April 11

Can you imagine what it would be like to understand that your behaviors would lead to your death, and you followed the behaviors anyway? I have a hard time believing I would continue following a path of action which ultimately would cause my death. We are nearing Holy Week which is next week. Holy Week represents the last week of Jesus Christ’s life on this planet as a human being. He knew what was coming and chose to continue teaching his disciples and anyone else who cared to listen. He had been ministering to people in and around Jerusalem for three years. He taught and healed on the Sabbath, which was against Judaic law. He reasoned with people about what it meant to be a true Jewish person. He gave lessons to people about how to live a better, more rewarding life. All of his actions ultimately led to the high council of the Pharisees to condemn his action and commit the eventual wickedness of having him put to death. Can you do what Jesus did? Ask yourself daily; is what I am doing right, even if others condemn me? Jesus’ life had a definite impact upon the human population almost from the beginning of Christianity. The number of followers of Jesus Christ grew despite the attempts to extinguish the movement. Today, approximately 1/3 of the world’s population declares their Christianity, sometimes in perilous places where other religions or beliefs hold sway. These people are willing to sacrifice for Jesus rather than deny the truth. Can we in this country do the same? We are not as threatened even when we disagree about our own Christian tenets. One week from now, we celebrate a triumphant entry into Jerusalem, which leads to the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. In two weeks we will rejoice with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let’s pray we can follow Jesus onto the cross.