We celebrated Palm Sunday; Monday and Tuesday have flown by. Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday, followed by Good Friday and the joy of Easter Sunday. But Scripture is quiet about the Wednesday of Passion week. What did Jesus do that Wednesday?
It seems like Jesus stayed home. He was in the house of Mary and Martha this entire week. They lived, along with the newly resurrected Lazarus, in Bethany. Bethany is about two miles away from Jerusalem. The city would have been crowded and crazy because it was the week of Passover. Jesus and the disciples walked each day to teach in the temple and then returned each evening to Bethany. We know what Jesus did each day of Easter week, except for Wednesday. Because of that, some scholars have called today’s day “Silent Wednesday.”
There was certainly plenty to do. Everyone needed time to get ready for the Passover meal. Did Mary and Martha do the cooking? There would be shopping, cooking, and preparing the space. Was Jesus helping everyone as they bustled around with preparations, or was He perhaps praying for the wisdom and strength to make an impossibly tricky sacrifice? I wonder if Jesus grieved for what He knew his friends and disciples would experience after His death.
In my mind, I see Jesus taking Wednesday to retreat to a quiet spot with the Father and pray. Terri says that’s because if I were given the same choice, I would retreat.
Still, It’s tough for us to understand what it is like to be God incarnate, indwelling the limitations of a human body. He understood physical pain; He felt humiliation, and He expected his death would be a horrendous ordeal for his human body to endure. Jesus was also aware of what He was born to do and how it would soon be accomplished. He was going to provide salvation for anyone who would believe. What did Jesus pray about during that time with His Abba?
Photo credit to Mads Schmidt Rasmussen
This post arrives at your computer on Wednesday. If it is still early, and you are planning the day, how will you spend your Wednesday? Maybe you have a long to-do list for Easter. Are there people you know who only want Easter to be about a bunny and pastel colors? Perhaps someone who won’t have much of an Easter because of financial issues or a recent death? Can you pray for someone in your family, a friend, or a neighbor? Might there be a tension between your urgent to-do list and the important things God is calling you to do?
Let’s spend some of this day like Jesus did. Is there time in your schedule to turn off the world, sit still for a while, or take a walk and spend some time with your Father in Heaven? Can you find a moment to quiet your heart and consider what Jesus did that Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday?
Why doesn’t the Bible tell us what happened that Wednesday? Maybe because all of us need a day every now and again as well. A day of rest and peace. A day to be like Jesus. Your Abba would love to have that time with you.