It is the week that Passover is to begin and the Roman occupiers are on high alert. If something is going to happen, it will this week, Occupiers, whether in the ancient world or today, are typically afraid of the possibility of revolt. Rome used crucifixion; Beijing uses so-called “re-education centers.” But people can be cowed only so long.
Jesus, of course, was no ordinary liberator. He did not come into Jerusalem with an army to force out the Romans. Jesus had a different kind of liberation – that of the spirit. His entry into Jerusalem was more than a historical event because it forces us to consider what our occupiers are.
The disciples are already afraid. Just like the Roman occupiers and the religious leaders they did not know what to expect. We, living well past all the events that occurred on that day when Jesus entered Jerusalem to declare the sovereignty of God, do not have the trepidation that the gripped the people of that day, but we have our own fears and anxieties. To be faithful when we do not know the outcome is the test of faith.
Prayer for the Day
Surround us, ever present and loving Spirit, with your word;
Remind us that when all else fails, your word is constant in our lives.
Although evil may be present in the world, may we have faith
That your love will be triumphant and justice will reign.
Enable us, we pray, to overcome evil with good
And to live faithfully in spite of our fears.
In the name of the One who lived faithfully to the end,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen
Thoughts for the Day
From a pound of iron, that costs little, a thousand watch-springs can be made, whose value becomes prodigious. The pound you have received from the Lord,--use it faithfully.
- Robert Schumann, composer (1810-1856)
It's a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally. It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet, and what is sand.
- Madeleine L'Engle, writer (1918-2007)
Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth;
Give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
Psalm 86: 11