Wednesday Of Holy Week

Wednesday in Holy Week
March 27, 2013

The Bible doesn't say what the Lord did on Wednesday of Passion Week. Scholars speculate that after two exhausting days in Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples spent this day resting in Bethany in anticipation of the Passover.

Bethany was about two miles east of Jerusalem. Here Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha lived. They were close friends of Jesus, and probably hosted him and the disciples during these final days in Jerusalem.

Just a short time previously, Jesus had revealed to the disciples, and the world, that he had power over death by raising Lazarus from the grave. After seeing this incredible miracle, many people in Bethany believed that Jesus was the Son of God and put their faith in him. Also in Bethany just a few nights earlier, Lazarus' sister Mary had lovingly anointed the feet of Jesus with expensive perfume.

While we can only speculate, it's fascinating to consider how our Lord Jesus spent this final quiet day with his dearest friends and followers.

Read More:

• Bible Story - Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead

READINGS

Click on Scripture Lessons below for study links and resources for each individual pericope:

Isaiah 50:4-9

Psalm 70Roman Catholic reading: Psalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31, 33-34

Hebrews 12:1-3

John 13:21-32Roman Catholic reading: Matthew 26:14-25

Reading and Studying the Text This Week

• Texts:
  • Illustrated lectionary readings at Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Year A, Year B, Year C.
  • Lectionary readings from the Episcopal Lectionary: BCP - RCL.
  • The Roman Catholic Lectionary for Mass (1998 USA Edition). At Felix Just S.J.'sThe Roman Catholic Lectionary For Mass - a site featuring comprehensive tables of editions of the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
  • PCUSA - Lectionary for Sundays and Festivals Scripture Reference.
• Commentary, Exegesis & Sermon Preparation (see also listings at individual scripture pages, linked in listings at top of page)
  • Preaching Helps (Holy Week Wednesday). Safiyah Fosua, United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship, 2012.
  • Wednesday in Holy Week: Spy Wednesday, RevGalBlogPals, 2010.
  • John Shearman's Lectionary Resource, Holy Week Wednesday, 2009, Rev. John Shearman, Oakville, ON, Canada.
  • Kairos CoMotion Lectionary Discussion, Pre-Easter Wednesday. "A place of conversation regarding Progressive Christianity."
  • "Will You Betray Me, Too?" Samuel Zumwalt, St Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Wilmington, NC, 2007.
  • Wellspring of the Gospel, Wednesday in Holy Week, Catherine McElhinney and Kathryn Turner, Weekly Wellsprings.
  • "The Betrayer," sermon by Samuel D. Zumwalt, St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Wilmington, NC.
• A list of links to on-line Bibles and general Bible study resources.
• A list of links to scholarly and preaching discussion groups and their homepages.
• A list of links to other lectionary-based preaching and worship resources.

OnLine Worship and Liturgy Resources

• Resources and Images on The Text This Week's Holy Week Resources page.
• Lent and Easter links at Rev. Richard J. Fairchild's A Holy Easter.
• Complete Liturgies and General Worship Planning Resources:
  • LCA Worship Resources, Holy Week Wednesday, includes liturgy, hymn suggestions, notes on the readings, visuals, drama, "Talking with Children," etc. Lutheran Church of Australia.
  • Liturgies Online, Holy Week Wednesday, by Rev Moira Laidlaw, Uniting Church in Australia.
• Prayers, Prefaces, Litanies, etc:
  • Laughing Bird Liturgical Resources by Nathan Nettleton, South Yarra Community Baptist Church, Melbourne, Australia. Prayers, blessings, Eucharistic prefaces and scripture paraphrases.
  • Prayers of the People, Wednesday in Holy Week. General intercessions for Sundays and Feasts, by Ormonde Plater, Archdeacon of the [Anglican/Episcopal] Diocese of Louisiana.
  • Thematic, Intercessory and Scripture Prayers for the RCL, Year A, Year B, Year C, Vanderbilt Divinity Library.
• Graphics and Bulletin Materials:
  • Art in the Christian Tradition, Year A, Year B, Year C, Jean and Alexander Heard, Vanderbilt Divinity Library. Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike 3.0 License.
  • Images for this week's readings, Year B, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
  • Scripture Introduction for Bulletin Insert, Holy Week Wednesday, 2010, Rev. John Shearman, Oakville, ON, Canada.
• Hymns and Music:
  • Hymnary.org: Wednesday of Holy Week, Year A, Year B, Year C, hymns, scores, media, information.
  • Hymn selections (United Methodist) and more from Hymnsite.com.
  • Hymns of the Spirit Three, Holy Wednesday, Richard E. Hurst, Universalist National Memorial Church.
• With Children:
  • Lectionary Puzzles, Holy Week Wednesday. Word search puzzles in RTF or plain text, by Reg McMillan, St.Stephen's Presbyterian Church, Peterborough, Ontario.
• A list of links to other lectionary-based preaching and worship resources.