Triumphal Entry

Jesus came into Jerusalem on the first day of Passover week. We call it Palm Sunday because the crowd cut palm branches and brought them as they greeted Jesus. His donkey ride made the people cheer, as they anticipated a big showdown. All the players were in town now: the religious authorities (because they were always in Jerusalem), the Romans (because they always wanted crowd control for the big Jewish feasts), and Jesus (because he was going to, well, do something big).

The tension and excitement were building. The religious authorities wanted to get rid of the upstart, rogue rabbi. The Jesus followers wanted Jesus to humiliate the religious establishment and lead a revolt against Rome. The Romans just wanted to keep a lid on it all for the next few days.

And nobody could have predicted what really happened.

What's it like when God surprises you?

Under Pressure with Friends

Peter was ready to fight to the death for Jesus. I think he relished the thought of swinging his sword to protect his Rabbi, and then watching Jesus pull some miraculous save-his-disciples stunt. 

After all, Peter was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, and would soon be crowned as king. Jesus's path to the throne was just a matter of fine print. Peter knew how it would end, with Jesus ruling. He was prepared for whatever it took to crown Jesus king.

But he was not prepared for the pressure coming his way. It was not pressure to shrink from battle, not pressure to speak heresy. His test came from the least threatening person he had ever seen. A servant girl noticed him in the courtyard, as Jesus's trial began. She simply asked if he was with Jesus. Peter's Galilean accent had given him away. Apparently Jesus also sounded like he was not from Jerusalem.

Peter, unfortunately, caved under the pressure. He denied being associated with Jesus, not once, but three times. This confrontation with the Jewish authorities was going all wrong, Peter thought, and he could not bring himself to be associated with his friend who was blowing his opportunity to rise to power.

Peter didn't get it, and so he turned his back on Jesus.

I wonder how often I don't get it, and turn my back on Jesus.

Under Pressure at Work

Pilate had a bad day. We call it Good Friday, but it was anything but good for the Roman governor. He was charged with keeping peace in the rebellious Jewish nation, and those Jews needed a heavy hand on their festival days.

He was awakened early that day as Jewish authorities brought some rebel to him for an emergency ruling. Pilate listened to the case against this man, but it didn't add up. It didn't take him long to see that these Jewish power brokers just wanted to get rid of this guy. He tried to placate them by having the rebel beaten, and then releasing him. But the Jewish leaders were not satisfied. They whipped up the crowd to call for the rebel to be executed. They shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"

Pilate found himself between a rock and a hard place. He could not condemn this man in good conscience. But he could not very well maintain peace if he angered those Jewish rulers. It could all get out of hand. The most expedient course of action would be to condemn the rebel. It would be messy, but only for a moment. Pilate had disposed of Jewish rabble many times before. What was one more Jewish execution?

The governor declared that he would take no responsibility for it, and sentenced the rebel to death. Pilate caved. He could not do the right thing with all that pressure.

He sent to death the only truly innocent man in the world.

Maybe you have pressure at work, too.

God's Irony

Anyone who digs into the scriptures will find loads of irony. Sarah was 90 years old before she had a baby. Israel escapes oppression in Egypt, only to become an empire (centuries later) that oppresses its neighbors and its citizens. David, the runt in his family, becomes a conquering king. The boldest disciple can't admit to a servant girl that he follows Jesus. Jesus wins by losing.

And at Easter time we see the death of death. In Christ, God kills death. God does so by surrendering his Son to death. Death should be the last word: when someone dies, it's all over. The forces of evil in the spiritual realm rejoiced when Jesus died. But on the third day, he defeated death. He went through death to emerge on the other side. Death had lost its power over Jesus. Death took its best shot and Jesus defeated it.

Now in Christ, death is dead. Yes, all people will die eventually. But because Jesus defeated death, death no longer has the last word. Those who trust in Christ can know that when we experience physical death, Jesus sees us through to the other side. He walked this path ahead of us and defeated that enemy.

This is why Christians make such a big deal about Jesus's resurrection. We celebrate his victory. And we know that he gives us a taste of that resurrection life here and now. Because death is dead, we can truly live. Today.

The Sting of Forgiveness

Sometimes we get what we don't deserve...in a good way. Someone lets you into traffic, when you selfishly passed the line of cars to get ahead. A shopper lets you have the last one of that scarce item on the shelf, even though they picked it up first. You drop the ball on that work project, and a coworker picks up your slack--and doesn't tell the boss. 

Those experiences make us swallow hard, if we take time to think about it. Someone else has sacrificed for us, and we benefit. We don't deserve it. It is the kindness, even love, that gets our attention. We could rationalize and say that we really deserve those gifts of kindness: 

I was in a big hurry, and really needed to get ahead of those other drivers. 

I saw the item on the shelf first, but could not reach it before the other shopper. 

I have helped out that coworker so many times...she owes me.

It feels better if we can convince ourselves that we have earned those acts of kindness. But sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we can't find any way that we deserve them. 

That's when forgiveness stings. All we can do is say, "Thank you." This is the kind of love that pulls us up short and leaves us speechless. 

That's the kind of forgiveness we really need, and that's the kind of forgiveness we have in Christ. Lent is a time to sit in that forgiveness, to savor the sting, and humbly thank the Lord.

Death and Digestion

When Jesus died on the cross he truly died. Some suggest that he only looked dead, and was revived. But the time frame involved shows this was no resuscitation. He was dead dead. Jesus took all the evil of the world, and it killed him. As pastor Brian Zahnd says, death swallowed Jesus, but death could not digest him. 

When sin and death hit Jesus with their best shot, Jesus took all of it. He took their best shot, and it took him out. But even death itself could not overpower Jesus. When it looked like it was all over, Jesus pull the ultimate surprise. He defeated sin and death by being raised back to life. Jesus defeated the enemy that every person must face. And he won the victory for us.

If Jesus can defeat death itself, he has won the ultimate victory. And he invites us to experience this new life with him. "Come to me," he says.

Confronted by Jesus

No one has ever confronted evil like Jesus did. While he preached his message of love and forgiveness, healing and restoring, he also confronted evil. He told a rich man to sell everything and give to the poor. He called out religious leaders for twisting the commandments for their own benefit. He challenged the religious authorities for taking advantage of the needy.

Jesus also confronted evil in the Temple. All four Gospels describe Jesus clearing the Temple of the money changers and those selling sacrificial animals. He flipped over tables and scattered coins. John says that Jesus fashioned a whip to drive out the animals. Such was the Lord's anger at the way his Father's house was misused. 

What kind of confronting would Jesus do with you? What habits, what grudges, what attitudes would he challenge?

It is during this season of Lent that we actually ask Jesus to confront us. He wants to restore us, of course. Sometimes he first has to confront us.