Lent
March 25, 2018
Scripture Reading: John 12:12-16
The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,
Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—
the King of Israel!’
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written:
‘Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.
Look, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!’
His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him.
My little hometown had an Easter pageant every year when I was a child. All three of the churches in the town participated and every child that wanted a part had a part. Of course, the major roles were filled by the older teens and some young adults. My first part when I was about nine or ten years of age was to wave a palm branch and shout “Hosanna! Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord.” My other part that first year was to stand in the crowd when Jesus stood before Pilate and call out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Release Barabbas.” I think being included in that crowd was a life-changing experience. I got a feel for the masses losing control without being in an actual riot. I got a feeling for what was going through the Disciples minds as they observed both scenes. The first scene was easy; learned what acting was doing the second.
Putting ourselves in the roles of others is a good practice particularly any other for whom we hold some prejudice. Having worked in public welfare for years, I grew weary of people telling me what worthless people welfare recipients were when I knew the complainers had little or no knowledge of public assistance recipients’ reality. Their jawing worked as there is little invested by our government today in helping people out of poverty. Most of the programs that do exist like food stamps, child care supplements, and Medicaid are wage supplements for businesses who do not or cannot pay a living wage.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry he understood people, he had great empathy. That last week he took on the weight of all our needs and desires, all our failures and the times we missed the mark and forgave us. He healed our souls and set in motion his plan for all people to live through his love. We have the privilege to work with him on that plan’s implementation.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the depth of your love. Forgive us when we fall short of our part in implementing your plan. Guide us back on track. Amen.