An Open Door...

Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011: Luke 24:1 - 53

Resurrection day! Tomb is empty!

Familiar stories today: the women at the tomb, their telling the story to the disciples and others…Peter checking out their story…the road to Emmaus…two men and a stranger…conversation…dinner together…broken bread…JESUS!!...quick trip back to Jerusalem to tell the news to the disciples…Jesus is with them…show and tell with his wounds…got fish?...another teaching time…he ascends…great joy…hanging out at the temple…praising God! Luke ends.

B-U-T…remember, this is just the first part of Luke’s tale. The sequel follows: the book of Acts.

Saturday, April 23, 2011: Luke 23:50 - 56

A great kindness takes place when Joseph of Arimathea goes to Pilate to gain permission to have Jesus’ body. He removes Jesus from the cross, wraps him in linen and places him in a new tomb. The women follow Joseph so that they would know where to go after the Sabbath so they could finish Jesus’ burial. Sabbath descends with nightfall.

As we live from Good Friday to Sunday in 2011, we find ourselves waiting on Saturday…waiting for Easter. We know that Jesus will resurrect on Sunday and that grieving for him is not necessary.  After all, Jesus lives. And, we know we are only waiting to remember and celebrate on Sunday when Saturday is over.

However, that first Good Friday found Jesus’ disciples in deep grief and shock over his death as they observed the Jewish Sabbath. Life would be without Jesus from now on…no more listening to him preach and teach, no more fun stories, no more healings, no more shared meals, no more time spent traveling from town to town, no more Jesus.

Good Friday, April 22, 2011: Luke 23:1 - 49

For those who opposed Jesus, all they want is to see him dead. In today’s reading they win. From Pilate, to Herod, back to Pilate Jesus bounces like a ping pong ball. Regardless of Pilate’s saying that Jesus has done nothing to deserve death, the crowd wants death and pushes for it. Pilate relents.

Jesus is crucified. Others show up in the narrative: Simon from Cyrene, women who mourned and wailed for him, the two criminals, those casting lots for his clothes, the people watching, the rulers, the soldiers, the centurion, the women who had followed him from Galilee.

This painting by James Tissot is a rendering of what Jesus might have seen as he looked at the crowd around him from the cross…it is a recent favorite of mine if one can have a ‘favorite’ picture from the crucifixion...I share it with us...

Maundy Thursday, April 21, 2011: Luke 22:39 – 71

Events begin to spiral out of control.

Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives after the dinner just like he has been doing. He is struggling and asks the disciples to be in prayer with him. His time of prayer involves asking God to take away what is going to happen. Yet in his heart of hearts, he wants God’s will done regardless of what he would prefer to have happen. An angel comes to strengthen him. In his anguish, his sweat was like drops of blood as it fell to the ground. When he returns to the disciples, he finds them sleeping.

Judas’ betrayal follows. A well-armed crowd is with him. The betrayal is done with a kiss. One of the disciples uses one of their swords to cut off the ear of a servant to the high priest. Jesus heals the ear and tells the disciples to ‘chill’. They lead Jesus away.

Peter’s denial and the rooster crowing follow at the house of the high priest. Disappointed in himself, Peter steps outside and weeps.

Jesus is mocked and beaten. He is blindfolded and jeered at as his captors demand he prophesy and tell them which one of them is hitting him.

Dawn comes and with it interrogation by the council of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law. They pounce on his words to find charges against him.

Sometimes these scenes crash into themselves when I read the account of these hours. Other times the scenes pass painstakingly in slow motion. Always, I am outraged, terrified, heart-broken, and desperate to rescue Jesus.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011: Luke 22:1 - 38

Events start to move quickly as Jesus' time gets shorter.

The chief priests and teachers of the law want Jesus silenced. When Judas, one of the Jesus' disciples, approaches them they can’t believe their good fortune. Arrangements are made with Judas and a time waiting begins. Judas is looking for the opportunity to betray Jesus…a time when Jesus is away from the crowds.

Passover arrives and preparations are made for Jesus and the disciples to celebrate it together. The meal begins and in the middle of it, Jesus changes the Passover ‘script’ adding the bits about the bread and the cup. Jesus announces that one of them will betray him.

Then, on this last night they are together, the disciples, disappointingly, start arguing over who is the greatest. Jesus again clarifies that greatness in the kingdom of God is about being ‘as one who serves’.

Jesus warns Simon/Peter that he will deny knowing Jesus. Jesus, also, tells Peter that he has prayed for Peter so that his faith will not fail and that Peter will be able to strengthen the other disciples.

Jesus lets the other disciples know that they need to be ready. He tells them to sell any cloaks they have to get swords. The disciples report that they have two swords already in their possession. Jesus has heard enough.

Definite shadows are falling on this night of celebration.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011: Luke 21:5 - 38

Funny how conversations start…the disciples are gawking at the temple buildings in Jerusalem like tourists do when visiting special places. Jesus took the conversation in another direction with his comments about the temple’s destruction. The temple was huge 1600 feet by 900 feet and 9 stories high. The quarried stone used to build the temple weighed from 28 tons to well over 500 tons. It was impossible to imagine it reduced to rubble. Yet, that is exactly what happened in 70 AD. Below is a model of the temple which is at the Israel Museum.

 
Jesus tells of the difficult years to come when the Jewish revolt against Rome would take place. The people defended Jerusalem but were eventually conquered by the Roman army. The days were horrible in the end as the Romans cut off the food supply to Jerusalem. The times would be difficult. That generation of the disciples would live to see Jerusalem destroyed. They would face times of persecution, betrayal, imprisonment and even death because of their faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Amazingly, as he tells the parable of the fig tree, Jesus says that in the midst of these awful events they were to know that the kingdom of God was near.  

The chapter closes with us knowing that each day Jesus taught the people in the temple and each night he returned to the Mount of Olives to spend the night.

Monday, April 18, 2011: Luke 21:1 - 4

Recently, a new TV show came out called the Secret Millionaire. It is a reality show. A millionaire agrees to go to an unknown location to live for week in local housing on welfare wages. They are to seek out non-profit organizations in the neighborhood and volunteer. They usually volunteer at three or four places. At the end of the week they are to give up to $100,000 of their own money to the organizations where they volunteered. Many struggling organizations have benefitted from these millionaires and this show. I am grateful and happy for those who receive the ‘windfall’. Yet, cynic that I am, I have often wondered how rich the millionaires really are and how much, percentage-wise, they are giving of their wealth. Today’s scripture passage is the reason for my wondering. Jesus’ observations have cast a shadowy cloud on this show for me!

When he watches the people put money into the temple’s ‘offering plate’, he makes the observation that the widow who put in a small of amount of money actually gave the most! The wealthy were chucking in way more money. Yet, they were giving out of their wealth…their excess monies. She put in all that she had…so much for the idea of a tithe…this lady put in 100%!! Jesus saw past the outward displays of wealth and saw the extravagance of the widow and her couple of copper coins.

Sunday, April 17, 2011: Luke 20:27-47

Now it’s the Sadducees turn…the chief priests and the teachers of the law have taken their best shots and missed taking Jesus down. Now the Sadducees take their best shot. They don’t believe in the resurrection and pose a dilemma to Jesus about the resurrection. They ask Jesus which husband will a woman have, who had married each of seven brothers as each one died.

Jesus replies that they are thinking in terms of this world and the limited way this world’s rules are applied to what is ultimately God’s business. He explains that it won’t be the same as here. In some ways, those resurrected are like the angels. They are children of God. They are alive.

Jesus’ response silences his critics…others think Jesus has responded well to such a tricky question.

Jesus then warns the disciples about the teachers of the law. The teachers of the law are impressive and take places of honor. But, by their other actions, they hurt the widows who live in precarious situations and they love to pray long prayers to impress others…watch out for them!

Saturday, April 16, 2011: Luke 20:1 - 26

In readings like those we have today, I am reminded of the show downs in old cowboy westerns. In the westerns, the two opponents would meet at opposite ends of a street at high noon. The shoot out would begin. The last man standing would win.

Jesus is in a show down of words with the religious leaders. They are trying to trip him up…catch him in a theological miss-step. They are trying to find charges to bring against him and to discredit him as a teacher. They want to shoot him down figuratively and if they can actually kill him, they won’t shed tears.

Jesus wins the verbal battles. His opponents are silenced. He ‘out-wits’ them. He even confronts them on their inability to recognize the prophets who came before him. They don’t understand who he is. They don’t like his success with the people. They don’t like how and what he teaches. They are out to get him.

But, the ultimate show down is yet to come.

Friday, April 15, 2011: Luke 19:28 - 48

Jesus has made it to Jerusalem. The disciples and crowds excitedly follow him lining the road with their coats. This Sunday we, too, will remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as we wave our palm branches. What fun to be with Jesus on this day of triumph!

Tensions rose immediately that same day when Jesus was in the Temple and drove out those who were selling. Evidently, they were cheating the people right there in the temple courts where they should have been praying. Jesus is outraged because the Temple was to be a place to worship God and be in conversation/prayer with God. It was a holy place. It was a place to meet God. But, it had become a market where people were taking advantage of those who were there to make sacrifices. So Jesus chased them from the temple.

Daily, Jesus returned to the temple to teach. The people were fascinated by Jesus teachings. The chief priests and teachers of the law weren’t fascinated by him and were plotting to kill him.  The tone darkens…