly going to follow in the dust of the Rabbi and be Jesus’ disciples, isn’t there something we can learn about how to handle such a terrible day? Jesus was able to make it through this day perfectly by maintaining his focus on the Father and His will and not just on himself. So, how will you handle your next horrible day?
Today's article written by Steve Isom.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Diem Mirabilis. Matthew 26.
1 comment:
Leave it to the Old Testament Scholar to focus on Passover!
But covenant is one of the best ways to think about God's relationship to humanity ... from the very outset, isn't it?
When our Wednesday group was studying the latter half of Matthew 5 earlier this year -- the "you have heard it said ..." section -- we finished the study by celebrating communion together. In one sense, Jesus said at this Passover meal, "you have heard it said that this is your understanding of deliverance, but I say here's a new understanding." In fact, a new covenant.
Do you suppose Mom was in the background hearing these words of her son, and trying to take in the enormity of what had taken place from the moment of the Spirit's "overshadowing"?
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