Mary’s Lent Diary (Day 37)
Help! I have just been mobbed. I was walking down the road to call on a friend, when I find myself surrounded by Jesus’ 12 special disciples. And I mean surrounded….they suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and were standing all around me looking totally puzzled. They started to tell me what had happened but of course, with them all talking at once, I could make no sense of it. Eventually, they calmed down enough to let just one of them tell the story. And what a story it was, that sword piercing my heart seems to be working overtime recently.
Jesus had been talking to the crowds, no surprise there. He was talking to them about eternal life and, when he had finished, he took the 12 aside. He told them that they were all going to Jerusalem. The disciples were surprised, they knew what had happened last time Jesus was there, at the Feast. But they did not have long to think about it because, at Jesus’ next words, surprise turned to confusion. Jesus told them why they were going to Jerusalem. But the disciples did not understand what he was saying. And that’s why they were all panicky. I tried to calm them down. After all, it is not unknown to not be able to grasp what Jesus is saying!
But they could not calm down, and seemed to wonder why I was so calm – until it dawned on them that they had not actually told me why Jesus wanted to go to Jerusalem…
So they told me.
Jesus began by saying that they were going there to fulfil what the prophets had said about the Son of Man, which basically boiled down to three things – 1. The Son of Man would be handed over to the Gentiles. 2. The Son of Man would be mocked, insulted, spat on, flogged and killed. 3. The Son of Man would rise again after three days.
Finally, I got it – and now there were 13 of us panicking. To put it simply, Jesus was going to die…I wanted to go and get Jesus, lock him in my house and never let him go.
Something I have been thinking about since and just want to jot down here – why did Jesus switch from talking about eternal life to talking about his death? What’s the connection?
Man panicking, screaming with his hands over his ears
People, the Pharisees in particular, have been wanting to kill Jesus for a while.
And time and again, He has evaded them.
And now, in His own timing, Jesus stops evading them.
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son….
Galatians 4:4
Sent His Son into the world.
Born of woman.
Born to live.
Born to die.
Born to live.
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
Jesus told the disciples what would happen.
He would die, and He would come back to life.
And it’s almost as though the disciples missed the final bit.
Their minds stopped on ‘Jesus is going to die’.
They missed the bit about Resurrection.
The horror of Jesus dying kept them from also hearing Hope.
Is there a situation where, alongside horror, you need to also hear His Hope?
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
Life can be bleak.
We only have to watch the news to know that.
Or to look at our own lives.
Our struggles, our pain, our overwhelm.
These things are very present.
Will we also hear Hope?
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
(Emily Dickinson)
When things seem hopeless, and we have no words, may we hum His tune in our hearts.
Holding on to Hope.
Unswervingly.
Where will you Hum Hope today?
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
Jesus explicitly links death and life.
He will die, and He will live again.
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.
John 12:25
Jesus is heading to Jerusalem.
The cross is getting closer now.
Without denying the reality of the cross,
without denying all that He will suffer,
Jesus offers Hope.
Death will not be the end.
Let’s not get so focussed on daily struggles
that we miss His Hope.
Lord Jesus,
Please help me Hum Your Hope today.
To anyone that needs it.
Including myself.
Amen
Mary’s Memo Hum Hope
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