I suppose that, for most of us, life doesn't turn out as we anticipate. While children we probably don't have any firm expectations, but by our late teens we generally have some sort of dreams for our future. Some of you reading this might have had your life turned upside down by a catastrophic event before getting that far. The rest of us probably find that our dreams aren't fully being realized, if at all - maybe we're disappointed, maybe pleasantly surprised by what has actually happened. A few get through to middle age, or even old age, with everything - just everything - going to plan, but that's rare: normally we have to take what we're given and be flexible. When that something special comes along though, the one that you're ready to sell out for completely and give up everything else to achieve, the disappointment if it doesn't work out can turn to utter despair. Jesus, of course, knew from the start that his time on Earth wasn't going to be a bed of roses - for the rest of us that realization comes as we go through life.
For some reason, the seven days between Palm Sunday and Easter Day are called holy week. I'm not quite sure why. We're getting ready for Easter of course, making sure that we have enough Easter eggs, hot cross buns and maybe simnel cake to cater for family and friends, but that doesn't seem particularly holy. Jesus, of course, didn't bother with any of that. He seemed to be on a roll after Palm Sunday. He had had a lot of opposition from the religious authorities over the last three years, and a bit of falling away more recently from his large crowd of followers as he started to preach some tougher messages. He had also been talking to his disciples about the fact that he was going to have to die. Yet, when he rode into Jerusalem in triumph, it seemed that he had taken his place as the popular religious leader who was a descendant of King David, destined to bring in change. The crowd were firmly with him and even the children were picking up the chant of Hosanna to the Son of David (Matthew's Gospel, chapter 21, verse 15). Surely the authorities couldn't stand in his way now.
Jesus had his opportunity to try to take control of the religious and even political situation. There were vast numbers of people across the country who probably would have done anything he suggested at that moment. So he went to the Temple, overturned the tables of those who had set up stall and told everyone to get out who was there for commercial gain rather than religious purposes (Matthew 21:12,13). That looked like a good start - a positive piece of proactivity right at the heart of life in the capital. Then he had a few robust discussions with various leaders, delivered some powerful teaching, healed several sick people and performed other miracles. That's perhaps not quite so dramatic as the Temple incident, but he's being active, so we'll see where he takes it. Then on Wednesday he seems to have taken the day off! No, don't do that! He'll lose the momentum. Surely he doesn't need a rest after just three days.
It appears that he spent the day in Bethany, probably with Mary, Martha and Lazarus, along with his 12 core disciples and the women who had been accompanying them. We don't know much about what happened that day, but this must have been a key time with his friends, trying to get them to realize that what he was going to do was not bring in a new Kingdom of Israel, but the Kingdom of God, which involved going for seeming defeat rather than victory. We know that no one fully understood at this point. To be honest, I don't fully understand what is happening in my life at the moment; God could have made it much, much more straightforward. Maybe you feel the same. Why was Jesus not following through on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem? Why did he keep talking about dying, when the way to victory was to live? Was he going to let them down after they had given up everything to follow him because they knew that he was the Messiah? Why am I where I am at the moment, with no idea what God wants for me with regard to housing or future employment? Why are you in the situation that you are if God isn't indicating the way forward at the moment and his grand plan for your life? Is he going to let us down? Is he going to let our dreams be dashed? Surely not!
During that first holy week, Jesus was preparing for something much bigger than his followers understood, or could understand then. They saw Israel and Judaism as their country and religion that both required something new. He saw the need for the Kingdom of Heaven to be ushered into the whole world. When the crowds started falling away because his teaching was becoming more difficult to take, Jesus' core disciples stuck with him even though they probably didn't fully understand what he was talking about either (John's Gospel, chapter 6, verses 66 - 69). When he told them that he was going to go to Bethany, just outside Jerusalem, after he had clearly become persona non grata in the capital, they were concerned but stuck with him (John 11:14-16). When he told them on various occasions that he was going to be killed, they didn't understand but they didn't leave. John and the women didn't abandon him even when he had been condemned and was dying on the cross (John 19:25-27), although most of the men did just for a few hours. By running with God's plan - a crazy way of suffering and victory through defeat - they became part of the team who turned the world upside down (Acts chapter 17, verse 6). It's worth sticking with God when we don't understand what he's doing.
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