Beware the Ides of Lent.

Today, March 12, marks Day 20 of our forty-day Lenten journey, the midpoint of this solemn Christian season. We are halfway to the joy of Easter and the celebration of the resurrection.

“Ides” is not a word we commonly use today. In the ancient Roman calendar, the Ides referred to a particular day near the middle of the month, March 15 in the case of the famous “Ides of March.” The phrase became immortal through the pen of the great playwright William Shakespeare in his tragedy Julius Caesar. In the play, a soothsayer warns the Roman ruler, “Beware the Ides of March.”

History tells us what happened next. On March 15, 44 BC, Julius Caesar was betrayed and assassinated by a group of Roman senators. Among them was Marcus Junius Brutus, a man whom Caesar had previously pardoned and trusted. Shakespeare dramatizes the moment with the famous line, “Et tu, Brute?” meaning, “You too, Brutus?”

Historians are not certain Caesar actually spoke those words. Shakespeare’s artistic genius may have shaped the way we remember the scene. Still, the image of betrayal remains powerful.

Yet another betrayal, far more significant for the Christian faith, would occur roughly three-quarters of a century later.

That is the story toward which our Lenten journey moves. As we approach Holy Week, our attention turns to the cross. If Shakespeare had written a play about the Passion, perhaps he might have penned another haunting line, “Et tu, Judas?” referring to Judas, the disciple whose betrayal set the events of Jesus’ crucifixion in motion.

Join us this Sunday, March 15, the Ides of March, as we gather for worship on the Fourth Sunday in Lent. We meet at 9:30 AM.

But a word of warning. Beware. The Holy Spirit may be upon you.

Blessings,

Pastor Marc