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In the previous blog, I looked at various responses of types of people to Jesus found in
John 12. As
just some guy thinking about what it says, I find this moment in the life of
Jesus hugely significant, a bit like finding $1,000.00 missing from the
checking account. This has to be figured out!
This
is the prelude to John's view and insights into the
Crucifixion, after all. It's not a stretch of basic logic to infer the
following: if my faith is ultimately an acknowledgement that the One who
dashed
off a few billion galaxies across a mind-bendingly expansive universe
authored this
through John; and if He thought so much of this moment in the life of
Jesus as to invade the temporal
and voice Himself aloud to these folks—and to you and me by
extension—then there must be profound revelation laid bare within these
verses. Not that any other scripture is less profound
given Who is the writer, mind you, but if we open our heart's eyes just a
bit
more than usual…
Jesus is about to proceed through the great Passion of God,
the redemption of His fallen creation through an act of supreme love and grace.
The Father will have to heap all the sin of the world upon the shoulders of His
Son, then turn and punish this holy and wholly awesome man for everyone else's
multiple and often vile wrong-doing.
All the sinners of the world are watching in the story and
all turn away from Him rather than accept Him. I don't mean "all" by inferring all who are watching
by reading the scriptures across time. Right there in the story, every sinner and every root of
sin are displayed in the characters who are present.
The
events begin as Jesus enters Jerusalem and the
"crowds" rush to watch. They get a little emotional and heap upon Him
praise hosanna's and palm
fronds. Next, the Pharisees grumble their complaints having rejected
Jesus from
the first; the Greeks come poking in to ask Jesus a couple of things, as
they
ponder if He, in fact, holds any truth needing consideration; and the
crowds
come round again in the end with the truth revealed--they are not nearly
so full of praise once it's realized Jesus is not giving out what they
want.
There you have it: What's wrong with the world described in a handful of short verses.
Think about it.
There you have it: What's wrong with the world described in a handful of short verses.
Think about it.
2 comments:
Very good points, David.
..."mind-bendingly expansive" universe. That is an awesome phrase about an awesome Creator whose work was only scratched at the surface when Einstein figured out by mathematics that space is curved.
As to your challenge to think about "it"... Having read, over many years, the full testament of our Creator's walk among fallen mankind, I would count myself among those crowds who praise the Son of God. But a true self-examination would probably identify me in the aereopogus camp with the Greeks.
But praise God, this is now and I am here, and I have read the book from beginning to end, and so I am with Mary who, with fear, anointed him because she understood what was about to happen, and that would be no walk in the park.
Merry Christmas in advance, Mr. Wild Spirit. This is probably your best ever.
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