History is impacted by Average Joes

Maundy, Maundy, so good to me…

Culture has appropriated history, time and again, reframing the timeless in an effort to reinvent it for modern meaning. It was The Mamas and The Papas who sang, “Monday, Monday, so good to me…”  But Monday isn’t Maundy…

Today is Maundy Thursday. The cultural calendar of 2019 isn’t likely to commemorate the day – in the week of Jesus’ Passion – when the Passover Seder was shared by Jesus and his core team in what we remember as “The Last Supper.” Maundy commemorates Jesus’ words and deeds surrounding the Last Supper: washing the Apostles’ feet, then commanding the sincerity of love they would have for one another, after he would leave them and entrust to them the leadership of the movement…

From the Upper Room, the 24-hour countdown begins: they walked to Gethsemane where Jesus prayed as he waited for Judas’ betrayal and the arrest that would culminate in his crucifixion. Just one day after he portrayed his broken body and shed blood in the bread and wine, his broken and blood-drained body would be secured in an unused tomb…

The life of Jesus the Man – the Son of Man, by his own declaration – was archived by the four biographers inspired by the Holy Spirit to write his story. The Gospels tell us about his birth and his death; at both significant events, there were men named Joseph who played an essential role.

The Birth of Jesus involved Joseph of Nazareth. Engaged to young Mary, his quandary over his pregnant fiancé was mitigated by a supernatural directive. An angel of the Lord appeared to give him clear marching orders: to go through with the marriage and welcome the child who was the Son of God.

The Death of Jesus involved Joseph of Arimathea. Joe¹ was a simple man: an obscure contractor who is described in Jesus’ early years by Matthew and Luke; Joe² was a rich man and prominent leader, a member of the Sanhedrin who did not consent to their efforts to condemn and execute Jesus.

As Jesus’ death was confirmed by the Roman contingent supervising the cross, Joseph and Nicodemus broke ranks from the anti-Jesus consensus of the Council: they leveraged their influence with Pilate to get custody of Jesus’ body. At odds with the antagonism toward Jesus of their peers in the Jewish hierarchy, they pledged their fealty to the One they had respected, revered and followed.

Joe² had purchased a tomb in a memorial garden. This was not a speculative investment; his use of the hewn cave would be for his own burial, and for his immediate family. The opportunity to demonstrate his high-regard for Jesus became immediately practical: the value of his personal asset, offered in service to the One they believed to be the Messiah overruled his own estate plan…

Maundy Thursday left a message: the ultimate lifestyle model is to serve rather than to be served.

Good Friday would inscribe the next installment of the story: sin is a really big deal, and it both warrants and requires the ultimate sentence of death.

But the story would not end at sundown on Friday; the final installment would be at sunrise, on Sunday…

Joseph of Arimathea made a decision on Good Friday that would include him in the dramatic victory of the Resurrection that was scheduled for Sunday morning. A true Gospel Patron, he used his asset (the tomb) to serve the ultimate purpose of God.

Kudos to Joe¹ for his part in Christmas; kudos to Joe² for his part in Easter. Average Joes – like you and me! – always have a part to play in the Story.

Have you found your role in the Story yet?

Bob Shank