Reflections from the Upper Room

LIGHT

A light shines deep within me.

You cannot see it, I wish you could.

Silently amidst the roar

It comforts and consoles;

Convicts and corrects.

A bright light surrounds me

You cannot see it, I wish you could.

Guiding me on the path

Seeking, sanctifying;

Protecting, projecting.

What is this light?

You cannot see it, I wish you would.

A morning star, bright new dawn!

A spirit of resurrection.

You know who!

This is the light.

The light in the life of all.

The whisperer of God

Comforter, Paraclete;

The Holy Spirit of God

Let me take you back 2000 years to the upper room, the same room that only a few days before the friends has shared a supper.  Imagine you are one of the followers in the room and listen to the voice of one of these.

I’m Myriam; I come from a town you will know as Magdala.  You’ll know me as Mary Magdalene.  I’m one of the Rabbi’s followers, and I can’t begin to tell you about how much emotion we’ve all been through over the last week or so. Looking around the room earlier tonight the faces told their own stories. 

Where should I start, well back in Bethany I suppose.  Lazarus had died and despite knowing that it was far too near Jerusalem for comfort we went with the Rabbi and well, it’s difficult to say what happened next.  One moment Lazarus was clearly dead; the smell was that sweet odour of decay, you couldn’t miss it, and then the aroma changed; a hint of spice in the air; I felt just a bit dizzy and then there he was, Lazarus, standing at the tomb entrance leaning heavily on Yeshu.  Oh, didn’t I say earlier, he was the Rabbi, now I mean is.  It’s been a long few days. 

We knew the whispering after Lazarus was alive again; you can’t keep that sort of thing quiet, Yeshu know he was a marked man after that.  How can you control a population if the worst punishment is death, and here is this man who just proved that not to be permanent.  This man had blatantly done something that was a real threat to the Temple, we didn’t know what he would do, then he says we are going to the City.

I don’t know why but I have somehow always believed in him, is it his charisma, is it something else, I don’t know. What I do know is that once he made his mind up there was no turning back.

A couple of the guys returned with a colt, and Yeshu sat on it.  He did look funny!  Then it clicked, we were going to be like Jeremiah envisaged, with the chosen one returning to Israel.  We’ve all heard of Julius Caesar, well this was our Rubicon I guess, and everyone we met got it!  The sight of the Rabbi on the colt, they all started to throw palms down in front of him, waving them over him, shouting “Hosannah to the Son of David”.  We entered through the dung gate from the east; I heard later that Pilate was entering from the posh part with his army from the west.  Two armies converging on the city. We couldn’t help get caught up in the excitement; and then Yeshu went into the temple and started some trouble.  It wasn’t much, the temple guard just watched; I think they were shaken by the support, and they were short in number. I guess it was more important to provide security for Pilate; after all he is nothing but a petty dictator.

The week passed so quickly, argument after argument with Temple types; I did notice that for the first time they were all ganging up as though they were working together. The Sadducees, the Pharisees and the Herodians, normally can’t stand each other but distrust of Yeshu was bringng them all together.  It was like a storm was gathering and we were in the centre of it, and at the very centre was Yeshu, and you could see he was tired.

4 days ago; we all met here and ate what was to be our last meal together.  Yeshu was looking like he had other things on his mind.  He said the blessing but differently you know.  He knew the enemies were close and he knew I think he didn’t have long.  He sent Judas out, soon after saying that one of us was going to betray him.  Why didn’t anyone realise?  I think it was Andrew who said something like he was going to give the money to the poor fund!  It just couldn’t be worse than what is was though.   We went into the grove by Gesthemane, Susanna and I followed at a distance from the others, everyone was talking in small groups.  I could see Yeshu ahead standing by himself.  He seemed to be shaking.  Then the lights arrived and Judas was at the front.  Susanna and I hid in the bushes.  Judas came up to Yeshu and kissed him on the cheek.  How could he!  That was our signal in the group.  It was our secret signal!  He had betrayed us all to the authorities; then all hell let loose. Literally.  Peter struck out at one of the guards but Yeshu (not for the first time) stopped him.  He even reached out and healed the guy; but by then there was no stopping them.  They grabbed Yeshu and tried to get some of the group.  Everyone ran.  Lazarus, the young man who had been raised seemed to be on their plan as well, they focussed on him but he managed to escape.  Brushing past us, his clothing caught on the bushes.  Susanna and I hid our faces and stayed perfectly still for fear of getting caught.

Then it all happened so fast.  We were able to follow at a distance a bit as no one bothered with us.  As women we were just nobodies anyway.

I spoke to one of the women in the courtyard outside Caiaphas’ house so learnt that they had taken him to Pilate, Herod and Pilate again. Pilate, it was a death sentence waiting to happen.  He doesn’t care, he is a Roman, and he was struggling politically so needed to score points.  He did; he got a deal with Herod, showed the Jews who was boss and got rid of Yeshu, not bad for one night’s work.

Yeshu, beaten to a pulp, hanging on a tree; our leader, our Rabbi, and something so much more.  They beat him so badly that he died before the day was out; we buried him in Joseph’s grave quickly applied some spice before sunset and then got home before the Sabbath started.

Then this morning, the first day of the new week; the first day it would turn out of something else as well.  I went to the grave before the sun came up; I just wanted to go early there was a lot to do; and the stone across the doorway was open.  Bad enough they killed him, now they have gone and taken his body to destroy him totally.  I ran back to get Peter and John who after a bit of effort ran back with me to the tomb.  They went in and came out looking puzzled.  It didn’t look like a tomb robbery, there was no mess and the shroud had been left neatly folded so Peter said.  They went back.  I had nowhere to go, and remembering that business with Lazarus, I just wondered.  No, don’t be silly Myriam.  Behind me I heard movement.  It was still early and I could be noticed so I hid my face under my veil.  I turned slowly and saw a figure in the near distance bending over.  I called out to him if he knew anything about this.  It was useless I know and just thinking of Yeshu doubled me up in grief.  Then I heard a voice. “Myriam”.  That scent I had noticed at Bethany but stronger enveloped me.  It was like I was held in a light.  I looked up.  “Rabboni”. No, or Yes, It can’t be, but, Yes!.

 I ran to the others but they didn’t or couldn’t believe me.  We were equals in our group but cultural habits have a long reach.  To survive people were already going back to their old habits.  I was seeing things they said, I wanted to believe they said.  So here I sit looking around the room at faces of fear and dread, of panic.  Then a voice. The voice.  “Shalom”  ,  The rest as they say will be history………

2000 years on, we as the sometimes frightened group of followers have our own issues, sometimes we too fall back on cultural habits in being fearful of change, being fearful of disease or death, of difference; but consider this from one such group on their church website:

Here we practise the inclusive Gospel of Jesus, the one who is called the Christ

This means you may be mixing with tax collectors, sinners, adulterers, hypocrites, Greeks, Jews, women as well as men, female and male ministers, homosexuals, lesbians, the disabled, thieves and other sinners, the dying, white people, black people, Asians and people from other races, Muslims, Bishops, bigots, people of other faiths, strangers, heretics and people with no particular faith etc. etc. In fact anyone like those with whom Jesus himself mixed.

Something to ponder.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit Amen