Passion According to Matthew

In our Bible study, one of the students said, "Judas was really the best of the disciples."
"Why do you think that?" I asked, truly confused by her assertion.
"Because he knew he had done something wrong, and he killed himself. Peter kept doing the wrong thing and he just hung around anyway."

That is the LAW. If you do something wrong you should pay. We have a justice system based on that and most of us live according to this kind of thinking all of our lives.

But God, is a God of grace.

Today is Palm Sunday and we recited the Passion narrative as told by Matthew. We started our service with the Hosannas of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and then, SLAM, we're in the midst of betrayal, conspiracy, cowardice, and death.

But did you notice that this is not the end of the story? We've heard it before, so I don't think I'm giving away the plot. We know that God still has a lot to do with everyone in the story. Over Holy Week and on to Easter, all of these folks have more to do. Everyone that is, except Judas. Today was the end of his story. He's done.

Why is he done? He's done because he looked at what had happened from a purely legal viewpoint. He had made a terrible decision and once he recognized it, there was nothing he could think of to do that would make it right. Nothing would help. And so, he brought himself to nothing. He's done.

But what he did is something that happens ALL OF THE TIME! People make bad decisions. People tell the wrong things to the wrong people and SLAM marriages end, people run away from home, some people are even killed. Things come to a head and we end them. Maybe we don't kill people violently, maybe we do it a bit at a time with silence or with guilt. We make mistakes and we can't make it right.

So what do we do? If we use strictly human logic, morals, ethics, etc. we're likely to be operating in the world of the law. But the path that Peter will show us is open to us as well. There is confession, and there is forgiveness, and there is reconciliation, and there is new life.

The story of the Gospel is all about New Life - "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

In this Holy Week, let us look for the grace, let us look for the reconciliation, let us look for it in strange place, let us look in the tomb.

Peace,
Cori