All throughout the Lenten season, we follow Jesus as he moves closer and closer to Jerusalem. He knows what is coming; and just before he and his disciples arrive, he shares with them his human destiny. “Look!” he says. “We’re going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the legal experts. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles. They will ridicule him, spit on him, torture him, and kill him. After three days, he will rise up.” (Mark 10:32-34, CEB)
What would I have thought had I been sitting there? The disciples know who he is! Jesus is the One the Jews have anticipated for generations! To hear him talk like this surely doesn’t make sense. The Messiah is supposed to rule the world, and that means take over the government, right? We are heading into a huge uprising that is going to free us from corrupt rulers. Jesus is going to be in charge from now on. What’s all this about spit and torture and death? And what does “rise up” mean? Rise up after three days? From what? DEATH? Yeah, that’s not likely. I think I might have been just as confused as they were. What does it mean?
The next few sentences in the Gospel of Mark describe how James and John ask to be important when Jesus comes into power. “When you come into your glory, will you let us sit at your right and at your left?” When someone is in charge, sitting beside him is a position of honor. These guys want to be key players in these coming days when Jesus is king over everything. Jesus knows they have no idea what they are talking about. Being in charge isn’t the goal here. Becoming king over the land is not what’s happening. Overthrowing the government isn’t even close to the objective. Being of service to others is the point. Taking care of others is the place of honor. “The Son of Man didn’t come to be served,” he says, “but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.” Talk about confusing! I can imagine the disciples looking at each other and saying, “This is more of that first-is-last, last-is-first stuff he keeps talking about. What does it mean?”
With the cross and resurrection still ahead of them, and not yet having reached Jerusalem, this is bound to be baffling. They are bound to have questions just as I have questions running laps in my head. If the disciples had known everything Jesus knew, and understood what was to come in the next few days, would they have tried to change anything? Would they have been waving to the cheering crowds in Jerusalem if they had known those same people would get Jesus killed? Would they have fought off anyone who tried to get too close? Would they have said this was too hard and gone home? Would they have continued right by his side? Would I?
Of course, those are rhetorical questions, and there is no way to know any answers. Thinking it through is an exercise in understanding the struggle – and, for me, that always makes the gift of Jesus even more precious. As we move through Holy Week beginning with tomorrow’s Palm Sunday, I’m sure we will experience all kinds of emotions. With us being separated by sickness this year, those emotions may run a little deeper for some. My prayer is that we spend the time in reflection and thanksgiving, that we continually reach out to one another in service and support, and that we come out the other side fully engaged as resurrection people!
What does it mean? It means that even though the road ahead is likely to be filled with sorrow and struggle, we never lose sight of our purpose. We are servants of Jesus Christ, and Easter is coming!
In Christ’s service,
Pastor Beth
What would I have thought had I been sitting there? The disciples know who he is! Jesus is the One the Jews have anticipated for generations! To hear him talk like this surely doesn’t make sense. The Messiah is supposed to rule the world, and that means take over the government, right? We are heading into a huge uprising that is going to free us from corrupt rulers. Jesus is going to be in charge from now on. What’s all this about spit and torture and death? And what does “rise up” mean? Rise up after three days? From what? DEATH? Yeah, that’s not likely. I think I might have been just as confused as they were. What does it mean?
The next few sentences in the Gospel of Mark describe how James and John ask to be important when Jesus comes into power. “When you come into your glory, will you let us sit at your right and at your left?” When someone is in charge, sitting beside him is a position of honor. These guys want to be key players in these coming days when Jesus is king over everything. Jesus knows they have no idea what they are talking about. Being in charge isn’t the goal here. Becoming king over the land is not what’s happening. Overthrowing the government isn’t even close to the objective. Being of service to others is the point. Taking care of others is the place of honor. “The Son of Man didn’t come to be served,” he says, “but rather to serve and to give his life to liberate many people.” Talk about confusing! I can imagine the disciples looking at each other and saying, “This is more of that first-is-last, last-is-first stuff he keeps talking about. What does it mean?”
With the cross and resurrection still ahead of them, and not yet having reached Jerusalem, this is bound to be baffling. They are bound to have questions just as I have questions running laps in my head. If the disciples had known everything Jesus knew, and understood what was to come in the next few days, would they have tried to change anything? Would they have been waving to the cheering crowds in Jerusalem if they had known those same people would get Jesus killed? Would they have fought off anyone who tried to get too close? Would they have said this was too hard and gone home? Would they have continued right by his side? Would I?
Of course, those are rhetorical questions, and there is no way to know any answers. Thinking it through is an exercise in understanding the struggle – and, for me, that always makes the gift of Jesus even more precious. As we move through Holy Week beginning with tomorrow’s Palm Sunday, I’m sure we will experience all kinds of emotions. With us being separated by sickness this year, those emotions may run a little deeper for some. My prayer is that we spend the time in reflection and thanksgiving, that we continually reach out to one another in service and support, and that we come out the other side fully engaged as resurrection people!
What does it mean? It means that even though the road ahead is likely to be filled with sorrow and struggle, we never lose sight of our purpose. We are servants of Jesus Christ, and Easter is coming!
In Christ’s service,
Pastor Beth