Passion Sunday 21.3.21 Choosing sides.
The hostility of the Jewish leadership towards Our Lord continues to increase as we retrace the events leading to Holy Week.
The Pharisees and companions would have been much better served if they had sided with Our Lord, but having started in error they went further and further off course. They could not have picked a worse line to follow.
We can have some sympathy for the people of that time who had seen Jesus in His earlier days. They might have thought He was remarkable at the human level, but they had no idea of His divinity.
He was not working public miracles at that time.
Imagine if your next-door neighbour suddenly got up and started preaching and working miracles! You might find that a bit hard to take. We would be inclined to doubt.
Initially caution is recommended.
The trouble for the Jews was that they never moved beyond that initial caution, despite mountains of proof. Their scepticism turned to hostility, and eventually blind hatred.
It became: Kill Him at any cost.
They achieved their aim in crucifying Him, but that only made it worse for them.
Other generations have made much the same errors. People generally reject Christ as Saviour and God, treating Him either with scorn or indifference.
Yet His credential were impossible to deny. He did only good; He preached with great wisdom, and put it into practice. He backed up his word with action. He did not break with the Jewish religion, only taking it to a higher level.
Was the devil doing this in Him (as alleged)? No, the devil would be incapable of doing so much good; nor would he wish it.
Whereas the actions of Jesus tie in with a merciful God who is seeking to save His people.
All Our Lord’s words and actions lead back to the true God.
With a little patience it can all be worked out that Jesus is the true good, and should be followed.
Whether we are moved by the excitement of the miracles, or we study all the prophecies - either way we reach the same conclusion. He makes us feel good but He also matches all the other criteria.
As to the more difficult points they can all be handled. We cannot improve on the ways of God Himself. Some things we understand; some not.
The main thing to be understood is that God is always going
to be right.
Accepting the Lord requires not only agreement, but also commitment, and a general willingness to obey.
We have to take Him as He is. Once we admit His claims the argument stops.
If He does something we do not understand then it is we who have to change not He.
We do not dismiss Him because His ways do not suit us.
Every Easter, somewhere in the media, there will be doubts raised as to Our Lord’s truthfulness, or whether He even existed etc. Various blasphemous suggestions will circulate.
Why do people have such reluctance to take the obvious course, and follow Him? The Creator and Saviour of the world has come to us, and asked us to join Him in perfect unity of heart and mind; not just to solve our problems - although that will happen too, as the whole society is remade.
The devil divides and confuses. He convinces people to stay with what they know, miserable as it probably is. He repeats the temptation to Adam and Eve that God is lying to you.
We go back to Our Lord’s credentials. We will not find so much truth, goodness, or power in one place again. Think of any of His miracles or any of His teachings, and our faith will be revived.
It will not be difficult forever. We look to Heaven for the return of our Saviour who will come from heaven to transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of His own glorious likeness (Ph 3,21).
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