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Easter Meditations

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SVPete:
Easter Meditations – Intro

Getting straight to the point, what is this set of daily meditations and what am I hoping to accomplish? I was raised, from an infant, in a Christian church. The basics of the Easter story have long been familiar to me. Sometimes familiarity can lull one into thinking one knows what there is to be known of that which is familiar. Or see the people as scripted actors in a spiritual just-so story. Am I unique in this? I'm thinking ... probably not. So I'm hoping to tear back a bit of the veneer of familiarity that might cloud our understanding of these events and people. Maybe I can help us see and understand these familiar people as real people, who had real thoughts, feelings and motives in a real historical and cultural context, showing the continuity in the flow of events and maybe get into the possible thoughts and feelings of the people as they lived events that were not at all familiar to them. And now to start ...

Judea and Jerusalem in the time of Jesus' life in Earth were not happy places. Judea was part of the Roman Empire, and the Romans were not benignant rulers. Romans considered themselves superior to those they conquered. In both the conquest and the ruling, conquered territories were seen as places to be plundered and exploited. While not particularly prosperous, Judea was strategically very important to Rome. First, it was a crossroads for trade from the east and south. Rome was dependent on trade for much that it needed and even more that it wanted. Second, Judea was in the border area with the Parthian Empire. Corresponding roughly with modern Iran and Iraq, the Parthians had stopped Roman advance to the east, and at one point briefly pushed the Romans back, all the way to the coasts of modern northeast Syria and Lebanon. The threat of war was a constant of life, with Judea being a potential battleground and an area through which troops and supplies would necessarily move in the event of war.

So the Roman grip on Judea and Jerusalem was not loose. Adding insult to the Jews' injury, Jerusalem was not the provincial capital. That honor belonged to the recently enlarged artificial port city of Caesaria.

As mentioned in the Gospel accounts, the death and resurrection of Jesus happened around the time of Passover. The Jewish religious calendar, given in Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16, could be roughly grouped into spring and autumn observances and festivals. For observant Jews, participation in all of these feasts was mandatory. Passover, with the week-long Unleavened Bread immediately following, started the series of spring festivals; First Fruits was observed at the start of harvest, with Pentecost 50 days later. For many of the Jewish people being scattered all over the Roman and Parthian Empires, going to Jerusalem for every feast wasn't practical. Those so situated usually observed most religious feasts locally with other Jewish people. They had the goal, however, of making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem at least once in their lifetimes, for Passover particularly. Such a pilgrimage being a significant undertaking, the custom was not to just stay for the 8 days of Passover and Unleavened Bread, but to stay from Passover through Pentecost, 2 or 3 months. Those who could, made this pilgrimage more than once in their lifetimes. All this means that Jerusalem at the time of Jesus's death and resurrection and on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) had tens or hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world in addition to its resident population.

From the viewpoint of the Roman rulers, the Passover season was an annual time of tension. Despite their religious purpose, people are people, and "situations" could occur. Of course, the crowds of people who came from far away carried substantial amounts of money – necessary to live during their months of pilgrimage - attracted thieves. And those people who chafed at Roman rule and sought opportunities for acts of rebellion could use the crowds of pilgrims camouflage their presence and activities.

So Jesus's last public acts, preaching and His death and resurrection happened within a very complex and volatile context.

SVPete:
Easter Meditations – Palm Sunday

Today, “Palm Sunday,” is the beginning of Holy Week in Christian tradition. It is the commencement a sudden total and fatal reversal of public reaction to Jesus, under the nudging and urging of Jewish religious and political leaders. On Palm Sunday Jesus entered Jerusalem to loud public acclaim, including the laudatory waving of palm branches from which the holiday derives its name:

After He had said these things, He was going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, saying, "Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. "If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say, 'The Lord has need of it.'" So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?" They said, "The Lord has need of it." They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it. As He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road. As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting : "BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD ; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest !" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." But Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!" (Luke 19:28-40, NASB)

It was, for Jesus, much less joyful. He knew where He was headed, what would soon happen to Him and what would happen in just 4 decades to Jerusalem. The coming week was the culmination of His purpose in life. But the sadness He expressed was not focused on Himself:

When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. "For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation." (Luke 19:41-44, NASB)

Jesus' weeping was not quiet tears. The Greek work denotes a painful grief, like mourning a loved one who has died! What Jesus spoke was not quiet, but a loud lamentation. Jesus knew and foretold what would happen some 40 years later, the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple and the slaughter and enslavement of much of its populace. The description of this event in the account written by the eyewitness Josephus, is painful reading.

So Jesus' seemingly celebratory entry into Jerusalem that Sunday was a grace note of triumph introducing a symphony of pain. Yet, from another perspective, that grace note led off a triumphal concert lasting into eternity.

SVPete:
I didn't realize I'd done a second set of Easter week meditations. So, for the evening:

Palm Sunday: Fame & Afflicting the Comfortable

A theme commonly preached in Palm Sunday sermons is how shallow and brief popularity can be. And it's true. How many movie, TV and pop music stars that were hot 5 or 10 years ago have self-destructed or disappeared when "their" public moved on to the next "big thing"? But Jesus was not blinded by his apparent fame. Jesus knew what was about to happen - the whole week, not just the day we call Palm Sunday. He could have - and had done so before - entered Jerusalem quietly. He chose instead to enter in a way that would and did attract lots of attention.

I believe Jesus had at least two purposes in mind. He wanted the attention of as many ears as possible. Many would just forget what they heard almost as soon as they heard it. Some would even be crying out, "Crucify him!" at the end of the week. But Jesus was planting seeds, seeds that might only germinate months or even years later. He wanted as many as possible to hear his preaching and teaching so that some would later become His followers.

Jesus was also posing a challenge to the Jewish religious leaders. They could: stand by and "watch" their following, their power and wealth, melt away; swallow their pride and join Jesus; take drastic action. They chose drastic action. Jesus knew what their choice would be - He had escaped previous attempts to seize him. This time He would not try. But the religious leaders still faced and made a real choice (and not all Jewish religious leaders agreed with the choice of the majority), they were not puppets or actors following a script.

Fame and obscurity come and go. Sometimes we seek them, more often (I think) they just happen. They can be blessings or curses. If we use either to indulge ourselves, it is a mistake (or worse). The number of celebrities who achieve fame and then quickly self-destruct demonstrate this. They arrogantly think they are all their fame makes them appear to be plus indestructible. A better approach, one that Jesus used, is to use celebrity and obscurity as opportunities – for service, for developing one's relationships with God, family and friends. Don't waste fame in pride and self-indulgence; don't waste obscurity in laziness.

On entering Jerusalem, Jesus didn't hustle off to the local Holiday Inn, settle into His room, click on the TV, and order room service. Jesus went to the temple, where even more people would see and hear Him. And would they ever! Jesus cleaned house!

As odd and silly as it seems, it was only in a recent re-reading this incident that I noticed that it didn't end with Jesus driving the crooks out of the temple. That "house-cleaning" is such a common focus of teaching that I had a sort of tunnel vision. Anyway, on to what I think Jesus was thinking.

In driving out the crooks, part of Jesus' intent obviously was just that, "cleansing" the temple. Thievery in the midst of God's temple was an utter outrage! So Jesus took care of business. But even this was not that "simple". Jesus had been in the temple many times, and doubtless had seen these crooks just about as often (and had driven out the fraudsters once before, in John 2). But he didn't drive them out every time, so why now? These crooks were part of the religious leaders' racket. They were allowed to perpetrate their fraud, and kicked back to the leaders. Jesus knew what was going on! So, Jesus' purpose wasn't "just" to cleanse the temple. Jesus chose this time - when Passover pilgrims thronged the temple - strike a blow to their racket at the religious leaders' most profitable time of the year! It was direct challenge (not Jesus' only one) to their racket!

Having driven out the fraudsters, Jesus didn't dust off His hands and go have dinner. He stayed, teaching the people around Him who would listen, and healed sick people who were brought to Him (which probably caught a lot of attention and inspired interest). Jesus didn't merely smash up the racket - He knew they would be back. He offered the people an alternative, meeting them where they were, their needs, their "warts", and all. Driving off the fraudsters cut into the religious leaders' profits, for a few hours. That was bad enough and reason enough to get rid of Jesus. But offering (being!) an alternative was a threat to their whole cozy system, and they decided not stand for that!

All four Gospels recount aspects of the events of Palm Sunday: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, and John 12.

SVPete:
Easter Meditations – The Monday Before Easter

Later on Palm Sunday and continuing into the week a clash of authority ensued that was, for the Jewish religious leaders, a fork in the road. They could repent and “lose everything”. Or they could harden their hearts, send Jesus to the cross, and cling what they had (not knowing they would lose it in about four decades). On entering Jerusalem, Jesus launched an attack on the high priest’s family’s lucrative money-changing and animal-selling monopoly-racket:

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER'; but you are making it a ROBBERS' DEN." And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these children are saying ?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF'?" And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there. (Matthew 21:12-17, NASB)

These leaders who should have been teaching and caring for God's flock saw that flock as their own, to fleece, milk and abuse. When Jesus came back the next morning, the chief racketeers were still a little cowed by the high regard the people had for Jesus. Not yet ready to risk open conflict, they tried to bully Jesus into backing off by challenging his authority:

When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?" Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?" And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?' "But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet." And answering Jesus, they said, "We do not know." He also said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. (Matthew 21:23-27, NASB)

Jesus had trapped the trapper wannabes, using their fear of the people against them. It was like a battle of wits in which the leaders were the ones who were unarmed. Jesus well knew their authority and power and their temporal limits; He also knew something they did not want to contemplate, His own infinitely greater eternal authority. Jesus had given them, through the years, many “outs,” chances to change their course. In the end their greed, anger and hunger for power would unwittingly fulfill His chosen destiny and purpose.

SVPete:
Monday Before Easter: Jesus Faces Down the Jewish Religious Leaders

Challenge and Counter-Challenge of Authority, Matthew 21:23-27
This was the start of an interesting drama. The Jewish religious leaders decided to use what they imagined to be a trap that would silence or ensnare Jesus. Jesus was, in their view, an uneducated nobody. They could hardly imagine Him sensing the trap, let alone avoiding it. Jesus turned their trap on them and put them in a multi-lemma: if they said that John was sent by God they would be asked why they didn't obey; if they said that John was speaking for himself they would be in trouble with the common people; if they answered, "We asked first," they would look petty and childish; if they answered, "We don't know," they would lose the people's respect. They chose the latter. They believed it the least damaging, but it was damaging! And they knew it!

It seems silly to say this, but don't try to lie to, fool, or "outsmart" God. He. Knows. And as Jesus did in this encounter, God will use our lies and tricks, if we try any, to His purposes. Far better, in our relationship with God, to be honest, open and submitting to His purposes. When it comes to what is best for us, He knows that, too.

My Two Sons - Saying vs. Doing, Matthew 21:28-32
In response to their first attack, Jesus counter-attacked with a series of parables. This time Jesus isn't "just" replying and moving on. Keep in mind that this was all done in the temple, in front of as many people who chose to listen! Jesus responded, and escalated His challenge, by the means of several parables. With this first parable, of one son who said he would obey his father but didn't, while the other son said he would not but did, Jesus struck at the religious leaders' hypocrisy. They made the profession that they followed God, but in their lives they did not. Meanwhile, "sinners" (which they really were!) despised by the hypocritical religious leaders would turn from their sin and follow God.

Jesus' thinking here is pretty plain on its face. Jesus is challenging the religious leaders' image. Specifically, this parable strikes at how the public perceived them, their public respect, and as I said above, in a very public place.

The Murderous Tenants, Matthew 21:33-46
The Wedding Feast & Unworthy Invitees, Matthew 22:1-14
In these two parables Jesus showed the real character of the religious leaders: rebellious; murderous; out for personal gain; concerned with their own business rather than God's. Jesus' intent, again, is pretty plain. He confronted the religious leaders with what they are. And did it in front of the ordinary people who looked to them as leaders. He gave them a choice - and it truly was a choice - they could repent, give up their racket, or they could resist Jesus to keep their racket going (though Jesus knew it would end very soon). Sadly, they made the prideful and greedy choice.

In this, Jesus went for the religious leaders' metaphoric jugular. They had bent, spindled, folded and mutilated what should have been service to God and the Jewish people into a very cozy and profitable racket. Jesus hoped that, by rocking their tidy little world, some - people and leaders - would turn to God. Eventually and over time, many did. Jesus knew the pain all this would cost Him; He also knew that the reward was far greater.

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