1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:13-49
"Have You Anything Here To Eat"
36While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate in their presence. – Luke 24:36-42
“…for we will see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2
Again this week we hear a resurrected Jesus saying to his followers, “Peace be with you.” His first words to the Church gathered for the first time after his resurrection is: “Don’t be frightened with what’s going on and don’t doubt what God is doing; be strong. See, it’s me. I’m here!”
Then he asked them, "Have You Anything Here To Eat?"
What’s the chance, the disciples were stunned and confused, if not terrified, when they heard him say that? Imagine what you might feel like if Jesus physically appeared to us right now, here in this room and said, “Don’t be afraid; it’s me.” “Have You Anything Here To Eat?”
The neat thing about this is that Jesus reaches beyond the disciples (and our) doubts – and they all had doubts (not just Thomas). So, he lets them touch him so they know he is real. He shows them his hands and feet, proof that their experience is no hoax. Jesus has substance, unlike a ghost. The experience of the Risen Lord was tactile. It was real.
And then, he says "Have You Anything Here To Eat?" Unlike John, Luke has the disciples giving Jesus the cooked fish to eat. Fish and bread was a common meal then, and was a regular part of life on the road with Jesus and his followers. They give him some fish and he eats with them. It was important for Jesus to eat food in front of them to show them he was physically present and not just a ghost. The people in Jerusalem back then believed in Ghosts, but they didn’t believe that ghosts ate food.
Once Jesus has done the very human thing of eating the fish, he shares scripture with them. The signs of breaking bread and eating fish combine with the Word of God to help the disciples (and us) to make some sense of "all of this." The combination of seeing Jesus, of being with him, and the sharing of the Word together, opened their hearts and minds.
Just think what Jesus did on that day. He appeared in Jerusalem to Mary Magdalene, to Peter, and to the other women in the morning. He appeared seven miles away in Emmaus to the two on the road and finally to his disciples behind locked doors in Jerusalem. He was physically present all over the place!
And how people experienced Jesus that day was important. He appeared as a living, solid form. The details reported in Luke make it very clear that it was the same body that was crucified that is now resurrected and what they are seeing is not a ghost. This would be important to the spirituality of Christianity – holiness was not only a spiritual matter, but could be found in the tangible as well. This was the actual Jesus who died on the cross, whose wounds were seen. It wasn't a ghost, but the physical body of Jesus who ate right before the disciples’ eyes.
The experience of the early disciples who touched Jesus, put their hands in his wounds and heard his voice, fed his hunger and received his blessing, is the same experience of Christians today who feed the hungry, break bread together, hunger for God's blessing, and respond to the call to once again turn our lives toward God. When we, like the early followers, experience Christ in a “real and tangible way” in our world, how does it feel? We’re told they were amazed and joyful – thinking this is “too good to be true!”
Because of the resurrection, everything is different for us, and not just on Easter Sunday. Nothing ever is quite the same, including us. And yet, this doesn't have to be (and often isn’t) something that happens completely and all at once, for us or for the early disciples. Instead, Lindner says, for them and for us, it happens "by fits and starts, in hours of doubt and moments of exhilaration, with days of numbness and mourning punctuated by brief moments of holy presence and powerful certainty. Their story is indeed good news for the spaces and places in our own world in which enduring evidence of the resurrection's reign seems to be in short supply"
Most importantly, today’s gospel adds to our understanding that Jesus can be, and is, with us in all places and any time. He does not exist within the boundaries of our senses or the borders of our dimensions. He is present and transcendent at the same time!
His presence helped overcome the doubts and fears that overwhelmed his scared followers! The power of experiencing of the risen Jesus allowed the early Christians to believe. It helps us as well, making it possible for us to step out in our faith - and all who pray, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief [Mk 9:24].” This prayer goes to the very essence of the name (the character) of God: “I am who I need to be, whenever and wherever I need to be it in order to bring you to me!”
Isn’t it good news to know this God of ours will do whatever is necessary to heal our scars, cast out our fears and chase away our doubts? In amazement and joy we can say, “The Lord IS risen and IS here today!” Christ stands before us - even today - saying:
"Have You Anything Here To Eat?"
what if … © Jennie Gordon 2009
Luke 24:36b - 48
you stand among us
smelling of broken bread
and invite us to touch
but I can’t reach out
because, what if …
what if I feel torn flesh
beneath my fingers
and your woundedness
seeps into the pit of my soul
and the world’s pain
screams, tortured and unrelenting
through the holes in your hands
what if …
what if I feel nothing
and you withdraw your offer,
moments before
I have a chance to connect
with the presence of you in the room
and I am left fumbling and foolish
clutching at air,
reaching for everything, anything,
anywhere, what if …
what if you stand among us
and all our defences
and reasons for unbelief
fall to the floor like old (worn out clothes)
and in our nakedness and shame
you forgive us, clothe and send us,
in your name.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
April 19, 2009 Message
1 John 1:1 - 2:5; John 20:19-31
“I Do Believe”
The author of 1 John begins by writing about “what we (the apostles) have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life”— the risen Christ. He tells about what they have seen and heard so others can also join them in fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” Because of what they saw and heard, they believed - and wanted others to believe also. I want that, too – for others to believe – but I have not seen with my own eyes, nor been in the same room with Jesus where I could reach out and touch him.
In a lot of ways I am like Thomas in today’s gospel story. I have been skeptical of what others have told me they have experienced. I have struggled with what to believe. And I still question in my mind what others say. But I think that’s okay. Not all of us arrive at our faith easily. Jesus suggests at that when he tells Thomas, who had to see for himself, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” People like that are special. We understand. Without ever seeing the resurrected Jesus before them or the chance to place their hands in his side – they can still say, I do believe.
Maybe that is the kind of belief Iowa born singer Susan Werner writes about in her song “I Will Have My Portion” – a belief that is personal and practical, a belief of possibilities. The final chorus of this song ends with: “I will have my portion. I will have my share. Yes I will! YES I WILL!” Belief like that gives real hope to those whose “time has passed them by;” or whose “well has run dry;” or who is stuck with a life “as it hast to be.” It is a faith that says there is a better day coming – even though it has not yet been seen!
The “portion or share” – intended for all of us – will happen she writes:
“Cause I do believe there's a harvest in the field.
I do believe there's truth to be revealed.
I do believe there's treasure to be found,
And I do believe there's enough to go around.” – Susan Werner, “I Will Have My Portion,” 2007
What do we believe? What helps us in our spiritual lives — that brings us that peaceful feeling, that sense of calm, where we find safety and comfort, where we are able to withstand the pressures surrounding our faith? What do we cling to for our security?
The gospel of John says following Jesus’ death, the disciples, afraid that they would also be killed by those who crucified Jesus, huddle together behind locked doors – that is all except Thomas who was outside for some reason. While Thomas was gone Jesus appears to the others. When Thomas returns, they tell him, they believe “Jesus is risen!” But Thomas says, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). There are conditions for our belief, aren’t there?
Have you ever had the experience of being on the outside looking in? When the whole group, except you, knows something you probably ought to know? It happens to young people all the time, at least it seemed to for me. We’ve all experienced it, haven’t we, when you realize you don’t really know what you should. So you have two options: pretend that you know and fake it — hoping that you can catch on real soon; or call time out long enough to ask questions and to do what you need to do to “get up to speed.” Of course, a third option would be to simply remain on the outside and not know.
For Thomas and those of us ‘on the outside looking in’ – who have missed the experience of God’s “Holy Breath” on our souls – the only real option is to find answers to our questions, to gather ‘real evidence,’ or to find concrete ways to help us believe. We can look to archeological sites or historical artifacts like the Shroud of Turin, the cloth that Jesus’ body was wrapped in after he was crucified; pieces of the cross on which he was nailed; or the ossuary of James the brother of Jesus to provide proof for our belief. But is there ever enough, having not seen for ourselves? Or is a loving and powerful God enough to go around – a God revealed in Jesus Christ?
“I do believe there’s a harvest in the field.
I do believe there’s truth to be revealed.
I do believe there's treasure to be found,
And I do believe there's enough to go around.” – Susan Werner, “I Will Have My Portion,” 2007
What do you believe and how would you describe your faith? Do you move steadily ahead in your faith seldom questioning, or has it been a lifelong struggle with doubt and skepticism and a search for something solid to hold on to. If you are among those who along the way have wondered, or questioned, or struggled to find something real to believe in, know that you may very well have a grounded faith in God - because for for a lot of people, doubt may be the necessary step on their road to faith.
Take Dorothy Day, for example - the late founder of the Catholic Worker - who wrote that in the early years of her life whenever she knelt to pray, she would be overcome by doubt and shame, wondering — “Do I really believe? Whom am I praying to?” But once when walking to the village to get her mail, she found herself praying again, this time out of a deep sense of thankfulness. Over time, she became encouraged in her faith. The words of thanksgiving that she prayed each and every day began to slowly move into her heart and shape her conscience in faith. She came to faith through doubt.
Thomas was an honest man. He didn’t pretend to believe something that he really didn’t. He knew that what others were saying about Jesus was so important he had to really believe it for himself. Asking questions was who he was – it’s who some of us are as well - and that’s okay. His questions led him to faith, to encounter the risen Lord. Ours do as well. And yet our faith rests on what cannot be seen but only believed.
That is the blessing Jesus speaks of in gospel today – a blessing that very well may be ours as an Easter people who believe good fortune IS coming our way.
“Somewhere there's a blessing that will bear my name.
Sooner or later it's coming to me just the same.
I can't wait to see what's set-aside for me.
With every new sunrise, I'll keep my eyes wide open.
I know… I know… I know.” – Susan Werner, “I Will Have My Portion,” 2007
“Blessed are they who do not see — but believe.” – John 20:29b
“I Do Believe”
The author of 1 John begins by writing about “what we (the apostles) have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life”— the risen Christ. He tells about what they have seen and heard so others can also join them in fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” Because of what they saw and heard, they believed - and wanted others to believe also. I want that, too – for others to believe – but I have not seen with my own eyes, nor been in the same room with Jesus where I could reach out and touch him.
In a lot of ways I am like Thomas in today’s gospel story. I have been skeptical of what others have told me they have experienced. I have struggled with what to believe. And I still question in my mind what others say. But I think that’s okay. Not all of us arrive at our faith easily. Jesus suggests at that when he tells Thomas, who had to see for himself, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” People like that are special. We understand. Without ever seeing the resurrected Jesus before them or the chance to place their hands in his side – they can still say, I do believe.
Maybe that is the kind of belief Iowa born singer Susan Werner writes about in her song “I Will Have My Portion” – a belief that is personal and practical, a belief of possibilities. The final chorus of this song ends with: “I will have my portion. I will have my share. Yes I will! YES I WILL!” Belief like that gives real hope to those whose “time has passed them by;” or whose “well has run dry;” or who is stuck with a life “as it hast to be.” It is a faith that says there is a better day coming – even though it has not yet been seen!
The “portion or share” – intended for all of us – will happen she writes:
“Cause I do believe there's a harvest in the field.
I do believe there's truth to be revealed.
I do believe there's treasure to be found,
And I do believe there's enough to go around.” – Susan Werner, “I Will Have My Portion,” 2007
What do we believe? What helps us in our spiritual lives — that brings us that peaceful feeling, that sense of calm, where we find safety and comfort, where we are able to withstand the pressures surrounding our faith? What do we cling to for our security?
The gospel of John says following Jesus’ death, the disciples, afraid that they would also be killed by those who crucified Jesus, huddle together behind locked doors – that is all except Thomas who was outside for some reason. While Thomas was gone Jesus appears to the others. When Thomas returns, they tell him, they believe “Jesus is risen!” But Thomas says, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). There are conditions for our belief, aren’t there?
Have you ever had the experience of being on the outside looking in? When the whole group, except you, knows something you probably ought to know? It happens to young people all the time, at least it seemed to for me. We’ve all experienced it, haven’t we, when you realize you don’t really know what you should. So you have two options: pretend that you know and fake it — hoping that you can catch on real soon; or call time out long enough to ask questions and to do what you need to do to “get up to speed.” Of course, a third option would be to simply remain on the outside and not know.
For Thomas and those of us ‘on the outside looking in’ – who have missed the experience of God’s “Holy Breath” on our souls – the only real option is to find answers to our questions, to gather ‘real evidence,’ or to find concrete ways to help us believe. We can look to archeological sites or historical artifacts like the Shroud of Turin, the cloth that Jesus’ body was wrapped in after he was crucified; pieces of the cross on which he was nailed; or the ossuary of James the brother of Jesus to provide proof for our belief. But is there ever enough, having not seen for ourselves? Or is a loving and powerful God enough to go around – a God revealed in Jesus Christ?
“I do believe there’s a harvest in the field.
I do believe there’s truth to be revealed.
I do believe there's treasure to be found,
And I do believe there's enough to go around.” – Susan Werner, “I Will Have My Portion,” 2007
What do you believe and how would you describe your faith? Do you move steadily ahead in your faith seldom questioning, or has it been a lifelong struggle with doubt and skepticism and a search for something solid to hold on to. If you are among those who along the way have wondered, or questioned, or struggled to find something real to believe in, know that you may very well have a grounded faith in God - because for for a lot of people, doubt may be the necessary step on their road to faith.
Take Dorothy Day, for example - the late founder of the Catholic Worker - who wrote that in the early years of her life whenever she knelt to pray, she would be overcome by doubt and shame, wondering — “Do I really believe? Whom am I praying to?” But once when walking to the village to get her mail, she found herself praying again, this time out of a deep sense of thankfulness. Over time, she became encouraged in her faith. The words of thanksgiving that she prayed each and every day began to slowly move into her heart and shape her conscience in faith. She came to faith through doubt.
Thomas was an honest man. He didn’t pretend to believe something that he really didn’t. He knew that what others were saying about Jesus was so important he had to really believe it for himself. Asking questions was who he was – it’s who some of us are as well - and that’s okay. His questions led him to faith, to encounter the risen Lord. Ours do as well. And yet our faith rests on what cannot be seen but only believed.
That is the blessing Jesus speaks of in gospel today – a blessing that very well may be ours as an Easter people who believe good fortune IS coming our way.
“Somewhere there's a blessing that will bear my name.
Sooner or later it's coming to me just the same.
I can't wait to see what's set-aside for me.
With every new sunrise, I'll keep my eyes wide open.
I know… I know… I know.” – Susan Werner, “I Will Have My Portion,” 2007
“Blessed are they who do not see — but believe.” – John 20:29b
Saturday, April 11, 2009
April 12, 2009 Message
1 Corinthians 15:1-11; John 20:1-18
“Say What You Believe”
In today’s reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul reminds his readers – and us – of something so important it should never be forgotten. It is something they have already heard, something they have already accepted, and something that has already changed their lives. Paul wants them to remain firm and unwavering in their belief in the risen Christ.
Paul offers proof of the Resurrection of Jesus the Christ - the cornerstone of everything we believe as Christians - when he says:
1. Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,
2. Christ was buried, and on the third day he was raised in accordance with scripture,
3. He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve,
4. then, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
5. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
6. Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me.
Not only can proof of the resurrection be found in the writings of the prophets in Hebrew scripture, but also in the testimony of those who witnessed first hand a risen Christ - first Peter and the ‘inner circle’ of his followers (the twelve minus Judas), then the five hundred in Galilee, then to James, the brother of Jesus, and all Jesus’ followers (the seventy), and finally to Paul. Paul’s hierarchy for determining what is true is very much Wesleyan and Methodist; first he goes to the Bible for proof, which in turn is supported by the experiences of Jesus’ followers (John Wesley added tradition and reason as additional ‘supporting legs’ in his ‘methodology’ for theological reflection. “Faith,” Wesley said, “is revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason.” Like Paul who put the testimony of Scripture above the witness of those who saw the Lord after His resurrection, Wesley maintained that, “Scripture [however] is primary, revealing the Word of God 'so far as it is necessary for our salvation.”
Paul reminds us of our faith in the Resurrection, he gives us proof of the Resurrection. And then he gives us encouragement. He says, “If Christ would appear to me – the lowest of the lowest (who persecuted the church of God) – Christ can also come into your lives.” That is good to know! Christ can come into my life – broken and unworthy as it is! Even when we are as far from God as we can possibly get. Christ is there.
Paul also reveals to his readers something else, Christ coming into our lives – and our becoming disciples – all happens by the grace of God. He says, “I am what I am… because of God’s grace (not because of anything I have done). Although our cooperation is important, our conformity to God’s will results solely from the work of the Holy Spirit within us. And then ‘tongue in cheek,’ Paul says, “In my case, God’s grace had to work overtime.” Isn’t that true for us as well?
Finally in verse 11, Paul sort of ‘puts the bow on the package’ (so to speak) when he says - for this (the grace of God) to not be “in vain,” we must “proclaim” what “we have come to believe.” [11] In other words, we must say what we believe!
This is what everyone, especially our new members, should take home today – this life – yours and mine – doesn’t end with grace, it begins there. You have got to “say what you believe.” On Friday Jesus died on a cross. Then he was buried in a tomb. His burial and that tomb are more closely connected with His resurrection than His death. Today on Easter Sunday, and every time we join in the Great Thanksgiving, we affirm our faith by saying, “Christ has died, CHRIST IS RISEN!, Christ will come again.” This is a statement of our faith – of our belief - that Christ “suffered, was crucified, died and was buried; on the third day he rose again...” The Greek word that translates “rose again,” means "hath risen": the condition (of living) begun; and its consequences still continue.
Easter is a good day to say what we believe – to use words that define all that we are. We are an “Easter people” who believe in the resurrection of Jesus the Christ and in our own resurrection (by the grace of God). May God’s grace result in our fruitfulness. May our response always be, by the way we live our lives, “HE IS RISEN INDEED!”
“Say What You Believe”
In today’s reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul reminds his readers – and us – of something so important it should never be forgotten. It is something they have already heard, something they have already accepted, and something that has already changed their lives. Paul wants them to remain firm and unwavering in their belief in the risen Christ.
Paul offers proof of the Resurrection of Jesus the Christ - the cornerstone of everything we believe as Christians - when he says:
1. Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,
2. Christ was buried, and on the third day he was raised in accordance with scripture,
3. He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve,
4. then, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
5. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
6. Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me.
Not only can proof of the resurrection be found in the writings of the prophets in Hebrew scripture, but also in the testimony of those who witnessed first hand a risen Christ - first Peter and the ‘inner circle’ of his followers (the twelve minus Judas), then the five hundred in Galilee, then to James, the brother of Jesus, and all Jesus’ followers (the seventy), and finally to Paul. Paul’s hierarchy for determining what is true is very much Wesleyan and Methodist; first he goes to the Bible for proof, which in turn is supported by the experiences of Jesus’ followers (John Wesley added tradition and reason as additional ‘supporting legs’ in his ‘methodology’ for theological reflection. “Faith,” Wesley said, “is revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in personal experience, and confirmed by reason.” Like Paul who put the testimony of Scripture above the witness of those who saw the Lord after His resurrection, Wesley maintained that, “Scripture [however] is primary, revealing the Word of God 'so far as it is necessary for our salvation.”
Paul reminds us of our faith in the Resurrection, he gives us proof of the Resurrection. And then he gives us encouragement. He says, “If Christ would appear to me – the lowest of the lowest (who persecuted the church of God) – Christ can also come into your lives.” That is good to know! Christ can come into my life – broken and unworthy as it is! Even when we are as far from God as we can possibly get. Christ is there.
Paul also reveals to his readers something else, Christ coming into our lives – and our becoming disciples – all happens by the grace of God. He says, “I am what I am… because of God’s grace (not because of anything I have done). Although our cooperation is important, our conformity to God’s will results solely from the work of the Holy Spirit within us. And then ‘tongue in cheek,’ Paul says, “In my case, God’s grace had to work overtime.” Isn’t that true for us as well?
Finally in verse 11, Paul sort of ‘puts the bow on the package’ (so to speak) when he says - for this (the grace of God) to not be “in vain,” we must “proclaim” what “we have come to believe.” [11] In other words, we must say what we believe!
This is what everyone, especially our new members, should take home today – this life – yours and mine – doesn’t end with grace, it begins there. You have got to “say what you believe.” On Friday Jesus died on a cross. Then he was buried in a tomb. His burial and that tomb are more closely connected with His resurrection than His death. Today on Easter Sunday, and every time we join in the Great Thanksgiving, we affirm our faith by saying, “Christ has died, CHRIST IS RISEN!, Christ will come again.” This is a statement of our faith – of our belief - that Christ “suffered, was crucified, died and was buried; on the third day he rose again...” The Greek word that translates “rose again,” means "hath risen": the condition (of living) begun; and its consequences still continue.
Easter is a good day to say what we believe – to use words that define all that we are. We are an “Easter people” who believe in the resurrection of Jesus the Christ and in our own resurrection (by the grace of God). May God’s grace result in our fruitfulness. May our response always be, by the way we live our lives, “HE IS RISEN INDEED!”
Sunday, April 5, 2009
April 5, 2009 Message
Mark 11:11
“When He Had Looked Around”
Jesus arrives at Jerusalem, the journey is over, and he has reached his destination. It has been a journey of self-giving, a journey in service of God, a journey of obedience. Most importantly, it has been a journey of trust. Jesus has brought healing, peace, light and life, grace and mercy to the lives of people along the way.
He comes into town on a colt, a young donkey. A small crowd is there to greet him, perhaps no more than are here today. They wave their palm branches and shout their “Hozannas!” as they welcome Jesus - in the same way they have numerous times before for other “messiahs” who have freed them from whatever was holding them down. This is how they had cheered Judas Maccabeus when he had defeated the Syrian Greeks from the north almost 200 years before; and how they welcomed his brothers Jonathan and Simon (the last of prince of the Hebrew Hasmonean Dynasty) following their victories to free Israel during the next 20 years. The palm branches and shouts of “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!” is how they have welcomed all their liberators - the would-be messiahs - in between then and now.
Marks writes, “Then [Jesus] entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.” [Mark 11:11]
“when he had looked around…
” That’s what Nehemiah does in the Old Testament when he returns to Jerusalem to rebuild and restore the City of God. The first thing he does is to check things out. (Nehemiah 2:11-15) The first step in rebuilding anything is to assess the damage. Mark points out that Jesus does the same thing. He looks everything over first before coming back the following day to turn things upside down.
The first step is to listen and look around at what is broken. Before doing anything and certainly before “fixing” things, it’s always a good plan to know what the real problem is. Nehemiah and Jesus both checked things out first. They began by surveying the situation, checking out everything that was going on. Nehemiah surveyed the ruins of the city. Jesus saw the ruins of people’s lives – the crippled, the broken, and the outcast. He saw Jerusalem in ruin and he wept.
He “looked around at everything” going on at the temple, then went away for a while, perhaps to rest or to plan or to do both. He came back the next day though, and he DID SOMETHING. His action was swift, unexpected, and decisive. He upset things, especially the status quo. His action challenged the religious, economic, and political powers of Jerusalem and only served to increase the tension surrounding him. What he did turned peoples expectations of him “on their ear.” He was suppose to drive out the Romans, not his own people! This messiah wasn’t anything like what these people were expecting!
Jesus was looking beyond political or military solutions. He saw what was going on in people’s lives - the brokenness and the injustice, the pain and the hardship - and he offered a better answer. “Love God. Love those who hate you. Love your neighbor as yourself.” He gave them God’s way of doing things. But that wasn’t what they wanted to hear. He said the answer is not an earthly kingdom, but in a heavenly one. Hope for your salvation isn’t placing your trust in a man but rather in trusting God.
The people didn’t need a messiah to bring them freedom from whomever or whatever enslaved them, they needed to free themselves from their “messiahs” of power, manipulation, and control. Their hope was in God, not men. Their shouts should have been to their God: “Hosanna, save us!”
Jesus’ journey brought him into conflict with the powerful of his day, with both the religious establishment, and with the worldly rulers. They didn’t like the way he turned their world upside down –all the things they considered right and proper. They didn’t like the direction he was taking them. What was important in their kingdom - greed, power, self preservation, personal boundaries, pride, self- interests – were not important in his. The way Jesus taught and lived was different from theirs. And they wanted no part of it. But are we any different? How do we feel when our ways are called into question – our protecting our own interests, our hesitation to really put ourselves out there, our fear of giving too much of ourselves, of losing what we’ve got either financially or personally?
Our challenge today, as God’s people, might very well be in what Jesus would do tomorrow when “he had looked around” tonight and saw the way we live our lives, the way we do business, the way our systems - whether sacred or secular - respond to the poor or those who are at risk (the very ones God has a special compassion for). Jesus came and turned things upside down. His upside down way of living still makes little sense. Yet it is the way we are all to live.
Palm Sundays begin with palm branches and parades. Then they leave us here, face to face with a messiah we didn’t expect. The Lenten season nudges us or jars us to think about our fruitfulness. During it, we begin to understand where the Gospel is heading. Perhaps our Palm Crosses can remind us throughout this next week of the things in our lives needing to be turned upside down! Let us pray.
“When He Had Looked Around”
Jesus arrives at Jerusalem, the journey is over, and he has reached his destination. It has been a journey of self-giving, a journey in service of God, a journey of obedience. Most importantly, it has been a journey of trust. Jesus has brought healing, peace, light and life, grace and mercy to the lives of people along the way.
He comes into town on a colt, a young donkey. A small crowd is there to greet him, perhaps no more than are here today. They wave their palm branches and shout their “Hozannas!” as they welcome Jesus - in the same way they have numerous times before for other “messiahs” who have freed them from whatever was holding them down. This is how they had cheered Judas Maccabeus when he had defeated the Syrian Greeks from the north almost 200 years before; and how they welcomed his brothers Jonathan and Simon (the last of prince of the Hebrew Hasmonean Dynasty) following their victories to free Israel during the next 20 years. The palm branches and shouts of “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!” is how they have welcomed all their liberators - the would-be messiahs - in between then and now.
Marks writes, “Then [Jesus] entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.” [Mark 11:11]
“when he had looked around…
” That’s what Nehemiah does in the Old Testament when he returns to Jerusalem to rebuild and restore the City of God. The first thing he does is to check things out. (Nehemiah 2:11-15) The first step in rebuilding anything is to assess the damage. Mark points out that Jesus does the same thing. He looks everything over first before coming back the following day to turn things upside down.
The first step is to listen and look around at what is broken. Before doing anything and certainly before “fixing” things, it’s always a good plan to know what the real problem is. Nehemiah and Jesus both checked things out first. They began by surveying the situation, checking out everything that was going on. Nehemiah surveyed the ruins of the city. Jesus saw the ruins of people’s lives – the crippled, the broken, and the outcast. He saw Jerusalem in ruin and he wept.
He “looked around at everything” going on at the temple, then went away for a while, perhaps to rest or to plan or to do both. He came back the next day though, and he DID SOMETHING. His action was swift, unexpected, and decisive. He upset things, especially the status quo. His action challenged the religious, economic, and political powers of Jerusalem and only served to increase the tension surrounding him. What he did turned peoples expectations of him “on their ear.” He was suppose to drive out the Romans, not his own people! This messiah wasn’t anything like what these people were expecting!
Jesus was looking beyond political or military solutions. He saw what was going on in people’s lives - the brokenness and the injustice, the pain and the hardship - and he offered a better answer. “Love God. Love those who hate you. Love your neighbor as yourself.” He gave them God’s way of doing things. But that wasn’t what they wanted to hear. He said the answer is not an earthly kingdom, but in a heavenly one. Hope for your salvation isn’t placing your trust in a man but rather in trusting God.
The people didn’t need a messiah to bring them freedom from whomever or whatever enslaved them, they needed to free themselves from their “messiahs” of power, manipulation, and control. Their hope was in God, not men. Their shouts should have been to their God: “Hosanna, save us!”
Jesus’ journey brought him into conflict with the powerful of his day, with both the religious establishment, and with the worldly rulers. They didn’t like the way he turned their world upside down –all the things they considered right and proper. They didn’t like the direction he was taking them. What was important in their kingdom - greed, power, self preservation, personal boundaries, pride, self- interests – were not important in his. The way Jesus taught and lived was different from theirs. And they wanted no part of it. But are we any different? How do we feel when our ways are called into question – our protecting our own interests, our hesitation to really put ourselves out there, our fear of giving too much of ourselves, of losing what we’ve got either financially or personally?
Our challenge today, as God’s people, might very well be in what Jesus would do tomorrow when “he had looked around” tonight and saw the way we live our lives, the way we do business, the way our systems - whether sacred or secular - respond to the poor or those who are at risk (the very ones God has a special compassion for). Jesus came and turned things upside down. His upside down way of living still makes little sense. Yet it is the way we are all to live.
Palm Sundays begin with palm branches and parades. Then they leave us here, face to face with a messiah we didn’t expect. The Lenten season nudges us or jars us to think about our fruitfulness. During it, we begin to understand where the Gospel is heading. Perhaps our Palm Crosses can remind us throughout this next week of the things in our lives needing to be turned upside down! Let us pray.
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