“Back on the road, they set out for Jerusalem. Jesus had a head start on them, and they were following, puzzled and not just a little afraid. He took the Twelve and began again to go over what to expect next. “Listen to me carefully. We are on our way up to Jerusalem. When we get there, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the religious leaders and scholars. They will sentence him to death. Then they will hand him over to the Romans, who will mock and spit on him, give him the third degree, and kill him. After three days he will rise alive.” – Mark 10:32-34
A lot of us are just a little puzzled and afraid these days. Still. Or again. The younger we are… the more afraid we can be and the older we get the more puzzled we become! No one seems to be exempt as social media streams its way into our hearts and minds providing us images and pictures of home and around the world we’d rather not see let alone talk about… Imagine what Jesus’ disciples were feeling when he told them what was on deck for him… a death spiral he prefaced by saying, ‘listen to me carefully…’
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve made mention of my fondness for the season of Lent. Like Christmas or Easter and whether it has any meaning to you at all, it still comes each year… Lent that is… marching 40 days on its way to the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. So… that makes Lent a time of thoughtful reflection. Do you find it helpful? It’s kind of like “pre-season” or “band camp” before the good stuff comes so we can play with a bit more grit and verve… and I guess that’s what Jesus was up to as well… telling his disciples about the heart of the matter and all… as I suspect it was pretty cool hanging around the rabbi from Nazareth witnessing him turning water into wine, healing a blind man and sending off the lepers who had lost their spots… only to hear of his impending demise… a moment in time we know now he accepted willingly… Faith matters… and
Jesus had faith to give so we’d have faith to share…
During this time of church life, Christians focus in on the unfolding events that led to Jesus’ condemnation and crucifixion: His triumphal march into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; His firm words of warning about the events to come; His sham trial– one of the first historical reports of "fake news", the brutal scourging, and horrific crucifixion. No movie or painting can depict the truth of this with no day being any darker, no travesty more calamitous than the slaying of God’s own Beloved Son. And yet, that’s what we recall leading up to that moment on "the hill of the skull"— Golgotha: our sins demanding His death on a cross to satisfy the Father’s righteous judgment. Were you there when they crucified our Lord? Sure, you were! We all were! Taken from the cross, the lifeless form of Christ was placed in another man’s tomb. He owned nothing the day he died … yet he was present at creation! And with that action the "powers of the day" thought the ordeal complete, the savagery it had witnessed was something it could now tie off with a bow. But God’s work wasn’t quite done. Three days later, out of a sealed tomb—guarded to prevent theft—Jesus rose from the dead. And with that thunderous crescendo, humankind’s disgrace and ruin, which had destined it for eternal slaughter, was forgiven through the blood of Christ. So… again… what is left of Lent is the time we fix our eyes on the cross… as it was there where Jesus, the sinless Son of God, suffered the indignity and shame of dying for our sins. And it was there where God’s disappointment was satisfied by his beloved Son’s supreme sacrifice, winning salvation for all who call Jesus… Savior, Lord and King… not at all about you… or me…but all about God… and the heart of the matter where everything else falls short in comparison…
The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Gigee is a long- time resident of Pearland, having pastored four churches over the last four decades in Texas and Louisiana. Read more following Brian’s blog ‘murmurings’ at https://briangigee.wordpress.com/. Send comments and/or questions to godworks247365@gmail.com.
