Let me introduce you to a week that changed the course of history forever. A week that smashed through walls, broke barriers and shattered unbreakable hearts. A week that tied our fates together with one man so strongly, that countless people before us and every generation after us will still be bound to him. Welcome to the week that changed the life of every human being on Earth; welcome to Holy Week.
Today was recognized all over the world, as Palm Sunday, the day Jesus entered into Jeruselem and was welcomed as the King he rightfully is.
For our reflection, however, I belive it would be best to start at the beginning of the end; that is, the point where Jesus was first seen as a threat and the Pharisees began plotting against him. This will take us to a scripture buried deep within the book of John. The entirety of John chapter 11. This scripture is about a man that can boast of dying twice (if that's anything to boast about), it is entitled, "The Death of Lazarus."
Do read it if you can, but in summary, Jesus got news that one of his friends; Lazarus, was ill. When Jesus got this news, he knew that through this God was going to do something great, so instead of going to see him immediately, he waited where he was for two days.
When he had finally gone to his friend, he found that he had been burried for four days. When Jesus was taken to the place of his friend's burial, he wept, so much did he love his friend. So, in order that the people believe in him to the Glory of God, Jesus commanded that the stone over Lazarus' grave was removed and he spoke, "Lazarus, come out!" And thus Lazarus came back to life, wrapped in his burial clothes.
Many who saw this miracle believed in Jesus but some went and told the Pharisees. The Pharisees knew that the Messiah was coming but they didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Now, the Pharisees were afraid that the people would begin to believe in him and start following him as their king and that the Romans who ruled over them would then get angry with them and destroy their Temple and Nation. Thus they plotted to kill Jesus, in fact one of the priests said
"What fools you are! Don't you realize that it is better for you to let one man die for the people instead of having a whole nation destroyed."
This was a prophecy and according to the scripture, it was relating that jesus was suppose to die, not only for the Jewish people but also to bring together all the scattered people of God.
Although this seems to be a bleak situation, it was the begining of Jesus' triumph and the representation of the depth of God's love and mercy for the human race. Now, this isn't a sad story, this is not the begining of the end of Jesus, this is the begining of the end of the chains that kept us ensnared to sin.
Now of course, everything we commemerate during holy week didn't happen in one week and there was a build up before his crucifixion. From the moment of his birth, everyone God chose to reveal his plan to, knew that this person was going to do amazing things, however, even less people knew that this great man's fate was to bear burdens and carry scars that would be treasured by hundreds of billions of people of varying backgrounds, nations and tongues for as long as the Earth exists.
No comments:
Post a Comment