Lamentations and Holy Week
I would like to challenge you to read the book of Lamentations before the end of Saturday. Why?
Throughout Church History on Maundy Thursday, the climax of Holy Week, the book of Lamentations was read by the congregation in private or public readings. It seems like an odd place to go this time of year because the resurrection is supposed to be about celebration, right? Well, yes, on Sunday. But leading up to resurrection day, some very sad things happened. Jesus rode into Jerusalem as the people shouted “Hosanna! Hosanna!”. They still thought he was going to overturn the Roman oppression at the beginning of what we now call “Holy Week”.
But He did something a bit different, didn’t He? He came and turned the city on its head, but in a different way. He started by turning the tables over in the Temple, a foreshadowing of what “Holy Week” would really be about.
Here’s why I would like you to take this challenge:
Imagine being one of His disciples or even just your average Joe follower that was sold out to what this new prophet was saying. You sold all you had to follow Him. You gave 3 years of your life to Him. Then, by the end of the week, HE’S DEAD!
Enter Lamentations. (Use this as commentary)
Lamentations is 5 chapters which contain 5 poems within the book. Each poem is 22 verses which is the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. It’s an acrostic (chapter 3 is 3 sets of 22 verses, 66 verses in all). This acrostic starting with the Hebrew letter “Aleph” and ending with “Tav” represents a totality concept, a beginning to end. It draws the reader through the poems and does not allow you to stop at your “pet” verses (“great is thy faithfulness” - Lam 3:23).
It’s poetry.
It’s a prayer in the midst of tragedy. That even when the people perceive that God has done something wrong, the prayer is that God will deliver by His covenant faithfulness. It is a theology of prayer “from below”, that is, from us. So there is angst, doubt, real feelings that we feel, especially in light of the Savior’s death. In fact, the tragedy ends in chapter 5 with us hanging in the balance, wondering if the suffering will be relieved.
This is where we are left in the book. With no hope. All we thought about God and all we thought about our would-be Savior is crushed.
We wonder. Will He come through?
This is where Jesus’ followers were during the days leading up to the resurrection day. The suffering of Zion, the man in Lamentations and Jerusalem are ALL taken up in the suffering of Christ! Let’s feel the weight of this together, from now until Saturday night. And then, resurrection day…
WE CELEBRATE!!
-AOD
Comment with your thoughts, insight or experience during the reading. How has God used it in your life?
