Random Thoughts on Holy Weekend
Icon of the Pantokrator. Main chapel, Holy Sepulcher.
Over the past several days, I’ve had various thoughts (mostly undeveloped) on Holy Weekend. I thought I should post them before Western Holy Weekend is over. So, here goes:
1. I prefer the terms “Holy Weekend” and “Resurrection Sunday” to “Easter–” whatever. Read most scholarly discussion on Easter and they’ll read Christianity a riot act for making up the Resurrection of Jesus and putting it on “Easter”, a fertility festival that took the name of Ishtar, a Mesopotamian fertility goddess. There are more issues there and I would prefer to use terms that focus on Him during His Passion and particularly on His Resurrection. I’d rather avoid the inadvertent connotations of mating chocolate bunnies and festive, LSD inspired colored eggs.
2. Jerusalem is in the mountains. It’s around 2,500 feet in elevation. It is also around 35-40 miles from the Mediterranean Sea. In March and April, Jerusalem is still struggling to get into the 60s. It is also receiving a sea breeze every afternoon. Top it all off with the fact that Jerusalem sits literally on bedrock (not very much topsoil), and Jerusalem is cold in the spring. Forget all the hot, dusty scenes you’ve seen of the Crucifixion in movies. It was probably cold, definitely cloudy (cf. Mt. 27:45; Mk. 15:33; Lk. 23:44), and at least had a cold sea breeze.
3. Today is Holy Saturday. The Western Church, particularly the evangelical traditions I’ve taken part in, have very little to say about Holy Saturday. Jesus was dead and in the tomb. A few years ago, my sibling-in-laws gave me this book, Between Cross and Resurrection: A Theology of Holy Saturday by Alan E. Lewis. Sadly, I never got around to reading it because I think we were getting ready to move to Israel. In any event, I read a few pages and I remember Lewis pointing out that most Western believers do not have any use or concept for Holy Saturday. It’s just a day between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.
If I’m not mistaken, the Eastern traditions talk about how on Holy Saturday, Jesus descended into Hades, and destroyed the power of death and broke its bonds over humanity. He then showed the way to humanity through death into Resurrected life. [1] Of particular interest is a hymn sung during the eastern Holy Saturday liturgy. It goes like this: “Today Hades groans and cries aloud: ‘My dominion has been swallowed up; the Shepherd has been crucified and he has raised Adam. I am deprived of those whom once I ruled; in my strength I devoured them, but now I have cast them forth. He Who was crucified has emptied the tombs; the power of death has no more strength.’ Glory to Thy Cross, O Lord, and to Thy Resurrection!”[2] (cf. Acts. 2:24; Heb. 2:14-15) In the east, Jesus’ Life and Passion conquers humanity’s threefold problem: 1) essential mortal nature (defeated by the Incarnation), sin (defeated by the Cross), and death (defeated by the Resurrection).
The thing that fascinates me here is that Jesus is acting on behalf of humanity, not simply individuals. Although, I as an individual partake in the wonders of God’s salvivic act of humanity, that act was not exclusively about me. I fear that many evangelical Americans slip down the subtle slope of mild narcissism in regard to Holy Weekend. Jesus’ crucifixion is made to center around my sin and His resurrection is about completing the act of my salvation. To be sure, these ideas are not false, but they are not the entire picture. They are simply a small narrow piece of the puzzle.
Anselm of Canterbury suggested ideas that were later termed the “penal substitutionary atonement” theory (around 1100AD), which examined Jesus’ Passion from a legal standpoint. The end result today is people feeling lots of guilt (legitimate or not) for “putting Jesus on the Cross”. I, and many others, have hammered a piece of paper with a list of my own personal offenses onto a large cross. Again, slipping down the subtle slop of narcissism, Good Friday is about me. Jesus becomes a victim of me. However Jesus is a victim of no one. He said, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. NO ONE has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” (Jn. 10:17-18) Luke 9:51 states, “And it came about, when the days were approaching for His ascension, that He resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem.” In other words, He chose to go and die. He was never forced to do anything. He did, after all, have legions of angels at His command. Did my sins play a role in His crucifixion? Yes, but they were not the sole reason. Speaking for myself, I never had that greater perspective of Holy Weekend.
The dangers I see are these: the Penal Substitutionary Atonement combined with well-intended attempts to share the Gospel have led to a Good Friday, which should be somber, that is focused on making people feel guilty. The guilt has led many to receive Jesus as the Messiah. But, that guilt, in an American experience, is a narcissistic one. We ignore the work of Jesus on Holy Saturday on behalf of humanity, and then on Resurrection Sunday we celebrate a gift many have received years ago: acquittal of a crime. I am unable to recreate and sustain the exuberant joy of a gift I received decades ago. It is somewhat analogous to my celebrating a Christmas gift I received during my pre-teen years. I may have a fond memory, but that’s about it. Again, the focus is (subtly) on me and what I received (acquittal). I should be celebrating His being alive, and His making the path open to humanity to enter eternal life and His conquering mortality, sin, and death.
4. The previous paragraphs are not meant to indicate that I believe that Western views of Holy Weekend are incorrect. They are just a bit out of balance and are a dangerous combination with cultural American selfishness (particularly my own).
5. Proximity to the Holy Sepulcher reminds one of the reality of the Empty Tomb.
6. Holy Weekend in the Holy Land is less focused on events, and more on worship and contemplation.
7. Jesus, and His disciples and family, were experiencing being totally alone in the midst of great crowds. Jerusalem, during Passover, is crazy and chaotic. This is true to this very day. Lots of pilgrims.
Alan E. Lewis (2003) Between Cross and Resurrection: A Theology of Holy Saturday. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
[1] Clark Carlton (2000) The Life: The Orthodox Doctrine of Salvation. Salisbury, MA: Regina Orthodox Press. pp. 42-54
[2] The Lenten Triodion
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