The Law of Proportionality
When I was a student at Asbury Theological Seminary (1984-1988), I took three “English Bible” classes. In these classes, we looked at many of the “laws” of writing and applied them to our sacred text, the Bible. One of the “laws” that we learned about is called “the law of proportionality.” Basically, it means that that which gets the most ink is really important.
We are in Holy Week and applying “the law of proportionality” to the four Gospel narratives, we learn that the week we call “Holy Week,” from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, gets…now get this…32.5% of the biblical text! Below is the breakdown by each Gospel and the total:
The Gospel according to Matthew, Matthew 21-28 (8 of 28) = 28.5%
The Gospel according to Mark, Mark 11-16 (6 of 16) = 37.5%
The Gospel according to Luke, Luke 19-24 (6 of 24) = 25%
The Gospel according to John, John 12-20 (9 of 21) = 42.8%
29 chapters of the 89 Gospel chapter = 32.5%
What does “the law of proportionality” teach us? Simply put, Holy Week matters! It matters a lot and not simply because Jesus rises from the dead at the end.
When I was a local church pastor, one of my frustrations was that the most important week in human history gets celebrated with most Christians missing the importance, of what I call, ”the slow walk to Easter.” Let me explain. This week, many of my colleagues will work really hard to put together meaningful and transcendent Holy Week services, primarily for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Easter will be what we lovingly call “stupid full.” Lots of people will show and that’s good. But what so many will miss are the worship services that help Christ followers experience a thoughtful and meaningful stroll through the stories of the Upper Room, the agony of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane, the pain of betrayal by Judas, the denial and abandonment by Peter and the other disciples, the brutalization of Jesus at his arrest, the mockery of his trumped up charges before Pilate as well as Jesus’ arduous walk to Calvary where he was hung and died between heaven and earth. They will miss out on the meaning and experience of the other days in Holy Week. 32.5% of the Gospels cover this week, not just Easter Sunday, and most of us miss on it. Holy Week matters, so this year, walk slowly to the cross my friends. Take each step with our Rabbi. Whether it’s in your corporate worship services or private times of worship, journey with Jesus slowly through the week that changed the world!
Dear Lord, your disciple Peter wanted to know who would betray you. You pointed to Judas but a little later also to him. Judas betrayed, Peter denied you. Judas hanged himself, Peter became the apostle whom you made the first among equals. Lord, give me faith, faith in your endless mercy, your boundless forgiveness, your unfathomable goodness. Let me not be tempted to think that my sins are too great to be forgiven, too abominable to be touched by your mercy. Let me never run away from you but return to you again and again, asking you to be my Lord, my Shepherd, my Stronghold, and my Refuge. Take me under your wing, O Lord, and let me know that you do not reject me as long as I keep asking you to forgive me. Perhaps my doubt in your forgiveness is a greater sin than the sins I consider too great to be forgiven. Perhaps I make myself too important, too great when I think that I cannot be embraced by you anymore. Lord, look at me, accept my prayer as you accepted Peter’s prayer, and let me not run away from you in the night as Judas did.
Bless me, Lord, in this Holy Week, and give me the grace to know your loving presence more intimately. Amen.
A prayer of Henri J.M. Nouwen