Today is Tuesday, the third day of Holy Week.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.

Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”

Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew 21:45-46

"45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet."

The chief priests had a lot going on when it came to their interactions with Jesus: they were listening to him. They felt paranoid maybe, knowing he was talking about them. They were angry, and wanted to arrest him. They were also afraid of the crowd. Imagine you were one of
them. Imagine you were convinced you were in the right. You were the moral and religious leader.
Imagine how you would feel, struggling with the strangeness of the message of Christ.

We don’t often take time to consider the pharisees in the Bible. They were very religious people. They were leaders. They were so certain in their followership of God. Yet there were also fearful, angry, and paranoid. Murderous, even. As you listen again, consider the pharisees in this text. What feelings or thoughts does it bring up? Is there anything about their religiosity, their rigid moralism, their judgementalism.... that feels familiar?

"45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet."

A part of Holy Week is recognizing that we find parts of ourselves all the way through it, in every scene, every day. We find ourselves in the singing crowds at Palm Sunday, buying and selling in the Temple on Monday... watching Jesus turn tables... and today – maybe we find ourselves in the Pharisees as well. Maybe there are parts of our hearts that are angry. Or judgmental. Or afraid. As we end our time of prayer, bring all of the parts of yourself to Jesus.

Music Credit:
Are You Who You Say You Are? (feat. Paul Cullen) - Heaven And Earth (YouTube)