Tuesday of Passion Week #
Our ascent toward the days of Christ’s Passion continues. In the hymns of Tuesday, we hear words from the conversations the Savior held with His disciples at the close of His earthly ministry, as recorded in the Holy Gospel. In these dialogues, He prepared His disciples for what was soon to come—His betrayal, His suffering, the unjust trial and crucifixion—while promising that He would rise on the third day after His death. He foretold the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the “abomination of desolation standing in the holy place” (Matt. 24:15); He pointed to the signs of the end times and the nearness of the final Judgment, and spoke in parables that taught the need to have open hearts to receive the word of God, to await His coming with vigilance in prayer and diligent fulfillment of His commandments.
It is this message that Christ conveys in His parables: of those called to the wedding feast (Matt. 22:1–14), of the wise and the wicked servant (Matt. 24:45–51), of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1–13), of the talents (Matt. 25:14–30), and of the sheep and the goats (Matt. 25:31–46). All these parables are echoed in the canons of the Small Compline and Matins, as well as in the evening and morning stichera of this day.
In the hymns of Monday and Tuesday, another episode from the Gospel is also remembered:
“Then came to Him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping Him, and desiring a certain thing of Him. And He said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto Him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand, and the other on the left, in Thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto Him, We are able. And He saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on My right hand, and on My left, is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father” (Matt. 20:21–23).
After speaking with the mother of James and John, Christ turned to His disciples and said:
“Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:25–28).
All these teachings—and others—on faith, virtue, and holy conduct, offered to the apostles and to Christians of all vocations in every age, are presented to us in the services of the Church.
In the paremias (selected Old Testament readings) at Vespers on the eve of Tuesday, we hear the beginning of the Book of Exodus and the beginning of the Book of Job. The exodus of the Hebrew people from Egyptian slavery is interpreted by the Holy Fathers as a foreshadowing of the deliverance of the human race from the power of the devil and of sin through the Cross-bearing struggle of Christ. The righteous Job—an innocent sufferer—is seen as a type of Christ Himself, the only Sinless One, who accepted torment and death for the redemption and salvation of sinners.
At the Sixth Hour on Tuesday, we continue the reading from the prophet Ezekiel, begun on Monday, describing his vision of the Lord’s chariot (Ezek. 1:17–28). This too carries deep theological significance. The appearance of the Lord to the prophet in glory, surrounded by the four living creatures—symbols of the four Gospels—speaks to us of the coming Judgment, which is the theme of the Gospel parables remembered in today’s service. As it is written: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him” (John 1:18). Since the prophet did not see the Son incarnate, he does not describe the form of Him who appeared, but gives only a sense of His unutterable majesty and glory. This is what we, the faithful, must keep in mind as we read and hear of His immeasurable abasement: how He was scourged, spat upon, crowned with thorns, crucified, and put to death. For after the days of crucifixion, burial, and Sabbath rest, there shall come “the truly holy and all-festal night, the radiant herald of the Day of Resurrection,” when, with the Myrrh-bearing women, we shall be astonished by the dazzling light of the Angel sitting upon the rolled-away stone and proclaiming: “Be not afraid. Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified; He is risen, He is not here. Behold the place where they laid Him” (Mark 16:6). And then our hearts shall be filled with joy, and “your joy no man taketh from you” (John 16:22).
Stikhera after Glory at “Lord, I have cried,” Tone 5
O Lord, as Thou didst go toward Thy Passion, Thou didst take aside Thy disciples, and thus didst speak to them to strengthen them: “Have ye forgotten My words, which I spoke to you before, that every prophet must be slain, and none perisheth outside of Jerusalem? Behold, the hour is at hand, that which I foretold to you: for lo, I am given over into the hands of sinners, to be mocked. They shall nail Me to the Cross, and commit Me to the tomb, counting Me abominable as one dead. But take courage: for on the third day I shall rise again, bringing joy to the faithful, and life everlasting.”
Stichera at the Praises, Tone 2
Through sloth of soul I slumbered, O Bridegroom Christ, and I have not acquired a burning lamp of virtues. I have become like the foolish virgins, and in the time of action I played and was deceived. Shut not against me, O Master, the bowels of Thy mercy, but shake off my darkness and raise me from sleep, O Merciful One, and join me with the wise virgins in Thy bridal chamber, where there is the pure voice of those who keep festival and cry unceasingly: Glory to Thee, O Lord!
Come, ye faithful, let us labor zealously for the Master: for He bestows riches on His servants. Let each of us, according to his ability, multiply the talent of grace. Let one bring wisdom through good works; let another serve in splendor; let another share his faith by preaching to the uninstructed; let another distribute riches to the poor. Thus shall we increase what has been entrusted to us, and as faithful stewards of grace, we shall be made worthy of the Master’s joy. Make us worthy of this, O Christ our God, for Thou art the Lover of mankind.