A Tenebrae Reading

Betrayal
'What will you give?'
And Jesus is betrayed
A shadow is cast
A death comes closer
Was this all planned
Months and years before?
Or it the betrayer
Feeling betrayed by a Jesus
Who is the messiah wanted?

One, two, three
Thirty coins in all
A life bought for
A month's manual labour
At the table
A meal to remember
Bread is broken
Wine is poured
A visible sign
To a new passover coming

The betrayal is known
The betrayed as knowledge
'One of you' he says
'Surely not I'
All the disciples reply

Denial
The one who is betrayed
Will be also the one who is denied
As it is written
As Zechariah spoke
'When the shepherd is struck
The sheep will scatter'
'Not I'
A bold Peter replies
But Jesus predicts
Before the night is over
Before the cock crows
Three times will Peter's boldness
Give way to fear
The shadow grows longer
The darkness stretches out

Anguish
In the garden
Overwhelmed with sorrow
Lost in anguish
'Take this cup'
- let there be another way
A different road
An alternative path -
But then
With deep resolve
'Not my will but yours'
Jesus prays
The disciples sleep
Jesus prays
The disciples sleep

Treachery
Arriving on the scene
With swords and clubs
A crowd with religious consent
And at their head
Judas
Who betrays with a kiss
Not a sign of love
Not a greeting of peace
But a slap in the face

Seized and arrested
Jesus is led away
And the disciples scatter
Run for their lives
Head for the hills
Friends disunited
Shadows surround
Only the night lies ahead

Deceit
'Are you the Christ ...
The son of the blessed one?'

Silent has Jesus been
Mute in the face of condemning claims
But now he speaks
Two words
'I am'
Into the darkness of the night
Into this midnight trial
A legal sham
At his most vulnerable
Where he is seemingly powerless
He names himself
With the name of God

Hypocrisy
Jesus
Now stood before Pilate
Silent and still
No sound does he make
No word does he speak

Pilate is bewildered at this
Strange mute preacher
No crime to be found
And so
To the crowd
He asks
'Barabbas or Jesus?'
For the former they shout
For the latter they condemn
A rebel's death to die

Hands are washed
Innocence is declared
But no one is fooled
Pilate's conscience is stained
As
Barabbas is freed
And
Jesus is sentenced
His life to be ended

Humiliation
Clothed in purple
Crowned with thorns
Mocked with homage
Led out to die

All is darkness
All is shadow
Death's door is open
The long road will find it's end
At calvary hill

Comments

[Mike Tapper]

Hi Andy. My name is Mike Tapper. I am a PhD student at University of Ottawa: Saint Paul. Recently, I came across your blog and am following it with interest. I am in the early writing stages of a dissertation that focusses on the contribution of Colin Gunton's (and Miroslav Volf's) trinitarian ecclesiology to Canadian evangelicalism. With this in mind, might you be willing to engage in some email conversation about Gunton's work? I would welcome this. -Mike

[Andy Goodliff]

Mike, I'd be willing, not sure how much help I can be, but if not, may well be able to point you in the direction of others who can.

[mike tapper]

Thanks, Andy.

I'm having trouble sending an email to your address at Oxford. Could you email me and then I'll return the favour?