Lenten Reflection Day 35
Palm Sunday
We read The Passion narrative today from Matthew’s Gospel 26: 14-27:66. There are so many moving pieces to this story. I really felt drawn to two subjects in particular: Peter and Jesus.
Peter certainly seems to represent strength throughout Jesus’s ministry. We see Peter transform from the average Joe to the keeper of the keys.
He has his faith tested when he steps out of the safety of the boat and into the sea, he is the first to declare Jesus “the Christ”, and he assures Jesus at the last supper of his fidelity in Him.
We know that Jesus is fond of him and that He entrusts him to not only lead the church on earth, but to be the literal gate keeper of Heaven. Even as we know these things we see Peter’s humanity revealed in our gospel. He is selected to accompany Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, and he cannot stay awake, he is quick to react in violence when the guards come to take Jesus away, and he assures Jesus that he would never betray Him and then he denies knowing Him three times.
I find myself identifying with Peter. How often I am convinced of my commitment to God until something goes wrong or I feel threatened. I think of how many times I have denied knowing Christ when it wasn’t convenient, or because I was worried about what someone else would think of me. I, too, have deeply regretted times when I did not measure up in the eyes of God, ashamed as Peter was, in my denial of Jesus.
The other subject of interest of course being that of Jesus. He retreated to the garden to pray, desiring to speak to God in a time of great anguish and distress. Like us, Jesus wished to be with close friends until the last hour, to have someone to share in His pain and offer support and encouragement. The disciples made for poor companions, as scripture tells us. Jesus went to them three times and each time they were fast asleep. How little solace Jesus was offered in the face of His fear and anxieties.
As Jesus faces his captors and his judges, He shows no anger and protests not. Instead He allows it all to happen, quietly accepting each insult and injury unto death. We witness his heartfelt plea in the garden for the Father to take this cross away from him and at the same time we see him surrender to whatever God demands of him.
We can certainly identify with the humanity of both Jesus and Peter. Peter made choices derived from pure emotion, not stopping to consider what God would want or expect. In contrast, Jesus acted out of pure obedience to the Father, desiring for there to be another way yet surrendering to God’s plan no matter the cost.
We are called to respond as Jesus did in the face of life’s challenges. Saying “yes” to God no matter what and not allowing our emotions to govern us. May God bless us with courage in the face of trial. We ask for His forgiveness for the times we denied Him and our calling in this life. May this Holy Week strengthen our resolve to live lives worthy of being called His disciple.
Blessings to You and Yours!