RETREAT IN LENT 2021
Day 40,
Palm Sunday, 28 March
We accompany Jesus today from the welcome with palm branches,
and the cries of ‘Hosanna’ and ‘Blessings on the coming kingdom’, to his death
and burial. Mark, (in Ch 14 & Ch 15) paces it out like our practice
of the Stations of the Cross and we can consider each step:
·
The
chief priests and scribes look for a way of getting rid of Jesus before the
people even know what is happening (14:1-2).
·
Jesus
is anointed by a woman before his death and, despite the complaints of wasting
money, he honours her (3-9).
·
Judas
delights the chief priests by offering his help to get him arrested (10-11).
·
Jesus
celebrates the Passover with his disciples, his last great act of fulfilling
the old covenant (12-16).
·
He
foretells his betrayal (17-21).
·
He
celebrates the first Eucharist of the new covenant (22-25).
·
Jesus
foretells Peter’s denial that he ever knew him (26-32).
·
In
Gethsemane, Jesus is overcome by sorrow and distress (32-42).
·
Judas
leads armed men to the spot and Jesus is arrested and his disciples scatter
(43-52).
·
Jesus
is tried before the Sanhedrin. At first, he is silent but when solemnly asked
if he is the Christ, he replies, ‘I am’ (53-64).
·
In
response they spit on him and mock him (65).
·
Peter
denies him three times and when he realises what he has done burst into tears
(66-72).
·
Jesus
is taken to Pilate where, again, he remains silent. The chief priests incite
the crowd to demand his death and the mob cry, ‘Crucify him!’ To placate the
crowd Pilate has Jesus flogged and orders his death (15:1-15).
·
The
soldiers mock him and lead him away to Golgotha (16-22).
·
They
strip him and nail him to the cross and hang him on it (23-27).
·
Again
Jesus is mocked and taunted (28-32).
·
Jesus
feels desolate and abandoned, even by God (33-36).
·
He
dies at the ninth hour (3.00pm) and the centurion believes and calls him ‘a Son
of God’ (37-39).
·
Many
women were there to give Jesus comfort (40-41).
·
Joseph,
though a member of the government, bravely takes the body for burial (42-47).
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