Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The Final Weeks of Jesus - The Love's Reasonable Claim



I always wanted to follow along the final days of Jesus, matching the events with my desk calendar, immerse into those last couple of weeks leading up to crucifixion. For some reason, so far this has escaped me. But, I see no good reason why I shouldn't attempt to do it this year. Because of this, I temporarily interrupt the Gardener from Outer Space story and will resume after Easter.


We don’t know the exact timing of the events described in John11. The intensity of opposition Jesus faced had already reached the boiling point and the plot to kill Him was already on the way. Public knowledge, in fact. During this tumultuous time, as His own last hour is very quickly approaching, Jesus receives a personal message:

Lord, he whom You love is sick.

‘He whom You love’…  

What a way to frame a person’s identity. Jesus loved Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary. He also loved his sisters (John 11:5).

Here is a family loved by God-in-the-flesh.  He considers them His beloved friends.  

So, when one of God’s special friends is sick, you would think that that one has… certain special claims. Perhaps even assumptions. That’s what love is for, isn’t it?

Lord, he whom You love is sick.

The unspoken might go something like this.

Lord, hurry up.

Lord, You can’t let the one You love die. ...

Lord, You can’t break the hearts of the ones You love....

There is urgency in the situation. 

You gotta come now Lord… before it’s too late and all is lost, Lord...

What does Jesus do?

He resets His clock.

He waits two full days.

It makes no sense. The disciples are confused. They quietly conclude that Jesus doesn’t want to go back to the wasp’s nest.  Who could blame Him?

Then, He says,

Let’s go.

Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again.

Rabbi, are You out of Your mind?  It’s a suicide mission. You have the right to protect Yourself. Rabbi…??!!!

It’s no use arguing with the Rabbi. He may be hard to understand sometimes, but He knows what He is doing. 

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