Jesus had just begun his ministry, and the people liked what he was doing. It was at that point that the scribes and Pharisees, those in power, started to plot to kill him.
They tried to trick Jesus and did many things to show the people that he was in fact going to destroy, not build, the Kingdom of God. He spoke differently, healed those whom they had deemed unworthy. Jesus spent time with the people on the ground, not the people high above sequestered in the Temple Mount and their righteousness. But Jesus’ message of love spread through many demonstrations-feeding the people, driving out demons, cleansing the sick and curing afflictions imposed by years of neglect from the ones in charge. There were no healthcare plans in Biblical times. But the ones in charge made it known that once a person showed any sign of weakness or infirmity not to their liking, they would be made the object of sin-shaming, denigration, and denial of religious ritual. Jesus’ ministry was not just a threat to their power, but would pull back the curtain on their hearts of stone hiding as religiosity.
But the more Jesus tried to move the people in the direction of God’s Kingdom, the harder Caiaphus, the head of the Council of the Sanhedrin, fought. Not just for Jesus’ imprisonment, but his demise and death. He made false allegations. He lied to the people to turn them against Jesus, and he conducted a public trial for his own purposes. And he did not stop until Jesus was killed in the most degrading and painful way imaginable, a public crucifixion, quickly and without warning so that Caiaphus could be rid of the problem once and for all.
But it was too late. Jesus was dead, but the message of Jesus, the love and community which he loosed by his presence began to spread, and could not be contained. It remained in the hearts of the people, and they remembered their teacher, and saw that his departure from their sight didn’t mean the end, but meant new beginnings, new ways of knowing, gave them the courage to see God in a new way that would not just sustain them, but strengthen them with grace.
The Easter story is our story, friends; it is the story of the power of presence, truth, and compassion over those who claim God and God’s purpose for their own. Our time right now commands our attention be focused outwardly to serve others, just as the temptation is to close ranks and serve our families and loved ones first. We must always remember that ours is a ministry of abundance, that there is enough to go around and more, that our baskets are filled with many more than a few loaves and fishes. We will not give into the ministry of scarcity which says that we have only so much, and must find ways to preserve ourselves before helping those most in need. Love, mercy, justice, and Christian discipleship living demand that we think differently to our impulses.
We are an Easter people, knowing new beginnings are possible if only we were faithful; a Pentecost people, sensing the Holy Spirit can guide us toward new things if only we would follow; a Christmas people, knowing that God came to be one of us to teach us and show us the way. Let us remember that always, knowing that the Kingdom purposes are bigger than anyone’s agenda, no matter how much
power they claim. We are blessed, we are forgiven, and we love our enemies because God loved us first. “I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you.” Thanks be to God,
Blessings,
Pastor Mark
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