Andrew Gibson:
Hi, everybody. Welcome to day one of our Easter podcast series. This week we are exploring Jesus’ final moments, as he journeys towards His crucifixion, and we’re looking at how we can find our story within His story.
Andrew Gibson:
On the Monday before His death, we watch as Jesus enters Jerusalem, and we consider how we are to enter the spaces and places we find ourselves in today. Let’s listen as CFC Antrim Site Pastor Alister Wallace kicks off this Easter series.
Alister Wallace:
Hi, I’m Alister Wallace, and together with my wife, Ruth, we currently are the pastors of Antrim CFC. It’s great to be sharing with you at the start of this holy week. Today, I want to start by looking at the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Maybe you’ll get a little better with some of what’s going on in the passage. But more importantly, hopefully, see some of our story and the story of that day.
Alister Wallace:
I’m going to begin by reading from Matthew’s account of the day, in Matthew, Chapter 21, Verses one to 11. As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go onto the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”
Alister Wallace:
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest heaven.” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this? The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Alister Wallace:
I don’t know about you today, but when I look at our media, it seems steeped in the worship and the cult of celebrity. In fact, many TV programs are based around these so-called celebrities. Sometimes they’re actually famous for having done some notable things in the past. Some just seem famous for being famous. All wanting a little bit of the spotlight again. It used to be in the past that a person’s influence was partly determined by what they knew or who they knew. Now it seems to be influence is determined by who knows you or who follows you in social media.
Alister Wallace:
When we look at the ministry of Jesus, we find, actually, that the opposite is true. He seems reluctant, at times, to spread the word about his true identity. Even after the Apostle Peter’s confession of Jesus being the Messiah, in Mark, chapter eight, he actually tells the disciples, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” Jesus clearly didn’t have a media strategy by today’s standard, but Jesus was, in fact, well aware of the path ahead of him. And he knew the timeline for his full public revelation had not yet come. He was certainly not in a rush to become famous or to gain celebrity status.
Alister Wallace:
This passage we read finds Jesus at the end of His earthly ministry. This young rabbi is nary the one many people are talking about. He was described as a prophet, one who taught with authority. His influence has grown significantly. The past three years have seen many healings, miracles, casting out of demons, and even raising the dead. There’s no longer any possibility of concealing who He is. The word is out and it’s Jesus who’s now on everyone’s lips. His list of followers has suddenly swollen. Many are wondering, “Could this be God’s promised Messiah? Is this the true king who will sit on David’s throne according to the prophesies of the scriptures?”
Alister Wallace:
In the text, we hear the crowd declaring, “Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” A passage alluding to Jesus as a Messiah, but when we actually read the quotation from Psalm 118, you see that the full quotation is actually, “Lord, save us. Grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” I think sometimes the crowds will follow a person, if they think they’re going to get something out of them, if they think they can share in the success of the person basking in their reflective glory. But Jesus doesn’t actually silence the crowd this time when He receives their worship. He is, indeed, the promised Messiah, but he hasn’t arrived to give the success that some people expected.
Alister Wallace:
Many are actually going to desert him over the next week, when they don’t get what they expected. The crowd are crying, “Hosanna, save us.” They were, perhaps, expecting a Messiah who would come and restore Israel’s fortune by force. Save us, to them, most likely was a hope that God would deliver them from the Romans. But what happens in the coming week was far from what most of the crowd were expecting, even the disciples. The crowd are going to be disappointed, and many are going to turn against Him.
Alister Wallace:
If you’re like me, when you read this text, I sometimes try to imagine what it would have been like, actually, to have been in the crowd watching Jesus. Imagine having heard all the stories about Jesus. I’d like to think I would be in the crowd shouting there too, but I suppose, like the crowd, I’d probably also miss the point of what He was actually doing. Because he hasn’t come to defeat an army, He had come to conquer death. If Jesus had caught my eye in the crowd, I’d just wonder what He would have seen in me. Would He have seen somebody who was going to deny him in thought and word and deed, just like the rest of the crowd? Or if He caught my eye, would I look away in shame? Or would I actually be drawn in by the compassion in His eyes, despite everything He saw in me?
Alister Wallace:
It’s very easy, sometimes, to follow the crowd. It’s easy to be brave in a crowd, and it’s sometimes easy to hide in a crowd. The crowd often carries a force that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Our expectations, and dare I say, our faith level, sometimes are raised in the crowd, but we wonder afterwards have we truly encountered Him. Some of the crowd that day were hoping the momentum of His support would sweep them into political power, yet we see the fickle crowd will turn against Him. They were hoping for a coronation. What the week would bring would actually be crucifixion.
Alister Wallace:
In the moment, many in the crowd would be prepared to pledge their loyalty to Jesus as the true King, with the expectation of seeing the Roman’s defeated. But, instead, they’re going to see Jesus on a Roman cross, and mocked as King of the Jews. And even his closest disciples desert Him when their expectations are not met. In this year of lockdown, it’s been extremely difficult and painful for many of us. I think many of our expectations of what God would do have not been met. If we’re honest, some of our prayers have not been answered the way we might have wanted, and there’s been many, many disappointments.
Alister Wallace:
I think one of the things I’ve also missed over the last year is the ability for us to come together in our church services to be able to come together, and sing the praises of Jesus. I actually love the music we have in our church. I think, if I admit it, it’s easy to sing when we’re in a crowd. I don’t have a particularly good voice, but I like singing along with everybody in the crowd, and making our public declarations of our loyalty to Jesus. But I have to pause to wonder, “What happens when we’re on our own?” If you allow me to ask you this, how have you been in the last year without your crowd?
Alister Wallace:
This week is, perhaps, a great opportunity for personal reflection and to encounter Jesus again. Because we have to ask ourselves, “Do we follow Jesus when the crowd is no longer there?” Now, don’t get me wrong, we all need fellowship, and we all need our Christian community. But am I still following Him when a lot of the externals of our public gatherings have been stripped away? And am I still cheering or has it all gone a wee bit silent? I have to ask myself again, “Where’s my courage?” When we reflect on some of the promises we make to God, or maybe some of the big prayers we made in the emotion of our crowd, when we’re on our own, the cool light of day, our courage, often, ends very quickly.
Alister Wallace:
I’m reminded that even the Apostle Peter made great promises that week, and he soon broke them. How also that he needed an encounter with the risen Jesus to follow through on his commitments. Sometimes I have to wonder, “Do I hide in the crowd?” Maybe our Sunday gatherings are the only time we identify as followers of Jesus. In the few social interactions we were permitted with others in the last year, how often had we actually shared Jesus and His story? Or declared our faith in Him? Sometimes, too, we hide in the crowd because of our shame, or our sense of not being worthy on our own. We want to be in the company of Jesus, but we wouldn’t particularly want Him looking directly at us.
Alister Wallace:
Maybe some of us need to be reminded that, even in a crowd, He sees us. He’s a gentle King, and He looks at us only with love and compassion, despite our weaknesses. In this holy week, as we enter the greatest story ever told, maybe it’s a time for us to come in again and admit ourselves into God, and confess that we’re no better than the crowd who welcomed Jesus that day. I know I certainly need to. When the crowd of yesterday is gone, the cheering and the proclamations are a distant echo, at best, and it’s a Monday morning, and we’re on our own. What next when we consider the enormity of the week ahead, and what it means for us?
Alister Wallace:
In this holy week, may we come again on our own to choose to follow Jesus, no matter who else is there, to commit ourselves and our futures, again, to follow Him, no matter what. Maybe this is a time we ask for the courage to follow through on the promises and the prayers we make. Maybe, like Peter, we need a fresh encounter with the risen Jesus in order to do so. Maybe this is a week we choose to stop hiding in the crowd. Maybe this is our chance to share the amazing news of the King who came to die for us and raised from the grave. Maybe we need to be reminded that He’s also taken all our shame and guilt on the cross for us, and we no longer have to hide in the crowd.
Alister Wallace:
I want to finish by reading a short prayer I’ve adapted from Frank Colquhoun, who was the former canon of Norwich Cathedral, and just use it, maybe, as a prayer for us again to recommit ourselves once again to Jesus, the Son of David, our Lord and our God. Let’s pray together. Our Jesus Christ, in this holy week, we consider your great love and sacrifice for us. And as you draw us into your story, may you draw our hearts to you. And in doing, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you. And then use us, we pray, as you will, but always for your glory, and the welfare of your people. Through your holy name, amen.
Andrew Gibson:
Thanks, Alister for sharing, and thanks everyone for listening. We will be back tomorrow with another episode, this time from Bronwen Kearney and Priscilla Reid, who will be sharing their insights around prayer. If you’re listening to this during Easter week 2021, don’t forget, this Friday night, each of our CFC sites will be holding their own special Good Friday service on Zoom. If you would like more information, please email info@thisiscfc.com.
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