Meditation 256
John 12: 12-16
Why is it that people seem to be more likely to repeat mistakes that have happened in the past rather than learn from the past and make a new plan? One source that I checked this week said that it is because we interpret the past, and the meaning we take from it become the story we tell, and it becomes the story we live by. The story we live by is subjective, and it can be a story of why things go wrong. (David Lose. Working Preacher) The challenge to preachers is to bring together a group of people on a Sunday morning who have lived their lives through the week, and to share the gospel story with them in such as way as to bring hope for the week to come. We try to share the gospel story in such as way as to give people a new story by which to live their lives.
Where is the hope in the story of Jesus’ Triumphal entry into Jerusalem? We know what will happen to Jesus when he gets to Jerusalem. He will be accused, tried and unfairly condemned. He will suffer publicly and die, but in the end, Jesus will triumph over all of the evil and he will be raised from death to conquer the power of sin and death. It seems like such a long way to go get to the truth we hold of new life. Why, we might ask did Jesus suffer so, and what good comes of dwelling on it?
In studying the scriptures some have made suggestions as to why Jesus lived as he did. Jesus came to earth to identify with people, to be “born in human likeness, and being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient.” (Philippians 2: 7b-8a) Jesus is a Messiah who we can turn to as a friend and a mentor as well as our Saviour and God. Jesus is the one that will understand the prayers of those who are humble as much as he is the one who will understand the prayers of the confident and the strong. When Jesus lived on the earth, he was the friend of sinners (and still is), he welcomed children, he touched the lepers, he respected women, and he spent time with outcasts like Zacchaeus. He was not a reverse snob either. He spoke to Nicodemus the Pharisee, he told the truth to the rich young man, and he told the story of the Good Samaritan, who was wealthy enough to care for a beaten and discarded man. It seems that part of the reason that Jesus suffered as he did was to be a Saviour who we could trust to understand our lives.
It may also be that even in the bad parts of the story of Jesus heading to Jerusalem we see hope. We see in Jesus someone who would face reality and not flinch, thereby setting a good example. The people in the crowd were overjoyed that Jesus was coming into Jerusalem. Earlier some of the people had wanted to make Jesus into an earthly ruler after the miracle of feeding the 5000. Jesus knew this was not his purpose and he slipped away. Maybe some of those who were greeting him on the day we call Palm Sunday had tried to promote him before. Regardless of who the people were in the crowd, they recognized that in “Jesus is the location of God’s glory and presence.” (Alicia D. Myers. Working Preacher). They are celebrating the presence of God in their midst. They are not completely right in their understanding, and they will not be brave to stand up to the authorities in the week to come., regardless, we see that Jesus allows the celebration. Maybe from this we can take that it is good to celebrate what we can, and to keep following Jesus always.
The stories of Jesus are stories that we can incorporate into our lives, so that we can see that in our lives, by the grace of Jesus, we have hope and we have the possibility of not repeating the mistakes we have made. The gospel gives us a new story to live.