Luke 19:28 - 40
Whilst we're used to shaking our head in disbelief at the crowds on the first Sunday at the way that they failed to get the point about Jesus' ministry, the question for us is whether we today get what his ministry is about.
We acknowledge that the ministry of Jesus was to inaugurate a new heaven and a new earth and to bring to all who believe in him forgiveness of sins and an entry into eternal life. But do we get that this starts here and now? Do we get that as Christ followers our task isn't just to stand on the sidelines and wave branches and cheer the work of Jesus, but that we are also to be actively pursuing the realisation of heaven here on earth?
We are called to live the life of Jesus, and to enter into his sacrificial self giving. This is something that we do not just for the six weeks of Lent, but for our entire lives. We are to have the same attitude that Jesus had. An attitude where we don't seek to be served, but to serve. An attitude where we don't seek to make life comfortable for ourselves, but to make it comfortable for others. An attitue where we give ourselves obediently to the call of God.
After Lent has finished, how are you going to maintain a life of self denial and sacrifice for the sake of others in this world who are poor and in need?
Maybe, I don’t get it either! Why, would we want to shake our heads in disbelief over the behaviour or the attitude of the crowd, or their “misplaced expectations” of Jesus’ ministry? They obviously had an expectation of sorts that this man Jesus, this teacher and healer, this “rebel”, this man of the people, was about to do something, that would inaugurate change. The disciples “got with it” as the Pharisees reddened and choked, demanding that Jesus order his disciples to stop. But Jesus responded; indicating that nothing could quench, this outpouring of joy and jubilation on the part of the disciples and of the crowd.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that whether they got the point or not, isn’t the point here. They were responding joyfully, to someone in whom they believed, who gave them a snippet of hope and changed the way they felt about life; overshadowed as it was by their background of hardship and oppression. It was a joyful demonstration of approval; well in my book at least. I’m perfectly happy to waste time if necessary, to cheer Jesus on. I’d shed a tear of joy if such a King or Saviour, were to arrive in the midst our messed up society.
Anyone who can rattle the intellectual, professional and religious snobbery of the Pharisees or any other such order in society today, gets my vote. If they didn’t get it, who on earth cares! This was the moment to express their approval, a moment when people power had a chance to cast a vote. And the moment was not lost. I think maybe it’s good, to stand on the sidelines and to cheer. We wave a palm branch, every time we bring our offerings and tithes to church, every time we write an anonymous letter of encouragement to a deserving recipient, every time we kiss someone in need gently on the cheek. And I think that’s living the life of Jesus, just as much as sacrificial living and serving is; but it’s that too!
Many times over, we’ve given ourselves obediently to the call of God and had the rug pulled out from under our feet by human agents. Many is the time we’ve observed self denial and sacrifice for the sake of others, only to be burnt in the process, then got up and done it all again. And who are the poor and needy? More often than not we don’t recognize them, yet they’re more obvious than we realize. A family friend, neglected and hurting; a child in distress through family quarrelling or breakup; a lonely woman spurned by others because of her appearance or poor “intellectual” ability, to name just a few, the tip of the iceberg, of an overwhelming multitude of poor and needy.
We should do it more, “wave a palm branch and shout hosanna” every day and watch as the sidelines eventually vanish.
Kind Regards
Mal L.