Events rarely happen as people report them.
For example, have you ever read the funny things people report to insurance companies?
Incidents with Pedestrians
The pedestrian ran for the pavement, but I got him.
The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
I was sure the old fellow would never make it to the other side of the road when I struck him.
I saw a slow moving, sad faced old gentleman as he bounced off the roof of my car.
Accidents with other vehicles.
A truck backed through my windshield into my wife's face.
My car was legally parked as it backed into another vehicle.
I was unable to stop in time and my car crashed into the other vehicle. The driver and passengers then left immediately for a vacation with injuries.
The gentleman behind me struck me on the backside. He then went to rest in a bush with just his rear end showing.
Collisions, calamities, and injuries.
I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.
I was thrown from my car as it left the road. I was later found in a ditch by some stray cows.
The telephone pole was approaching. I was attempting to swerve out of the way when I struck the front end.
The claimant had collided with a cow. The questions and answers on the claim form were - Q: What warning was given by you? A: Horn. Q: What warning was given by the other party? A: Moo.
Who is to Blame?
I didn't think the speed limit applied after midnight.
The indirect cause of the accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
I was on the way to the doctor with rear end trouble when my universal joint gave way causing me to have an accident.
I had been driving for forty years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident.
It's kind of the same thing with scripture. We sometimes have a hard time communicating the sequence of events in an accurate way. The events of Holy Week are meaningful to Christians all over the world. The Oberammergau Passion Play has been performed since 1634. You can get tickets for the 2020 season or take a magnificent Viking cruise with some friends and experience something truly extraordinary. But, it's one intense week and then back to busy schedules. Most people don't know what was happening in Jesus' life before he entered Jerusalem as a Jewish king riding on a donkey.
One week before Jesus rode into Jerusalem, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. (John 11) That event precipitated such a firestorm, the religious authorities looked for a way to get rid of Jesus and make sure Lazarus stayed...dead! Jesus threatened the status quo so much that the only way the authorities could imagine dealing with the situation was to finish Jesus once and for all. I wonder if we still think Jesus threatens the status quo any more. Maybe we need to fill out an accident report for our Ultimate Insurance Agent. What would yours actually say about your collision with Christ?
Then the Pharisees said to each other, “We’ve lost. Look—the whole world has gone after him!” John 12:19 TNL
Pastor Jen