Tuesday of Holy Week - April 3, 2012
John 13:21
After he had said this, Jesus' spirit was troubled. Here is the witness he gave. "What I'm about to tell you is true," he said. "One of you is going to hand me over to my enemies."
Years ago I listened to a Henri Nouwen cassette tape series in which he noted that during the week of Jesus' Passion, he no longer acted, but rather he was acted upon. He no longer took the initiative; instead, things were done to him. In other words, in this week of "Passion," Jesus was passive, not active. From the time he was "handed over," until he was crucified and buried, he was at the mercy of others.
It is really a remarkable insight, that Jesus, who had been so strong and in authority in every encounter of his life, now was at the mercy of others.
So many of us have significant issues with control, management, and manipulation. We want to be the actors, not the acted upon. To be "passive" is equated with being lazy. The experience of being acted upon can be uncomfortable. We often equate "progress" in life with more and more control over our situations . . . whether that be with status, possessions, accomplishments, education, or whatever.
Spirituality is often about being passive, being open to whatever is, rather than continually trying to change what is. It is a significant spiritual discipline to allow what is to be what is, without trying to manage or get around it. It was Jesus' way.
So Jesus was "handed over" by one of his disciples. Later, the Apostle Paul would write, "God did not spare his own Son, but 'handed him over' for the sake of all of us" (Rom. 8:32).
For today . . . in what ways might God invite you today to join Jesus in his Passion, that is, in his passivity? Is something happening in your life that you are invited to stay with just as it is, rather than working to change it? Ask God today in your prayer.
After he had said this, Jesus' spirit was troubled. Here is the witness he gave. "What I'm about to tell you is true," he said. "One of you is going to hand me over to my enemies."
Years ago I listened to a Henri Nouwen cassette tape series in which he noted that during the week of Jesus' Passion, he no longer acted, but rather he was acted upon. He no longer took the initiative; instead, things were done to him. In other words, in this week of "Passion," Jesus was passive, not active. From the time he was "handed over," until he was crucified and buried, he was at the mercy of others.
It is really a remarkable insight, that Jesus, who had been so strong and in authority in every encounter of his life, now was at the mercy of others.
So many of us have significant issues with control, management, and manipulation. We want to be the actors, not the acted upon. To be "passive" is equated with being lazy. The experience of being acted upon can be uncomfortable. We often equate "progress" in life with more and more control over our situations . . . whether that be with status, possessions, accomplishments, education, or whatever.
Spirituality is often about being passive, being open to whatever is, rather than continually trying to change what is. It is a significant spiritual discipline to allow what is to be what is, without trying to manage or get around it. It was Jesus' way.
So Jesus was "handed over" by one of his disciples. Later, the Apostle Paul would write, "God did not spare his own Son, but 'handed him over' for the sake of all of us" (Rom. 8:32).
For today . . . in what ways might God invite you today to join Jesus in his Passion, that is, in his passivity? Is something happening in your life that you are invited to stay with just as it is, rather than working to change it? Ask God today in your prayer.
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