If you had only one week left to live, how would you spend it?
This classic ice breaker question usually is intended to elicit dreams of vacations or altruistic aspirations. I’ve used it to hone in on my priorities – if I only had a week left to live, would I spend it doing ______ (fill in the blank)? For some people, the question feels very real. Though they may have more than a week, people with certain illnesses or injuries have a more obvious end waiting them.
Last week, I spent the week thinking about Jesus’s last week. He was probably the one man in history to know for absolute fact that he had one week to live. He often talked about the “time” or the “hour” that had finally come. And though the disciples and pharisees weren’t sure what he meant, on this side of the cross, we understand that he meant his time and his hour.
What amazes me about the last week of Jesus’s life on earth is that he spent it pretty much like every other week, especially like every other week since he had begun public ministry. During Jesus’s last week, he had dinner with friends, he celebrated religious feasts and traditions, and he confronted his enemies. He also told stories and answered questions, he tried to tell his disciples about what was to come, and he spent some hard hours in prayer. Historically and redemptively, we know this was an extraordinary week. But counted among the other weeks of Jesus’s life, this week was like all the rest.
The way Jesus spent his last week says some really important things to me about my life. For one, though Jesus knew his “hour,” he taught that none of the rest of us really know. For all our medical technology, we still can’t consistently and accurately predict the time of death, even in the most textbook cases of illness. Doctors can come close, but only the Lord knows our hour. In that case, any week could be my last week.
Second, Jesus’ last week has helped me realize that I need to make all my weeks count, to regularly do the things that are most important to me. This sort of litmus test makes the hours I spend surfing the web or watching TV feel really futile.
The third thing Jesus teaches me, though, is that the most important things are not necessarily what we would expect. Jesus didn’t fill his last days with grand gestures or extreme adventures. He just faithfully did the things that had always been important to him, bringing great value and significance to every day things.
When Jesus shared meals with his friends, he reminded us that people should be part of our lives. When he taught his disciples and the crowds, he reminded that that his word is essential to our lives. When our Lord told stories and observed nature, he showed us how to make a place for beauty and creativity in our lives. When he confronted his enemies, he provided a standard for both love and truth. When Jesus set aside time to go to the temple, to pray, and to eat a Passover meal with his disciples, he highlighted our need for seasons and liturgy and worship. And when he did all of these things during the last week of his life, he provided a model for all the weeks of our lives.
That was some week. But so is this one.
I liked your Daily Journal for this week, btw, and I noted you as a “thinking blogger” over on Green Inventions (without the meme commitment, though, so you needn’t do the tag part!)
Sorry, Charity, I always seem to be a little behind on reading and responding to posts!
I so appreciate what you have to say about what Jesus’ days looked like – it answers the thoughts (doubts) I’ve been having lately.
It’s awesome how God uses the thoughts of others to answers our prayers and confusions about Him…thanks for being faithful in writing your insights!!
Aimee — I like the “dessert for thought” comment. Thanks for your encouragement, too.
Every Square Inch — Thanks for stopping by. Your phrase, “we don’t align our priorities with our joy,” is so poetic and so painfully true. Jesus definitely aligned his priorities with his joy. And his joy allowed him to do such difficult things for us (Hebrews 12).
charity
Really wonderful post. You’ve given me a lot to think about by drawing attention to Jesus’ last week.
As you rightly pointed out – he spent that week, the way he did all other weeks in his earthly ministry – giving his life away, caring for others, teaching.
Perhaps we come up with something different for our last week because we don’t align our priorities with our joy.
chill bumps, Charity!!!
Wonderful post and dessert for thought!
LL — Doing it all without a second thought — now that would be extraordinary for me, as well. Isn’t amazing what negative things we can do to a perfectly wonderful day, or week, all because our expectations and definitions of a “good” one are out of whack?
Again, it’s great how you have “connected the dots.” This is wonderful stuff to meditate on during today’s drive home.
LM — I wish that I could embrace the ordinary parts of my life with more spiritual vigor. How do you do this as a mom with young children? I’m sure that many days feel painfully ordinary (I have such deep respect for mothers).
Ted — I like that you pointed out that Jesus’ last week was a busy one — just like all the others. I sometimes get on an anti-busy kick, trying to be more intentionally reflective, etc. And I believe there is something about the busyness of our culture that is inane. But the busyness that comes from ministering to people was definitely part of Jesus’s life in ministry.
I SO love your last line. And this is quite where I’m at right now, as I also try to think through what makes a day a good day, a week a good week.
It is what made me pick up the phone this past Saturday (my dedicated, kid-free writing day) and talk to my father. It’s what made me have an impromptu Passover meal last Tuesday, with some relatives newly-returned to the area.
Now, if I could do all this without a second thought, as Jesus seemed to do… that’d truly be something.
Beautifully-written post. Yes.
Charity – I love your thoughts here. And you’re right–the week Jesus died was extraordinary in it’s ordinariness. Powerful lessons here.
or I should say, it may be.
Charity, Excellent post and thought that Jesus did the last week like all the others. I think in some ways the last week was even a bit extraordinary for Jesus (and I’m sure we agree and are on the same page here). But your point is valid and right. And I noticed that just last week in looking over the gospels. It was a busy week with Jesus doing much of what he always did.
Great point for us. We should be living every week as if “this is it”. Because as far as we know it is.
Thanks, Charity.