A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His Father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, Dad?”
“You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved palm branches to honor him, so we got palm branches today,” his dad answered.
The little boy replied, “Aw Shucks, the one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up.”
Jesus can be elusive. Just when we think we’ve got him figured out, he throws us off balance with one of his head-scratchers: “The last shall be first, and the first last” (Matthew 20:16).
“Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
“Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25).
And likewise, when we imagine that we can anticipate his schedule and be at his next stop, giving him a courtesy wave as he passes by, we miss him.
Peter and the disciples discovered this early on in their journey with Jesus. Early one morning, after they had finally found him—”Everyone is looking for you” (Mark 1:37)—Jesus only told them to step it up and follow him to the neighboring villages.
“What’s your plan, Jesus? Where are you going to be? I’m busy, so please don’t waste my time.”
Jesus refuses to be controlled by us.
We shouldn’t be surprised. Hundreds of years before Jesus, when his ancestors were wandering in the wilderness, the Israelite sanctuary contained no statue of a deity. God would descend, often in the form of a cloud that would fill the tabernacle, particularly as it was assembled in a new encampment. Then, whenever the Israelites saw the cloud of God’s presence move again, they would gather the portable tabernacle and follow the cloud, hiking the wilderness road again.
So, if Peter and the rest of the novice disciples expected Jesus to say, “Ah, you’ve got me now; guess I’ll have to stay here and take my directions from you,” they were in for a shock. Instead of settling, Jesus said, “Let’s go.”
What was in that tabernacle the Israelites carried as they wandered in the wilderness? Among other items was a God-signed copy of the covenant, detailing the terms of their relationship. So, at the center of the tabernacle was a covenant, representing a relationship, not an idol.
We shouldn’t be surprised that God didn’t give them an image to ogle, an idol they could leave and return to as they pleased. Instead, he offered them a loving relationship. But they had to be present and attempt obedience to participate.
This Holy Week, instead of placing an order for one deity on Amazon, hoping it arrives by March 31, try something more satisfying and challenging.
Try sitting quietly, letting the peace of God settle slowly. Breathe in and out, paying attention to each inhale and exhale. Like a fog that silently surrounds you until, without you even noticing, it has enfolded you, let that imaginary cloud shut out the world, allowing God to descend into your troubled soul. Retreat from the world’s frantic effort to grab and go and instead let the ever-present One stop and stay.
But don’t get too settled there, complacent and bored, for if our ears are attentive to the Spirit, we will likely hear that voice beckoning us on, like when Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s move on; this is why I have come.”
And off Jesus went.
And we must follow.
One thing is sure: we will find him when we seek him wholeheartedly.
Jesus promised: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
When that happens—sometimes in ways we may not yet know or recognize until later—somewhere along life’s rocky wilderness road,
Jesus shows up.