Holy Tuesday: The Setting Sun
Walking Through Holy Week, Part Three
As we continue our journey through Holy Week, we arrive at Tuesday—a day often overlooked but filled with profound teaching. While Palm Sunday's triumph and Good Friday's sacrifice tend to dominate our attention, Holy Tuesday captures something essential: Jesus' urgent call to spiritual readiness as the shadows lengthen around him.
The Teacher's Final Lessons
"While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them. (John 12:36)
"Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come... So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:42, 44)
The Gospel accounts show Jesus spending much of Tuesday in Jerusalem's temple courts, engaged in intense teaching. The opposition from religious authorities is mounting—questions designed to trap him come from every direction. Yet Jesus responds with some of his most powerful parables and prophecies.
These aren't casual conversations. With the cross looming just days away, Jesus delivers teachings of exceptional urgency about watchfulness, faithful stewardship, and ultimate judgment. He speaks of wise and foolish virgins waiting for the bridegroom, of talents entrusted to servants, and of sheep separated from goats based on how they treated "the least of these."
The image of fading daylight in John's gospel perfectly captures this moment—Jesus warns that the light is with them only a little longer. Time is running short, both for his earthly ministry and for his hearers to embrace his message.
Living with Holy Urgency
Holy Tuesday's call to spiritual vigilance is relevant for our modern lives. In a world of endless distractions, Jesus' teachings cut through our complacency with questions that still demand answers:
- Are we spiritually awake or sleepwalking through life?
- Are we using our God-given gifts faithfully or burying them out of fear?
- Do we recognize Christ in the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and imprisoned?
- Are our spiritual lamps filled with oil, ready for the bridegroom's unexpected arrival?
The uncertainty of timing—"you do not know on what day your Lord will come"—isn't meant to frighten us but to inspire holy alertness. Jesus isn't calling us to anxious speculation about the future, but to point us toward present faithfulness in ordinary moments.
Finding Meaning in the Middle
Holy Tuesday teaches us that what we do in the "middle days" matters enormously. Between Palm Sunday's celebration and Easter's glory lies the faithful stewardship of Tuesday—the unglamorous work of staying awake, keeping our lamps trimmed, and recognizing Christ in unexpected places.
This day reminds us that life's most important spiritual work often happens not in dramatic moments but in daily choices to remain vigilant, faithful, and compassionate. The question isn't just whether we're ready for Christ's final return, but whether we're attentive to his presence in every hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, or imprisoned person we encounter today.
A Prayer for Holy Tuesday
Lord, make me watchful and ready, with my oil-filled spiritual lamp, attentive to Your presence in expected and unexpected places. Help me use my gifts faithfully, not bury them out of fear. Open my eyes to see You in the vulnerable and hurting. In this world of endless distractions, grant me holy vigilance and a heart that remains awake to Your voice. Amen.
What helps you maintain spiritual vigilance in a distracted world? Share your practices in the comments below.
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Steven E Fairbanks
Steven E Fairbanks
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