On the Sunday before his crucifixion Jesus entered Jerusalem. He entered the city as its King – not riding
a white steed with sword and shield as some hoped – but as the King of
peace. Fulfilling ancient prophecy he
rode a colt, openly signifying himself as the Messiah and of royal birth, but
also meek and submissive to his Father’s will.
The people rejoiced at his coming and spread their clothing
and foliage in his path. For this little
while the Lord Jesus was their King and they his people. Some were his disciples who truly honored
him, others thought him a prophet, some had witnessed his miracles and many
were simply curious. It was a peaceful
procession that failed to rouse the Romans attention but it did rile the
spiritual leaders who had fought Jesus’ every step back to Jerusalem. The Pharisees demanded that Jesus rebuke his
disciples. One can almost see their
sneering lips and jutting chins as well as the malice in their eyes as they
confronted the Lord who threatened them in every way. Jesus answered simply, “…if these should hold
their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” This statement touches my heart. Did not his hands span the universe as our
God and creator? If all of his chosen
people should fail to recognize their King, yet the voiceless stones would sing
out in glory and praise.
Upon entering the city, Jesus went to a high place and
looked over the city and wept. The
people wanted Him to give them victory over their enemies, peace and freedom
from the Romans. So few understood the
true spiritual peace and freedom he would have granted - and now it was too
late. He saw the destruction and misery
that would come to his people. How
bittersweet this must have felt to the Lord as the people shouted his praise
and still failed to recognize him as the Son of God.
It’s easy to condemn the blindness of the Jews. These verses also beg reflection into our own
hearts. Do I truly partake of the Lords
offerings of peace and grace and freedom from sin? Do I fully utilize the gift of the atonement
in my life? Or, do I, like the Jews only
see what I want to see? Do I pick and
choose aspects of the Lord’s gospel that are palatable to me and my
lifestyle? Do I push away truth and
knowledge and make choices that crucify Christ afresh and in effect reject him
as they did? Have I ever presented the
Lord with a face full of defensive anger, pride and arrogance or offended
scorn? And, last, if I had been there,
would I have loved him?
As Jesus spoke to some Greek investigators, he was tormented
in his heart and mind. He felt the foreshadow
of sin that would be his to carry. The
scriptures tell us he groaned in anguish.
He was truly caught in that horrible, awful place of anticipating
suffering. There were no surprises to
pop out of the shadows – the Lord knew every horrific detail of his required
sacrifice. He also knew that all
humanity, our future, our happiness, hinged on his obedience and willingness to
accept it. Then something magnificent
happened. Seeking comfort and
reassurance from the only source that could provide it, Jesus prayed, “Father,
glorify thy name.” The Father replied as
a voice from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” This was a statement of reality-a declaration
of how things would be- and it brought comfort as nothing else could. Jesus would be triumphant! And Jesus joyfully exclaimed, “And I, If I be
lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
I can think of times in my own life when unexpected challenges arose. Often the anticipation and fear of the trial was worse than the trial itself. As I turned to my Father in Heaven for comfort, he granted me the tender mercy of peace and assurance that he cared and loved me and that no trial is in vain. These tender mercy moments are precious and sacred and to be remembered. Do you have a tender mercy moment that draws your heart to the Lord?
The following morning, Jesus was hungry and saw a fig tree
with many leaves (this is significant).
The fig tree was barren of fruit and Jesus cursed it, causing it to
wither and die. Being an admitted tree
hugger, this has always bothered me. It
seemed unfair to the tree – until I learned that a fig tree puts out its
blossoms and fruit before its leaves. A
fig tree with leaves should have had ripe fruit. This particular tree was truly barren. The Lord’s cursing is layered in symbolism
perhaps representing a people barren of truth or religious leaders who preach
the letter (leaves) and deny the spirit (fruit).
Again, honest reflection is required to see our own personal
hypocrisy and our ratio of leaves and
fruit.
Jesus also took this opportunity to teach his disciples
about faith. Faith they would need to do
his work. Faith is a principle of word
and power and action. We have to ask,
without doubt, being led by the spirit to ask correctly and being worthy to
ask, having forgiven others. Then, by
the Lords admission we can move whatever mountains (obstacles) are set before
us.
Faith is the first principle of the Gospel, yet a principle
very difficult to fully utilize and master.
When crisis strikes and faith is needed we often find ourselves
vacillating between belief and victory and doubt and fear like sound waves. Faith and fear cannot coexist. We deny ourselves the powers of heaven when
fear and doubt overwhelm. One of the
greatest struggles of mortality is to become wholly faith filled without doubt
or fear of anything. It’s helpful to
have, I think, examples to look to of those who overcame through the power of
faith. My faith heroes are Paul and
Nephi. They provide a pattern of faith
and action that I can follow. Who are
your faith heroes?
Jesus makes his way to the temple and sees the filth and
desecration in his Father’s house. The
people didn’t learn their lesson the first time and so he clears the temple
once again of the animals, money changers and merchants. This time the Lord stays in the temple
teaching and healing despite the anger of the impotent authorities whose
stewardship it was to protect the temple from the very things they permitted.
It has always puzzled me why those expelled and rebuked
didn’t fight the Lord’s actions in this.
He was one man, they were a potential mob. Perhaps they were condemned as much by their
own guilty conscience as by the Lord. Sin
weakens while power is given to one with righteous authority.
In a world where purity and obedience to Gods laws are
perceived as evil, foolish, and prejudiced it is good to remember that power is
given to the righteous individual who will not bend to the world’s shifting
morality – especially when standing seemingly alone. We are never alone. God is ever faithful.
No comments:
Post a Comment