Tuesday

"Again, they entered Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to Him."

- Mark 11:27

"The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost."

- G.K.Chesterton

For Jesus, Tuesday, during Passion Week, was a day of questions. Tuesday will be His busiest day of the week. During Passover, Jerusalem will be transformed from a city of 50,000 residents to a buzzing high-energy metropolis of over 500,000 excited people. Jewish pilgrims from all over the world will converge on the Holy City to celebrate Israel's deliverance from Egypt, 1500 years earlier, by the Mighty Hand of God.

Travelers who can afford it will stay in the villas and the hotels of the city. But most families will camp out on the grassy hills of the Mt. of Olives. At night, the hill teemed with the twinkling lights of campfires, while the air was full of the smells of cooking pots and the squeals of children scampering among the groups of eating and sleeping adults. It was here, early Tuesday morning, that Jesus arose at dawn and, with his disciples, gingerly made His way down the hill.

I wonder… How many knew that this man, who so carefully picked His steps so as not to awaken the sleeping or to disturb the weary, was God? Did anyone know that the gentle rabbi who put His finger to His lips and whispered "Shhhhhh!" to the little boy trying to wake up an exhausted mom was the Messiah? Would anyone guess that this smiling shepherd who stopped and offered His hand to an old man trying to straighten his tired back was the Son of God? I mean… who knew that the man who winked at a newly wed couple and whispered, "Shalom," just before stepping into the Kidron Valley was God? God in the flesh! As the sun rose, the distant temple was bathed in its golden light.

In stark contrast to that quiet hillside, angry religious leaders were busy preparing questions to interrogate Jesus. Waiting for Him in the Temple courtyard, they were hoping to expose Him as a fraud and have Him arrested. You see, Jesus was a threat… not only to their way of life, but to their elevated social status and power as well. By declaring that God loves people… not because they're flawless… not because they're perfect… but just because they are… Jesus pulled the rug out from underneath their system of gaining God's acceptance by obedience to the law and sacrifice. Their anger boiled over when Jesus exposed their misconception of Yahweh and revealed the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as Abba! - a Father who’s head-over-heels in love with you, His child, and is intensely committed to giving you life at the highest level. And so the questions came...

..."They demanded, 'By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right

to do them?'" (Mark 11:28)

..."Later the leaders sent some Pharisees...to trap Jesus into saying something for which He could be arrested… 'Teacher, now tell us - is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’" (Mark 12:13-14)

..."Teacher...tell us… [if a woman marries seven times] whose wife will she be in the resurrection?"

(Mark 12:23)

..."Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" (Mark 12:28)

And, with a brilliance, a wisdom, a patience, an authority of another kind, Jesus answered each question, personally and directly. Why? Because Jesus loves those in rebellion against Him as much as He loves those in relationship with Him! Tuesday is a day for questions. So let me give you one: "How do you explain a love that is beyond explanation? Answer: You don't… You just receive it!

If you have a burning question for Jesus today, seek His love before the answer and you'll have peace until the answer comes! AMEN

Pastor Harry

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