My Mother's Obituary & Eulogy

Elizabeth “Betty” Wills Williams, (nee McClure), of South Rockwood, died October 24th, 2013 at Oakwood Annapolis Hospital in Wayne, MI surrounded and supported by her loved ones.

She was born in Philadelphia, PA, on September 26th, 1944 to William and Elizabeth McClure.

Betty graduated from Gwinn High School in Gwinn Michigan in 1983, she was married first to Walter “Ace” Nastal, then later to Thomas Williams.

Betty worked several jobs throughout her life. She was a bank teller, store clerk, hotel clerk, briefly worked at the Cadillac factory in Detroit and sold Avon. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Altus, OK and while in MI, ND, and OK she helped in various organizations in churches, and through groups like the Officers’ Wives Club.

She is survived by her three children, Betty Reaume, and her husband Scott of South Rockwood, MI; Cheryl Borregard and her husband Bob of Charleston, SC; and her son John-Paul and his wife Vicki of Archie, MO; as well as her sister Billie Jo Plyler of Greenville, SC; and brother Tommy McClure of Gaffney, SC. She had thirteen grandchildren, four great grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service was held at South Rockwood United Methodist Church, South Rockwood, MI at 2:00 PM on October 26, 2013.

*****

It has been said, “Live in such a way that the preacher doesn’t have to lie about you at your funeral.” I have an obligation to tell the truth, especially on a day like today. So I’m not going to lie.

There is good, bad, and ugly in every story. There is also the beautiful. But let me get the hard part out of the way first.

As for the bad and the ugly. There is no sense pretending that our mother was perfect. Our mother was a person of maddening contradictions. As such, there are some painful memories associated with mom.

I was sitting in the hospital a few days after we came up, and I found myself frustrated. It was the feeling that people who have a “less than ideal” relationship with their loved ones experience around Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. There you are, looking through the cards, trying to find one that you feel honestly expresses your feelings and struggling because you know what you should do, but you find it hard to do.

As a pastor, I spend a little time in ICUs. You can sometimes read a lot into someone’s family life by the expressions on their faces, or what they say, or often times what they do not say. I sat there, closed my eyes, and thought back as far as I could remember, I though to myself, “There has got to be something good that I can remember about my mother.”

What I found was a lot of good that I had overlooked. I remember one day in particular, as clear as if it were today. My mom had to take me to an allergist. They did some testing; probably where I learned to love needles… and then we went to some specialty grocer and bought some chocolate animal cookies that were made out of something else, so they tasted nothing like chocolate. Then we went to Pizza Hut and got some personal pan pizzas (which is the coolest thing in the world when you are five) and then went to the park. It was a clear, breezy Fall day.

My sisters told me about days at the Flat Rock Speedway, and the time that Bozo the Clown came out to the company picnic for the bank; they are pretty sure that it was the real Bozo BTW and not one of his helpers.

We remembered that mom had a heart for the “strays”, it never seemed like I could bring home a person too smelly, or ugly, or strange for her to reach out to in some way. As I recall, she was always working on making someone’s life better, often while neglecting her own. She was giving, which is even reflected in the donation of her body to the University of Michigan, where she hoped something could be learned from her that might help others.  

Our mother was beautiful and was always proud of her appearance. Between her absent mindedness (if she ever lost her glasses, you always asked her to look on her head… or her face…her keys were usually in her hand, or already in the ignition…) and her urge to “paint her face”, it always took her an eternity to get ready even if she was just headed to the gas station or even the mailbox.

When I was about five or six, she entered us into some sort of Officers’ Wives Club fashion show. I think that was her element, being out in front of people, in the center of attention.

There was really never a question if Betty was there. You never had to ask. You could either see her bright red hair blazing, smell her perfume, or hear her talking, laughing, or letting someone know where to go and why.

Another thing that set mom apart, which was both a blessing and a curse, is that you never, ever, had to wonder where you stood with her, or what she thought about something.  Yet in a world that is constantly trying to hide their wrinkles, touch up their photos, and present themselves as perfect; there is something refreshing about someone like her… not matter how hard it could be to take at times.

At one time I believed this sort of absolute, unabashed openness was the highest virtue. But a few life experiences taught me otherwise.

Our mother never, ever, apologized. She was never wrong, and was always right, even if she was wrong and she knew it. She would stop at almost nothing to get what she wanted, even if she didn’t know what it was that she wanted, or why she wanted it.

She was a person who had many good intentions. Her brain was always storming with ideas, with pitches, with projects. In the Google world we live in today, she might have been a mogul. Frenetic paced people like her are what makes the world go around. Perhaps she was a bit ahead of her time.

Our mother’s illnesses did not excuse her behavior, but it softens the blow for me at least to know that she was not always in total control of her actions. We know that you are never hurt any more than by those whom you love most. But even though she never apologized, we can still forgive.  It has been said that you do not hold a grudge, but a grudge holds you.

So, about forgiveness.

When my sisters were young, they went to church with their father and even did some time at the Catholic Schools. We went to church off and on growing up, although I’m not sure how much we paid attention, but it must have done some good… I am after all, a pastor now.  

Mom always used to say, “No rest for the wicked.” Thankfully, I can say that she is wrong.

One of the stories that I remember the most is one from the Gospel of Luke 23. It seems very fitting today. The passage reads:

³³ When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. ³⁴ But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. ³⁵ And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One." ³⁶ The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, ³⁷ and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!" ³⁸ Now there was also an inscription above Him, "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS."

³⁹ One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ ? Save Yourself and us!" ⁴⁰ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ "And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds,; but this man has done nothing wrong." ⁴² And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" ⁴³ And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

There is much that we could say about God’s wrath and his justice, but there is as much, if not more to be said of His grace and mercy.

Over the last fifteen years or so since mom moved back to MI, I talked with her extensively about the grace of God, about the sacrifice of Jesus, and about the need for all of us to make our peace with God by grace through faith and repentance.

One of the worst reputations that Christians have acquired throughout their history is that of having a sense of moral superiority to unbelievers, and even to one another. Sometimes in our search for piety and holiness, we give the impression that we think we are better than everyone else.

Perhaps in a very much unexpected way, my mother’s imperfections highlight the perfect grace of God. That someone prone to relapses, to mistakes, to fear and anxiety, and insecurity, could be redeemed. I believe that it is when God’s grace is extended to those whom we feel least worthy or even likely to receive it; to the strays, to the undesirables, that it is seen in its most perfect state as pure, selfless, love. Love which is patient, love that is kind, that is not jealous, does not brag, is not arrogant, that does not keep a record of wrongs suffered, and that reminds me that sometimes I am so busy trying to follow all the rules, that I forget that the first one is love.

If our mother ever truly called out to Jesus, believing in the power of His resurrection, and turning away from her sin and herself toward Him in faith, that He has received her into His kingdom. Even if it were in her last moments. I just wish I did not have to wait so long to find out.

All of us, at some point and time, will give an account for our lives to the One who gave life to us. What we do, and what we have done, and what we believe are ultimately between us and our Creator.

The best part is this, that for those of us who die in Christ, death is like blowing out a candle before the dawn. A reward awaits us that would be particularly enticing to our mother. A new body, free from sickness, and pain, and confusion. A new home, free from fear, and disarray. Where the treasures stored up are free from mice, and rust, and moth, and where everything that we have ever needed, or wanted, pale in comparison to what we will behold. For eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it ever entered into the hearts of men what God has prepared for those who love him. Where there is no sorrow, no sickness, and no faith because what has been hoped for has become sight.

In the meantime, let me offer a few thoughts.

I think one of lessons I can learn from mom is that intentions do not nullify consequences. Regardless of what you mean, the outcome is what it is. So be careful what you say, and what you do, because you may not have the chance to make things better, and even if you have the chance, you might not be able to fix things.

Be as good to your family as you are to others if not better. It is easy to give ourselves so much to our work, and our play, that by the time we get home we have nothing left to give to those who matter the most in our lives.

When you think about calling someone, just do it. When you think you should go see someone, you probably should.

Remember birthdays. It dawned on me when the funeral home asked me that I had never committed my parent’s birthdays to memory…

Lastly, don’t feel guilty for feeling relieved when you reach the end of a long, hard journey.

Grief can separate a family, or it can bring them together.

Alvin Straight, was an elderly, World War II veteran. One day he received news that his estranged brother has suffered a stroke. That night, he made up his mind to go visit him and hopefully make amends before he died.

Unfortunately, Alvin's legs and eyes were too impaired for him to drive, and his daughter was mentally handicapped. So, he cashed in his paycheck, purchased a thirty year-old John Deere 110 Lawn tractor, hitched a trailer packed with camping gear and a cooler and sets off on the 240-mile journey from Laurens, Iowa to Mount Zion, Wisconsin at the break neck speed of five miles per hour.

During his six week journey, he is heckled by passers by, meets helpful strangers, and in my favorite episode of the story meets a runaway teen.

Offering her a place by the fire, he listens to the girl talk about why she hit the road. Then lifting a stack of twigs, takes one out and breaks it. “See,” he said, “If you take them out one at a time, they break easily… but if you bundle them together, they are harder to break. That’s family.”

My hope, and prayer is that everything that we have been through as a family will somehow make us stronger. That it will lead us closer to God, and closer to one another. That we could reconcile with one another wherever necessary, and that ultimately we could all be reconciled to God.

Let us pray.  

Jesus loves me when I'm a jerk too...

So I was a big jerk yesterday. No two ways about it.

There's an old story about a grandfather and grandson. The grandson has a tendency toward harsh words. The grandfather notices this character flaw and decides to work a little cowboy wisdom. Fetching some nails and a hammer from the shed, they head out to pasture where a new corner post has been put in the fence row. The post is of new lumber, barley weathered, untouched except the signs of being hewn and debarked. "Take this...", grandpa says, extending the hammer to the boy, "and drive these nails into that post as hard as you're mad." The young boy begins to furiously hammer nail after nail into the post, teeth grinding, white knuckled, the hammer meeting his thumb and fore finger more than once. "There!" says the boy, somewhere between bewildered and accomplished. Staring at nowhere, grandfather then says, "Now, pull them out." Flabbergasted, the boy shrieks, "All of 'em! But you just...", "Yes. Let's get started..." grandfather interrupts.

One by one, the lad pulls the nails. They were; of course, harder to remove than they were to drive. Then, once finished, the boy stepped back, and the pair examined their handiwork. "Well son, what do you think?" "About what?", asked the boy exhausted and exasperated. "How's that post faring?" "Well..." started the boy, "It looks ugly, full of holes... and I feel bad about that... but I didn't mean to mess it up!" From which the grandfather calmly said, "Just like those nails, that's what words do. Once you drive them in, you can take them back, but the damage is done still the same."

At times, life compresses us. Our responsibilities, our voluntary mandantories, our fears, our collapsed hopes, they push.us to the brink. Jesus taught us that the words of our mouth come from the treasure stored up in our heart. That is to say that when life puts the squeeze on us, whatever is in us comes out. Then, there is no denying it. Salt water doesn't come out of a freshwater spring. The painful truth is that after 18 years of being saved, after all the healing and restoration and renovation God has brought me through, there is still a lot of ugly stuffed down in the cracks and crevaces of my heart.

This makes me thankful for the gracious forgivenss of my family. But also the grace of God through Jesus Christ that washes away my sins.

So, once again, I'm sorry for demonstrating first hand how I am.not holier than thou.

And once again, I'm thankful.

No, but I could make you some...

Such was the reply of the seriously harried, semi-haggard, nurse to my question. 

Let me set this up for you:

My mother is having her annual stay in the ICU (I guess if you can't joke about these things, you will cry). 

The first day I visited there was a hospitality cart floating around; complete with cookies and coffee. Some hapless romantic once stammered out that love is what the world goes 'round; but apparently, this man was not a coffee drinker...

So this morning, after a long night (I never sleep as well away from home) on my sister's couch (not the best seat in the house), we got to the hospital and as I passed through the halls somewhat zombified, I recalled the coffee pot. So after settling in for a bit, I got up, approached the desk, and sheepishly asked, "is there a coffee pot around here?" to which she replied, "No, but I could make you some..." Then got up from her terminal, went back to the "nourishment room" and brewed up a few fresh cups, one for me and one for my other caffeine dependent sibling. 

I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but let me put things into context. 

Firstly, we are in Detroit. People don't really go out of there way for strangers around here. Second of all, this was not in her job description. She had plenty of other things to do, and initially, looked a bit annoyed that I had asked... a sort of "do I look like a waitress to you?" look. But her warmth, and the warm cup of joe, and the 2% milk she found for cream, and the Equal packets, all made it just that much easier to cope with the fact that my mother was laying there right in front of me, full of tubes and chemicals, hardly aware of where she was, and facing an exasperatingly uncertain future. Sometimes, very small things like this make a huge difference. As one friend noted, "so shines a good deed in a weary world..." Indeed. 

I may never, ever, see that nurse again... 

But if I do --- she's getting a hug. 

The Wrong Questions

We ask all the Wrong Questions:

About Grief.

About Pain.

About Suffering.

About Success.

Why me?

               Why them?

Why not me instead?

               Why not them!?

What sort of person should get cancer?

               Let’s not ask Rosanne Barr…

What sort of person should be rich?

               Let’s ask those that are.

Is it just easier to sit around all day and wonder?

               The emaciated faces, the worn out pacing, they speak like peals of thunder.

Why not me?

               Why not them?

So much time asking questions.

               So little time being the answer. 

In Christ Alone: An Easter Message

Easter 2013: In Christ Alone

So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

It had been a long strange trip to Athens, the capital of Greece. The city was full of gorgeous statuary, much of which was dedicated to the gods and goddesses of Greece. Indeed, the ancient Greeks were very religious, although not in the same way we may consider ourselves religious. Their gods were less personal, very selfish, prone to the weaknesses of humanity. In addition, much of the religious activity of the ancient world was political and even economic, not devotional.
The Areopagus was an ancient gathering place of ideas. Philosophers and scholars would debate and dictate and pontificate there. Think of it as akin to the internet today, an idea exchange, or perhaps like an ancient TED conference. There, the Athenean people had set up many statues to different gods and goddesses, and in addition, to be certain that they had not left anyone out, set up a stone to the agnostos theos, or “the unknown god…”
We immediately distance ourselves from the ancient people among whom Paul ministered. We assume that we are too modern and sensible to be polytheists, or idolaters. If only that were the case.

In America today, even with rising trends in atheism, in many ways we are more religious than we have ever been. This makes perfect sense. We were after all wired to worship. Idolatry is either exchanging the one true God for the worship of a false God, or the worship of the true God in a false way. We will worship something, or someone. Either the creator, or the creation, or even at times things that we created beings have created. It is possible even for Christians to be guilty of idolatry, of placing someone or something before God in our lives, as well as to worship God in a way that dishonors Him or grieves the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 3:5 warns for instance against those who hold to a form of godliness but deny God’s power.

Paul recognizing the amazing opportunity set before him, leans in to explain to them that He knew who this unknown God was, and that he wanted them to know Him as well:

24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.
Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for

“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

as even some of your own poets have said,

“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

29 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man…

Paul begins by making a case for God as the creator of all… that we would worship the Creator instead of the creation, or even worse, those things which we have created. I don’t believe this is a minor point.

I only want to point out to you that time and again, when the Scriptures appeal to us about God’s power, they point to His power as Creator. In fact, Paul will later write to the Romans:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Romans 1:18-20

But we will come back to this later:

We grope in the darkness, looking for something to satisfy our thirst, searching for God-particles, and anything that will explain us, that will heal and help us. But it is only when we realize that life is found in Christ alone that we truly begin to live.
v. 28 was whispered into my ear on the day of my ordination. I can’t say for sure if I had ever read it before that. “‘In him we live and move and have our being’, reminding us that it is only by the grace of Christ that we have anything, that we are able to do anything, and that we even are. For in Him we have our being. We are made by God and for God’s glory.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Times of ignorance were once overlooked. One source noted that this means “God did not bring immediate justice to the world in previous times.” But now has fixed a day. The clock is ticking, both for us personally and for all of Creation and in the meantime, God is commanding that all people everywhere should repent. That they should turn from their sin to avoid the wrath to come. He has fixed a day. A day that we do not know when (Matt 24:36), but we know that it is coming, and that HE is coming. The righteous man that he has appointed is His Son Jesus Christ:

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. 2 Cor 5:10

And how do we know this? Paul says by the historical fact of he Resurrection.

How important is a belief in Jesus being raised from the dead? Let’s hear from Paul again:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 1 Cor 15:14

So if Christ has not been raised, then our faith is in vain. We are then to be most pitied of all because the belief that we hold closest to our hearts is indeed a lie. Worse still, if Christ has not been raise, there is no hope of salvation:
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

Furthermore, let me say that if there is any road to Heaven other than by Christ, Jesus Himself is to be most pitied, because His sacrifice was needless. Why would God subject His son to the torments of crucifixion if there was any other way? Do you hear me?
I have to appreciate here what David Platt noted last night during Secret Church, that if ignorance of the Gospel was a way of escape, then we should stop preaching the Gospel.
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Now, I know what is on the line here. When people talk like this, some will mock you… but I say “What a small price to pay for the Gospel.”
Consider if you will the Hui (“Whey”) people of China, whose families will turn them out into the streets if they forsake Islam and embrace Christ.
Consider if you will Saeed Abedini, in prison since 2012, now serving a 12 year sentence for preaching the Gospel in Iran.
Fine then. Ridicule me for believing that God spoke all of Creation into existence. Snicker at me for teaching that there is a real Heaven and a real Hell, and that both are eternal destinies for mankind. Mock me when I say that they only way to salvation is not through adherence to a religious program, or to a Christian social club, or even to a church. “He saved us, not because of righteous things which we had done, but because of His mercy… [Titus 3:5].
Some hearts are so hard that it would seem as if no rain can penetrate them.

All must hear, but only some will listen.
Then others will say, “Let’s talk about this some other time…” The thought of a 2000 year old story having any relevance to them today will seem ludicrous. Those who confuse the Christian faith with a list of rules, or a regimen of spiritual fitness exercises, might just walk away from the water cooler when you start talking about a dead man walking out of a tomb.
So I wonder today about you.
Are you listening? Have you heard? Have you trusted Christ, have you turned away from your sin?

I love what the AWANA ministry defines the Gospel as. In two words, “substitutionary atonement”, or in four words, “Jesus in my place”.

I love the simplicity in that explanation. And most often, theology is best explained in simplicity, so perhaps you caught the BC Comic floating around in cyberspace this week about Good Friday. One character says, “I hate the term ‘Good Friday” to which the other replies, “Why?” the response comes, “My Lord was hanged on a tree that day.” To which the other replies, “If you were going to be hanged on that day, and he volunteered to take your place, how would you feel?” “Good.” ‘Have a nice day”.

So one more time: God created you. He alone is worthy of worship. We worship things other than God by putting them in front of Him. That is sin. Sin breaks fellowship with God. Without a savior, sin sends us to Hell. Jesus was born for the very sake of dying for your sins so that you would not have to die. He rose again that you might live. But you have believe that he rose from the dead. You have to repent, which means to turn from your sin, and you cannot be saved by your own goodness. You can only be saved in Christ alone.
Lastly friends, I want to urge you. Don’t wait until next time. We may think that we need to think this over, but the Lord may come again, or your time may come before then. So if you have not trusted Christ, now is the time. What better day to be risen from the dead than on Easter?

Following Until We Understand: A Palm Sunday Meditation

Today begins our Holy Week services. All of our services this week will tie in together as part of a five part story.  Today, we remember the Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem: (John 12:12-19)

12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.  13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

The feast mentioned here is the Passover, often causing the city of Jerusalem to swell to as many as five times that.[i] After a dip from the whole ‘eat my flesh and drink my blood’ incident (what David Platt perceptively refers to as a PR disaster[ii]), Jesus had reached a sort of celebrity status due to the raising of Lazarus and at His entry the people went wild![iii] So in a display of adoration the crowds gathered and shouted out “hosanna”!  

“Hosanna” is an English rendering, of a Greek attempt at a Hebrew phrase meaning “Save us”.  The same phrase used in Ps 118:25-26 when the Psalmist cries out:

 Save us, we pray, O Lord!

O Lord, we pray, give us success!

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

We bless you from the house of the Lord

In a sense, this calling out is a recognition of who Jesus is, or at least who they believe Him to be at this time. One who is able to save them. To deliver them. We shouldn’t necessarily see this as a ‘confession of faith’ however. As we will see in a few weeks (Jn 12:20&ff) it does not take long for this crowd to turn against Jesus. But they seek deliverance from earthly bondages, from the occupation of a Gentile power, when what they need to be delivered from is spiritual bondage.

Jesus seems to have carefully sent the message that He had not come to conquer. At least not yet.[iv] (John 10:14-18 tells us that He had not come to take lives, but for His life to be taken at the proper time for the salvation of all who would believe.)

14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;

behold, your king is coming,

sitting on a donkey's colt!” [Zech 9:9]

               

                A donkey would be what a king might ride in times of peace, or when they were not trying to display power or perhaps out of mere necessity.[v] But in this case, Jesus seems to be sending a clear message that He is indeed a king, but not like the kings of this world. He is a different sort of King, for a different sort of Kingdom. (Notice that He does not deflect the worship of the people, but embraces it.[vi])

25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28, ESV)

But as is so common, even those closest to Jesus are unable to understand Him:

16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 

Jesus, of course, would be glorified in his death and His resurrection. Hindsight is (almost) always 20/20. Finally, from where they sat, after the fact, they could see.

I wonder how often we cannot see Jesus for some reason. Perhaps the forest for the trees, or the Lord for the disciples (another sermon entirely…) Because of our religious sensibilities? Because of our biases? How many people missed Jesus that day because he was not up to specs for them. How many will miss Him today because they have expectations that He is not meeting, instead of asking Christ what He expects from them. At some point the question should shift from asking what our Savior can do for you, to what you can do for your Savior.

17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

In Matthew, the Pharisees tell Jesus to silence the crowds, in this case they want to silence Him, and for good. This business about Lazarus had gone on long enough. People everywhere were coming to Christ, and the religious establishment had to put an end to that before any more of their power and prestige was lost.

Dead men make no disciples. (Or so it was generally believed…)

Which, in my mind; begs a few questions:

Firstly, will you follow until you understand?

Sometimes we put too much emphasis on understanding. Time and again, we hear testimonies about people who were baptized at a young age, and then later doubt their salvation because they did not fully ‘understand’ what they were doing. My question to them is, “Did you believe?” Because salvation comes by faith, not by mental ascent. Thankfully, there is no I.Q. test for entrance into Heaven.

But in this case, my point is this: the disciples were clearly unclear about who Jesus was. They understood bits and pieces that that got in glimpses, like the raising of Lazarus, but from there on out, there was a great deal of confusion in their hearts—“who is this man?” So, even though, we often think of the Twelve as a league of extraordinary gentlemen, they were more or us utterly ordinary; more like us than we might want to admit for both their sakes and ours.

They heard what Jesus said. They saw what Jesus did. Yet, it was not until the Resurrection on Easter morning that they understood as fully as they could. In the meantime, faith had to make up the balance, and that sort of faith can only come by the grace of God.

So I wonder, are you in a place in your life where you are having to believe, even though you have not yet seen? I hope so. I hope with all of my heart that there is some part of your life that is being lived by faith alone.

Secondly, let us see how quickly Jesus goes from being ‘wildly popular’ to being betrayed. As stated before, Jesus had reached some sort of celebrity status after the raising of Lazarus. He had been trending to be sure. As soon as people saw Him entering the city, they were enthralled. In Matthew, the crowd is said to be ‘stirred’, another translation records this as being ‘wild with excitement” (NEB) which is probably closer to the situation. Imagine for a moment if, say, your favorite musician, or athlete, walked into the room just now, completely unexpected. What sort of reaction would there be?

A few years back, Justin Bieber made a semi surprise appearance at a mall, and the response was so overwhelming that the police shut the entire thing down.

While Bieber still be making his Beliebers short of breath, he hasn’t risen anyone from the dead to my knowledge. I can only imagine that there was a different sort of excitement over Jesus that day.

There is an old song called, “When God Cried”, which has the line “The crowd that cried “hosanna”, now shouted for his death…” It has been running through my head for weeks; off and on for years really. So, ultimately, what I am asking is this: I wonder, what does it take for to get us from “Hosanna” to “Crucify him!”

Perhaps this happens most easily when we are ready to take Christ as our Savior, but not as our Lord. When we understand the message of the Cross to be the message that matters most of all the messages that we are getting. That He alone died and rose again that we might live; and that therefore, we should live for Him above all else.

We have to remember that Jesus has indeed established a Kingdom; one that is over and against the kingdom of Caesar, of the Devil, of the world. And He is inviting us to become part of that Kingdom by grace through by faith.

But we have to remember that being a subject of a Kingdom means being subject to a King. In our case, we call that repentance, away from this world and toward Christ that makes the leap from death into life. And though we are not saved by our works, we are proved by them.[vii]

Perhaps we are not as far removed from the crowds that day as we might wish.

Let us pray, for the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

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[i] J. Jeremias, and others.

[ii] Platt’s point of course is that Jesus did not come to make a mighty media machine, but to die and rise again. There are crucial points in Jesus ministry where He could have pressed His popularity, stoking the embers of nationalistic zeal or exploiting the weaknesses of the poor for instance, and instead, simply preaches the truth and lets the chips fall when they may.

[iii] In the NEB, Matt 21:10 reads “they were ‘wild with excitement’”

[iv] Rev 19:11&ff

[v] 2 Sam 16

[vi] We see this much more clearly in Matthew’s account

[vii] I heard an amazing explanation of this recently: Say two men are sitting in an air terminal. One of them is dressed in a way that suggests he has just returned from an extended climb. The other looks at him and says, “Hey, I love to climb!” to which the first man replies, “Oh? Great! I just got some great gear on my trip (explanation follows). What sort of gear do you use?”, to which the man replies, “Well, I have a North Face jacket.” Suspicious, he pries a bit, “What sort of climbing do you do?” to which the other replies, “Well, not much… well, actually, I haven’t ever climbed anything but the rock wall at the playground at McDonlad’s…” Is the second man a climber or not? He doesn’t have any climbing equipment. He does not climb. But he calls himself a climber.