Does anyone feel misunderstood sometimes? If so, take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus Christ knows exactly what that is like. I know I missed talking about Palm Sunday on the actual day, but I wanted to begin today with it. Palm Sunday was actually a bittersweet day for Jesus. Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem on a donkey; the crowd was enthusiastically chanting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Mark 11:9). However, they had the wrong expectations for what Christ had come to do. So much so, just a few days later, this same crowd was chanting, “Crucify Him” (Mark 15:13-14). Is it anyone wonder that on Palm Sunday, Luke records that on that donkey, Jesus was crying (Luke 19:41). Once again, Jesus knew all about being misunderstood.
Recently I had the opportunity to re-discover a fine devotional book by Kristin Parrish titled “No Cape Required: Ways to unleash your inner hero”. I’ve enjoyed getting reacquainted with the content, as I haven’t read it for years. I might even blog about some of it later on, but for today, it was the introduction of the book, written by Jefferson Bethke, that caught my attention. Let me give you a few snippets:
“There is this real peculiar
moment toward the end of Jesus’ public ministry where he is talking to the
gatekeepers of his day and he quotes a Hebrew psalm by saying, “Have you never
read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the
cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’” (Matthew
21:42). I’ve always been one to pick up
on awkwardness in situations…But what Jesus was getting at was they might have
been extremely studied in the Old Testament and its prophecies about this
messiah figure God has promised – but they couldn’t even see the King himself,
living, breathing, and talking right in front of them.”
“But to some degree you can’t blame them.
Everyone in their particular context was looking for an earthly
political or military rebel leader to rise up and take down the pagan empire of
Rome and establish God’s reign and rule.
They expected a hero. What they got did not meet their expectations…They
wanted Superman, but it looked like they got Clark Kent instead” (italics in
original). This quote captures the irony
of Palm Sunday.
Jesus’ own disciples misunderstood
Him. They expected that the time had
come for Jesus to throw off the Roman oppressors, but He came to, as He put it,
“give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Days later, one of His own betrayed Jesus for
30 pieces of silver. This led to a
kangaroo court, and ultimately Jesus was condemned to die an excruciating death
by means of crucifixion. You or I would
never have chosen to write the story this way, yet this was all part of the
sovereign plan of God.
Tomorrow
is Good Friday. Let me return to Jefferson
Bethke’s words in his introduction of the book “No Capes Required” as he has powerful words coming. I already
cited part of this, but here we go. “They expected a hero. What they got did not meet
their expectations…They wanted Superman, but it looked like they got Clark
Kent instead. In that last sentence,
though, lies the beauty and mystery of this Jesus from Nazareth. The beauty of Clark Kent is that he is
Superman. And while people may have
called Clark names and thought he really didn’t do much, he was also the one
truly saving the day and bringing salvation to Metropolis even though he didn’t
get the credit as Clark.”
[He continues] “In fact, most people thought Jesus lost at the Cross, but looking back we see that was the moment of his ultimate victory. In that dark, violent, crushing event he exhausted the powers of evil, brought them on himself so that his people didn’t have to. He saved the day, not how people wanted, but he did save the day. And he invites us into this peculiar way. This upside-down kingdom.”
Let me conclude with by quoting 1 Peter 2:24-25, which says, “He himself bore our
sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for
righteousness…For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned
to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
God bless,
Kevin
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