Loving God, the fickleness and the sinfulness of our human nature become all too obvious in the events that we remember this week. Turn our hearts toward you, that we might be filled instead with your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Over the past few weeks, those who have participated in the Wednesday evening Lenten services have heard about many of the events and the controversies surrounding Jesus that led up to the events which we have heard about today. Although people often seem to think of Jesus as this mild person who is always nice and wouldn't hurt a flea, such a picture of Jesus ignores much of what we find in the gospels.

Was Jesus full of love? - Yes! - beyond measure - otherwise he would never have given himself for the life of the world. Was Jesus the Son of God? - Yes! - He reflected God's very nature as he taught and healed. He also challenged any loyalties or any systems that interfered with loving God above all else. Was Jesus truthful? - Yes! - and perhaps this is what got him into the most trouble.

If the religious leaders were actually drawing people away from God rather than loving God, Jesus said so. If the whole Temple system had become a business rather than a place of worship and an exclusive club rather than a place to draw all people into the presence of God, then Jesus said so. If wealthy people who made a great show of bringing large donations to the Temple were actually sacrificing far less than a poor widow who put in all that she had, then Jesus said so.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was welcomed with palm branches and shouts of "Hosanna!", undoubtedly there were many people thinking that he would seize power and rule in Jerusalem as a descendant of David. Instead, Jesus spends most of the week having confrontations with the religious leaders in the Temple. He chases out the moneychangers and the animals. He asks the religious leaders questions which they cannot answer. On the other hand, the religious leaders question Jesus, trying to trap him in what he says, and he never fails to answer them in wisdom and in truth. Finally, Jesus teaches about how the Temple will be destroyed, and about how not one stone will be left upon another (Mk. 13:2).

Is it any wonder that those who felt that their whole beloved system was crashing down around them plotted for Jesus' death? In fact, all of the events which I just mentioned come from the gospel of Mark, in between the two gospels which we heard today. If you really would like to delve deeper into the events of this coming week, I invite you to start reading at Mark 11 and continue right to the end of the gospel. Doing so will give you a far greater sense of the whole picture.

I would like to close today with one scene out of that greater picture. It is the scene in the garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus prays, "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want" (Mk. 14:36). Jesus knows what needs to be done. He does not want to be crucified, and who can blame him? Yet, his prayer is that God's will would be done through him.

It is because Jesus humbled himself, and took the sins of the world upon him on the cross that we are able to come into God's presence and receive forgiveness and eternal life. Let us give thanks today for this precious gift, and may we be able to pray with Jesus, "Not what I want, Lord, but what you want - Let your will be done through me." Amen.

The Passion of Our Lord (B) Mark 11-15
April 9, 2006
St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore
? 2006 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved