Happy Wednesday all!
I'm going to focus in on the Luke passage of our reading today.
I am always amazed at the 'foretelling' or 'fore-seeing' passages, wherein Jesus predicts what will occur. And I am sure the disciples were equally amazed every time Jesus tells them something will happen and then does. Jesus was right on the money, every time. They could trust that he wasn't some sort of Nostradamus wannabe, but rather that his word was true and sure. Which makes me wonder what they were thinking when Jesus obtains this colt and goes riding into town on it.
Note in verse 35, it is the disciples who put their clothes on the colt. It is the disciples who set Jesus on the colt. Scripture does not record Jesus telling the disciples to do this, but rather we read of them doing it. Sure, it's implied that Jesus wanted this to happen, given the beginning scriptures. Otherwise why would he have told them to go find it.
Maybe the disciples thought of this passage, putting two and two together, seeing prophecy long foretold, unfold before their eyes:
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!Ah-ha! I wonder, if at this point, they finally thought his hour had come. Even great King Solomon rode a mule to be anointed king over all Israel. (I Kings 1:38) 'Maybe now', they might have thought 'Jesus will take his place as king, save us from this hardship and we will be his right hand men!' Jesus even follows up on that thought process by doing something very out of character for him, but very characteristic of a ruler taking over.
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9
He gets mad.
He walks into the temple overturning tables and driving out those who bought and sold in it.
Great, Jesus finally taking charge of injustice.
And we all know what happens next. Jesus is betrayed, sentenced and then crucified. Didn't quite happen how the disciples planned in their brains, did it?
But yet it is even better than they ever planned. Their liberation, their salvation was more than just physical, it was eternal. As is ours. We cannot see the future. Oh, sometimes the Lord lifts the veil and we get glimpses, but we cannot see the whole thing play out before our eyes. Just like the disciples needed to heed the word of their Lord at that moment so do we. Even in the face of great confusion, we need to trust what he is doing. We need to trust what we know of him. We need to remember the relationship we have with him and his faithfulness to us in the past. I think that's one reason why the apostles wrote the gospels. So that we can look back on others relationship with God and draw strength to remain faithful. These disciples were just like us, human, doubtful and real. And yet their human selves touched God, walked with God and talked with God. And they were changed. So can we, we just need to believe and remain faithful.
Tomorrow's passage: 1 Samuel 15-16, Luke 20:1-26
4 comments:
How easy it is to forget all of God's faithfullness from the past in present struggles. Good reminders - thanks Kathryn!
Great post Kathryn.
It must've been so hard for the disciples and other believers back then. It seems to "easy" and obvious to us, with the benefit of hindsight, but to them, practically everything Jesus did was contrary to their expectations. I wonder how I would've reacted?!
I love that last paragraph.
Great post and so true. One thing that stood out for me when I read the verses was the whole idea of unintentional sin and that Jonathan still had the lot cast with him even though he ate the honey without knowing it was forbidden. We may not even know we are sinning but it doesn't make it any less wrong.
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