Palm Fronds and Smelly Christians

Easter comes next week amid tulips, flowering trees, and warmer weather.  It seems like our hopes start to bloom again like all those bulbs we planted last fall.  Leading up to Easter, many churches celebrate the “triumphal entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem on the Sunday before his crucifixion five days later.  We’re told to picture the majestic entry of the coming King into His holy city, hailed as the Messiah by all those assembled, only to have the crowds turn on Him a few days later.  But is being a follower of Christ as easy as waving your palm branch and shouting Hosanna?  Here’s the text from John:

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead…Then a large crowd of the Jews learned He was there. They came not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus, the one He had raised from the dead. Therefore, the chief priests decided to kill Lazarus also, because he was the reason many of the Jews were deserting them and believing in Jesus.  The next day, when the large crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took palm branches and went out to meet Him. They kept shouting: “Hosanna! He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One, the King of Israel!”   John 12:1, 9-13

Jesus had journeyed from the north and after crossing the Jordan River on His way to Jerusalem for Passover, stopped to linger with friends in Bethany.  Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were His closest friends outside of the circle of the twelve.  But the stir Jesus created by bringing Lazarus back from the dead (see John 11) wasn’t sitting well with the religious authorities.  They already wanted to kill Jesus, and now, they thought getting rid of Lazarus might help them quell this religious uprising.

On Sunday, Jesus headed for Jerusalem and many who had heard of Him DID go out to meet him.   The two-mile trip from Bethany to Jerusalem required a long walk down a steep slope, then back up another steep incline to the city.  But Jesus descended the path He was destined to take, and those who lived near there went out to meet Him.  They lined the road and heralded the One they believed would deliver them.  But they made all that noise OUTSIDE the city and away from those who would ostracize or even threaten them.

When we stand up for Jesus, it can bring turmoil into our lives.  Maybe your life won’t be threatened like Lazarus or Jesus, but people who are offended by your faith can make life more difficult for you.  Once Jesus entered Jerusalem, there is no discussion in Scripture of the crowds waving branches and shouting.  That all seemed to happen outside the walls of the city at a safe distance from the temple and its pseudo-faithful protectors.

So, this Sunday, if you’re given a palm frond to wave and encouraged to give voice to the Messiahship of the Lamb of God, do it and celebrate with the other believers there.  And when you leave the safe confines of your worship place, consider heading to Main Street or the mall to do the same.  But be ready – because there are Pharisees there who won’t like it, or you, very much. 

But thanks be to God, who always puts us on display in Christ and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.  For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.  To some we are an aroma of death leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life leading to life.   2 Corinthians 2:14-16

There are your marching orders.  Go smell up the place!

Jacob

Are You Getting Better With Age?

Col. Harlan Sanders got his first $99 Social Security check at age 65 and decided he needed to do something else to make some additional cash.  The result?  Fried chicken popular the world over.  After becoming an astronaut and later, a senator from Ohio, John Glenn retired.  And then went into space again at age 77!  You have, no doubt, heard of Grandma Moses, whether you know her work or not.  She became perhaps the most famous primitive artist in American history though she never picked up a brush until she was 76.

This quick choice will tell you a lot about yourself: “Do you think things become more or less valuable with age?”  Your likely answer: “It depends.”  In fact, it DOES depend, doesn’t it?  What do you think is the key factor that drove each of the aforementioned antiquarians to make such profound contributions so late in life?  What is it that drives those who seem to age well, “like fine wine”?  There are MANY examples in Scripture of amazing acts completed by those who have a little gray on their temples, but this one will serve to make my point:

Joshua was now old, getting on in years, and the Lord said to him, “You have become old, getting on in years, but a great deal of the land remains to be possessed.  This is the land that remains: All the districts of the Philistines and the Geshurites…all the land of the Canaanites…the land of the Gebalites and all Lebanon…all the inhabitants of the hill country…all the Sidonians.  I will drive them out before the Israelites, only distribute the land as an inheritance for Israel, as I have commanded you.  Joshua 13:1-6

OK, then!  I can testify that I KNOW I’m getting old, yet when someone else says it (especially if it’s GOD) it really drives home the point.  I don’t believe God was just reminding Joshua of his increasing age, but instead reminding him that IF he was going to complete his work for God, he’d better get on with it!  Time was running out for Joshua and he still had a job to do.  So Joshua did as God commanded and fulfilled his purpose.

When God makes us His through the power of the Gospel and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, He does it with a purpose.  In Joshua’s case, God commanded him to take the land and possess it – not just to find a nice shady spot and wait for eternity.  There is no such thing as a retired rescuer of Israel, nor a retired follower of Jesus.  What, you thought retirement was your reward for working hard?  Your cessation from punching a clock doesn’t mean you get to stop what you’re doing for God.  It just means you have more flexibility to finish whatever God has challenged you to be and do.  Joshua’s victory in possessing the land didn’t end his work or anyone else’s.  It was just one victory along the way.  The rest we’re all waiting for is still to come!

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day…For the person who has entered His rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from His.  Hebrews 4:8,10

Perhaps the key to FEELING valuable as we age is purpose.  If you don’t know yours yet, find someone who can help you identify it. But don’t doubt that God has something for you to do.  So get up out of that recliner and get busy!  There’s work to be done.

Getting on in years, but ready for what’s next,

Jacob

Sibling Rivalry and Global Religious Conflict

When my sister and I were young, we weren’t necessarily the best of friends.  I was a few years older, and my little sister was always finding a way to get under my skin or get me in trouble.  At least it seemed that way then.  But as we have grown, we’ve become best friends and I’m blessed to have an amazing sibling who has more than made up for being such a crazy pain when she was small.  I have stories, but I won’t share them here.  As in all sibling relationships, I’m sure she has some tales to tell, too. 

Not all sibling relationships grow stronger with age.  Some fester and eventually fall apart, because the perceived wrongs by one or both parties are considered just too egregious.  The Bible is full of examples of sibling conflict – Jacob & Esau and Cain & Abel to mention the most obvious.  But the most significant conflict, at least in terms of today’s headlines, was that between Isaac and Ishmael, the half-brother sons of Abraham.  Isaac was the child promised to Abraham and Sarah, while Ishmael was Abraham’s son from his own ill-conceived plan to fulfill God’s promise.  Here’s a glimpse into the text:

The child (Isaac) grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the (other) son mocking – the one Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham.  So she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave with her son, for the son of this slave will not be a coheir with my son Isaac!”   Now this was a very difficult thing for Abraham…  But God said to Abraham, “Do not be concerned about the boy and your slave. Whatever Sarah says to you, listen to her, because your offspring will be traced through Isaac.   But I will also make a nation of the slave’s son because he is your offspring.”  Genesis 21:8-13

Abraham’s offspring traced through Isaac?  Israel – the Jewish nation.  The nation traced through the “slave’s son” Ishmael?  The Arab nation.  See the problem?  One son exiled because he was the product of a man’s own solution to his problem.  Another exalted and blessed because he was the product of God’s promise.  Talk about competing for a father’s love!  And the battle continues to this day.  Isaac eventually led to Jesus, who reconciled us to our Heavenly Father by grace through faith.  Ishmael eventually led to Mohammed, the founder of Islam, who ushered in a religion based on works, in a misguided effort to help his descendants find a different way to the Father.

Every time we (mankind) think we can come up with a plan to accomplish what only God can do, we mess things up.  Even at the end of Abraham’s life, Isaac had an opportunity to patch things up and perhaps change history:

Abraham gave everything he owned to Isaac…He took his last breath and died at a ripe old age (175)… and he was gathered to his people. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah…Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah. After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac….   Genesis 25:5-11

Imagine the funeral.  Doesn’t this happen a lot?  Siblings who fuss and fight for much of their lives are reunited over the grave of a parent.  Does the death that brought them together for a brief time change anything?  Not if their hearts are still at war.  Isaac would receive the blessing of God and might have changed the direction of history with an arm around his older brother’s shoulder.  Isaac was destined to be blessed by God.  But don’t you wonder if Ishmael might have been drawn closer to a Father he never really knew if he had been accepted by a brother who never really cared? 

If you have siblings, do your part to let them know they are loved.  By you AND your Heavenly Father.

Jacob

The Lord’s Supper and Special Effects

I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was sitting in a darkened theater watching movie preview trailers, when suddenly I was enveloped in a world of things to come – swirling spacecraft, stirring music, and the heavy-breathing, deep-voiced villain of Star Wars.  I can easily recall that the final scene in the preview was a direct attack by a dark-side fighter that exploded in a ball of fire.  Amazing!  And unlike anything I’d ever seen.  Though it was more than 40 years ago, I still recollect the excitement it generated and I couldn’t wait to see the movie!

So, let’s be honest – did you get that same feeling of excited anticipation the last time you shared in the Lord’s Supper with your church?  Silly comparison?  I think not!   Whether your church asks you to share the Lord’s Supper together weekly, quarterly, or when you show up at Christmas and Easter, it IS an event to be eagerly anticipated.  Why, you might ask?  I acknowledge that the Church’s practice of remembering the Passover exchange between Jesus and His disciples might lack the visual pizzazz of Hollywood and may even seem to lack rudimentary planning at times, but it is the content and INTENT that are vital. 

You can read the story of the Last Supper in the Gospels, but the apostle, Paul, wrote this for us, making sure we understand clearly, not only the content, but also the intent of sharing in the Lord’s Supper:

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.”  In the same way, after supper He also took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant established by My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.  1 Corinthians 11:23-26

“Until He comes.”  WOW.  Cue the music and prepare to be amazed!  Talk about special effects!  When you take the Lord’s Supper, what do you see in your mind’s eye?  I usually think about His meal, then His prayer time, then His suffering and crucifixion.  I celebrate His victory over death and partake in the elements of the ritual in gratitude for my salvation.  Maybe my problem is I usually stop there, instead of remembering that one day, I’ll be dining with Jesus Himself! 

After He had said this, He was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took Him out of their sight.  While He was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them.  They said…”why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven.”   Acts 1:9-11

Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations as He fights on a day of battle.  On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley…Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with Him.  Zechariah 14:3-5

You recognize the Mount of Olives, right?  That’s where Jesus prayed in the garden, “If it’s possible, let this cup pass from me.”  Then He drank from it anyway – the cup filled with the punishment for your sin and mine, paid for by His blood.  Someday, you can thank Him in person for what He did for you.  Until then, eat and drink in remembrance.  But get ready, because He’s coming again soon.  Cue the music!

Maranatha (Revelation 22:20),

Jacob