Dark

I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places,
that thou mayest know that I, the Lord,
which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

-Isaiah 45:3

“Whatever my circumstances inward or outward may be,
however thick the darkness which encompasses me,
I yet can trust…that all will be well,
that He can draw light out of darkness,
and make crooked things straight.”

-Thomas Erskine

We are now in the throes of Holy Week, the seven days leading to Resurrection Sunday. Jesus’ social calendar was plumb full. All the while his popularity, both positive and negative, was taking a dark turn of events no one foresaw. In our lives, may we allow him to draw light out of darkness in our own disappointing circumstances and discover the hidden riches of secret places, dark though they be.

Palm Sunday:  Jesus’ identity as the Jewish Messiah was symbolized with cheering fans who were waving palm branches, a symbol of victory. Thirty-three years earlier, his mother, Mary, had ridden a donkey into his natal city of Bethlehem; we now see Jesus riding a donkey, a symbol of humility, entering Jerusalem for what would be his final week on earth. Other than his resurrected appearance to Mary Magdalene and the disciples, the next time he comes will be on a white horse (Rev. 19:11)!

Holy Monday:  Jesus was criticized by church leaders as he used parables to illustrate the kingdom of God. His heart was grieved as he witnessed the exploitation of the poor and the commercialization of the temple, and it was here where he overturned the vending tables in the temple court. He spent the night with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha.

Holy Tuesday: Jesus continued to teach in parables; the chief priests, who were stirred up with offense, sought to arrest him.

Holy Wednesday: The vortex of conspiracy against Jesus continued to intensify. In an intimate scene of surrender, Mary Magdalene anointed Jesus with her alabaster jar of precious oil, foreshadowing his burial.

Maundy Thursday:  Maundy, from the Latin mandatum, is derived from the “mandate” or command of Jesus to “love one another” during the Last Supper (John 13:34), where he washed the feet of his disciples and predicted Judas’ betrayal. The Seder meal is still shared in many Jewish and Christian homes as a reenactment of the Last Supper. For me, the Maundy Thursday service took place in a beautiful Scandinavian church, which celebrated a service similar to a “Tenebrae” (literally shadow) service, where the candles of the sanctuary were extinguished and the altar stripped of its linens. I fondly recall the somber scene each year as an operatic bass voice would resonate from the balcony singing “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord.” For Jesus, this event took place in the Garden of Gethsame, an olive grove in Jerusalem not far the Temple, iconic sites for those making the Holy Land pilgrimage. The criticisms, rejection, subsequent abandonment and forthcoming crucifixion was crushing the heart of Jesus to the extent that “his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Crushed in spirit, Jesus was pressed in prayer; so are olives pressed to release their most precious commodity of oil, representing the release of the Holy Spirit.

Good Friday: The setting is not one which we would describe as good: betrayal, arrest, trial, and crucifixion were all thrust upon Jesus. The surrounding stench of suffering, the cavernous depths of anguish, and the caustic effects of sorrow and deep disappointment pervaded all who had had a different set of expectations playing through their minds; no one had anticipated crucifixion as part of the plan. The guards “put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a [throne] of thorns and set it on him” (Mark 15:17). Such irony is beautifully illustrated by Shelley Cramm in her devotional My Father is the Gardener:

“…the taunting Roman soldiers wove a crown of thorn bush branches to place on Jesus’ head,
a crescendo of ridicule, along with whipping and flogging, of his kingdom rule.
The crown of thorns would have punctured his skin,
an opposite image of a gleaming royal crown fit for a king.
It was a sobering play on words of thorn and throne, Christ’s rightful place.”

Holy Saturday:  As the words in “Rattle” reflect, “Saturday was silent; surely it was through, but since when does impossible ever stop you.” What was happening inside that cold, dark tomb? Jesus’ followers were no doubt in shocked mourning, disappointment the only sound inside the echo chamber of their grief.

Easter Sunday: “Friday’s disappointment is Sunday’s empty tomb” is an apt catch-phrase for all of us, reminding us that when we are walking in the midst of disappointment, we cannot possibly know how the chapter will unfold. Many of us have the tendency to play negative scenarios in our minds, but God fathoms the depths of our darkness where we cannot; after all, the empty tomb was definitely a plot twist that no one was expecting! When we are in our dark seasons, we feel as if we are groping about, searching for something solid to cling to. All the while, His answer pushes forth in the dark, cold soil, though we cannot see it, cresting forth on the morning’s virginal womb (Ps.110:3). May we discover this hope in the midst of our own dark disappointments, and that He is with us.

“Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light…”
~Roethke~

To go in the dark
With a light
Is to know the light.

To know the dark,
Go dark.

Go without sight,
And find that the dark,
Too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet
And dark wings.
~Wendell Berry, Terrapin~

He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

-Daniel 2:22