Somethings Do Not Change

We live in an age characterized by words such as: noise, confusion, anxiety, fear, frustration, self-centeredism (I am not even sure that is a word, but it should be). We are becoming increasingly more anxious over governmental interference into our private lives. That anxiety has become more real with the recent passage of the Obama Health Care Reforms. People on the street ask themselves, "What is coming next? What aspect of my life will the government want to dominate?" The anxieties have led to both frustration and fear, resulting in threats of physical violence to leaders and to those who might have differing opinions. Name-calling has become common place. And the noise. It seems that decibel levels have elevated to the point where most people either have developed a hearing problem or will.

As I have thought about the scenes on many street corners in America today, my mind has drifted back to what it must have been like in ancient Jerusalem that first "holy week." Bible scholars have assured us that the population of Jerusalem swelled to record levels because of the Passover and the levitical requirement that all Jewish males come to Jerusalem for the Passover sacrifices. Many came accompanied by their families. Streets and markets that were already overcrowded, now became nearly impassable. One can close his eyes and hear the shouts and screams of the sellers as they negotiated with anxious buyers. An occasional braying of a donkey or two could also be heard as its master tried to force it through those crowded streets.

And everywhere the buzz concerned the great imposition the Romans had become. How much more could the Romans tax them? It seemed that all they did was work to pay their taxes. Would there never be an end to the Roman thirst for taxes? The talk among the common folks was that hope had arrived in the person of the Prophet from Nazareth. And then people recalled the noise and praise that had graced the road down the Mount of Olives into the city itself. One brings up the confusion this Prophet caused when He went into the Temple and drove out the money-changers and sellers of sheep and goats. And He did it with an angry voice and a scourge of whips. "It was about time that someone did something. Prices were getting out of hand." So, what else could this Prophet do? Might He be the one who would unite the various factions in Judea, Samaria, and Galilee and lead an uprising against the Romans? Might this Prophet be the next Judas Maccabeus?

It appears that even Jesus' disciples were caught up in the noise, confusion, and anxiety of the moment. They certainly were not thinking "cross"; but were instead focused upon a "kingdom." In just a short time, they, too, would join the ranks of the disappointed. Their world would be devastated; their hopes dashed; their dreams disappear upon an old, rugged cross. What had started out so promising, had ended so tragically.

Deliverance from Roman oppression was the not the main problem the people faced. And today deliverance from our government and its long reach into our lives is not the main problem either. Jesus understood that. He came to deliver people from that which held them in chains. Not Roman authorities. Not Congress or the President. But sin. His sacrifice upon that old, rugged cross cut the chains to set people free.

So, times have not changed a whole lot. We are still a people looking for hope. We think that hope can be found in a change in governmental leaders; in repealing laws we do not like; in exerting our will. But real hope - lasting hope - is only found in accepting the gift Jesus Christ offers. He will remove the fears. He will alleviate the frustrations. He will quiet our hearts.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!