Jesus goes up to Jerusalem.
A smarter man might have stayed in Galilee.
Played his cards a little closer to the vest.
Move with more caution.
Pay attention to his critics.
But Jesus goes up to Jerusalem.
The Holy City.
The City on a Hill.
David’s Royal City.
Jesus makes it clear to his disciples.
He will go there and suffer.
He will go there and die.
Because the Holy City isn’t so holy after all.
Big Boys and Girls run the city, manage the Temple, hold hands with Rome - they have their own version of God’s work and God’s purpose.
And why not?
The Temple was huge … beautiful … it made money … hand over fist, it made money …
And, besides, it was all so religious … so holy … so right and good - the music was grand, the preaching uplifting, huge crowds all the time; pilgrims dreamed of walking the courtyard and buying a lamb for Passover … but Jesus sees it for what it is …
No longer a house of prayer, but a den of thieves.
A sham.
A charade.
Like a movie lot …
A grave shiny and white, but full of old bones and rottenness.
We see the clash coming.
Jesus and Jerusalem on a collision course.
Jesus already had plenty of enemies.
It only took a week for the enemies to get their act together …
Only took a week for the crowds to realize that what they wanted, Jesus couldn’t give, and what he gave, they didn’t want!
By the end of the week, it came to a crashing halt … a hasty trial … a cross … a cry of agony.
Why would Jesus go up to Jerusalem?
Well, the easy answer first, “He went there to die for our sins.”
And like most easy answers, it’s neither helpful nor accurate.
He didn’t go to Jerusalem to die FOR our sins.
He died BECAUSE of our sins.
He went to Jerusalem to proclaim the Kingdom of God, the return of God to Israel, the end of the Exile, the promise of a new glory to fill and cleanse the temple … a new day for God’s People .
Jesus chooses the moment carefully.
And chooses to use dramatic imagery … the ancient imagery of the king coming to Jerusalem for Passover.
From the Prophet Zechariah:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion.
Sing aloud, Daughter Jerusalem.
Look, your king will come to you.
He is righteous and victorious.
He is humble and riding on an ass.
On a colt.
The offspring of a donkey [Zechariah 9.9].
It’s all been arranged.
The animal tied and waiting.
The password: The LORD needs it.
Why does Jesus go up to Jerusalem?
He could have remained in Galilee, taught for another 30 or 40 years … healed hundreds … anointed his successor like Elijah anointed Elisha … written a scroll like Jeremiah did.
He might have gotten married.
Had children.
Settled down as a revered teacher.
Lived a productive life.
Why go up to Jerusalem?
Jesus goes to Jerusalem because Jerusalem has lost its way.
Bad politics, bad business, bad theology and self-serving values.
The light has gone out … the salt has lost its saltiness.
But old ideas do not yield ground easily … the powers that be would have none of it … they conspired with one another to find a way to kill Jesus.
And they did!
When Jesus died, some thought he was a failure … two of his disciples, on their way home to Emmaus, said to the Stranger beside them, We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
Jesus sat down at their table and broke bread with them, and their eyes were opened.
If Jesus were here today, where might he go? Where would he meet us? And what would see when he opens our eyes?
Maybe Jesus would pay a visit to Sanford, Florida … where 17-year Trayvon Martin died.
We may never know all the details of what happened that night, but this much I know - I see in Trayvon’s story an American story that has played itself out too many times since the days of Emancipation - the death of a black man - lynching, burning, beating and shooting … perpetrators rarely found, and if they are, they’re let off with a slap on the wrist.
I feel for Trayvon’s family … I feel for all the unanswered cries for justice … God said to Cain, Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.
Maybe Jesus would pay a visit to El Cajon, just east of San Diego … Shaima Alawadi, a 32-year old mother of five, recently moved to El Cajon, from Michigan, died of a severe beating … a week earlier, a note had been left at the home, telling her, “This is our country not yours you terrorist.”
She thought it was a prank.
A week later, she was beaten to death, and a similar note was left in the home, telling her “go back to your country.”
Where would Jesus go today? Where would he meet us? What would we see when he opens our eyes?
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
To teach us the better way.
To die the death we all will die.
And when the Father raised from the dead, it was confirmation of God’s Word: This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him!
The story of Lent!
To God be the glory.
Amen and Amen!
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