Greyfriars  PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

your labour in the Lord is not in vain." – 1 Corinthians 15:58

In recent days Pope John Paul has been on a personal pilgrimage to the Holy Land – insofar as popes can be allowed to do anything "personal". In particular he has visited the sacred sites on Mt Nebo, the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth and Jerusalem. It has been notable not least because of the millennium. Thus as we celebrate Easter this month it has special connotations because we are still in something of the afterglow of the millennium celebrations. Just as society at large needed the reminder of the direct connection between the millennium and the birth of Jesus in the lead up to Christmas and the millennium celebrations, so we need to remind them again that the millennium observance is in fact a celebration of the person and significance of Jesus Christ – this time of his death and resurrection. While we cannot all go on a "personal pilgrimage" to the Holy Land, by means of Scripture we can embark on a personal pilgrimage of reflecting on the true significance of this season. It is so easy to become familiar, take it all for granted, or even to forget the real worth and message of these events.

* 1. The Presentation of the King – Palm Sunday: The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem marks the completion of his journeying towards the city. He had set his face steadfastly to go there. He reminded his followers of what awaited him there, although they did not take it in. The procession, with its accompanying waving of palm fronds, strewing his way with garments and the shouting of the crowd are all the signs as to the true identity of the visitor. He is the anticipated Messiah. He is the true fulfilment of prophetic pronouncement and expectation. The triumphal Entry is the King’s offering of himself to his waiting subjects. The religious establishment and its leaders are horrified at the response of the crowd. Indeed, in the synoptic Gospels it is this incident which precipitates the reaction of the Jewish leaders to get rid of him. The teaching in the temple precincts focuses on the End, and of the need to prepare oneself for Judgement.

* 2. The Rejection of the King – the Cross: It is all too easy for us to get caught up in purely humanistic rationalising about the death of Jesus. We can acknowledge the contributions to the drama of the cunning and plotting of the religious leaders, of the betrayal of Judas – for whatever reasons he had, of the fear of the disciples and their running away after the encounter in the Garden, and of the moral cowardice and injustice of Pilate. However, that is not the whole story. The New Testament witness says unequivocally that all this was part of God’s great cosmic plan of salvation for a lost world. It did not just "happen". It was certainly not "bad luck", or even misguided human motivation. It came to pass "by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge" [Acts 2:23NIV]. Further the gospel preachers of the early church linked the life, ministry and death of Christ to the Old Testament prophetic figure of the Suffering Servant [cf Isaiah 53]. During his ministry Jesus repeatedly repudiated the contemporary Jewish expectations of a conquering Messiah, a hero-King, who would prevail over their enemies and restore the former glories of their earthly kingdom. In its place is set the humble, Servant-King. The very idea of a crucified Messiah was abhorrent to the pious Jew. As Paul put it, "We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles" [1Cor 1:23 NIV]. Indeed, it is in this way God’s wisdom is revealed. The Cross was God’s way of bringing sinful, lost humankind back to himself.

* 3. The Triumph of the King – the Resurrection: The New Testament makes it very clear that the Resurrection of Jesus is integral to the gospel. It is not some kind of "add-on extra" for the more gullible among would-be followers of Jesus. In the powerful chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians, Paul declares the things he has passed on to his hearers "as of first importance" to be "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" [3f]. The apostolic witnesses who testified to the Resurrection of the Lord did not rush into belief. They were overwhelmingly convinced against what might be described as their better judgement. They had been so traumatised by his crucifixion – in spite of all he had said about it to them earlier – that they required at least equally convincing proof he was alive. Further, Paul asserts, "if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" [15:17]. In a word, if the resurrection of Jesus is not true, then the whole of Christian faith crumbles away.

* 4. The Hope of the King – the Life Everlasting: The Gospel points beyond this present existence, to the coming again of Christ and the consummated Kingdom. We are presently pilgrims on a journey. Here we have no permanent home. We are but passing through, travelling on to our heavenly destination. We will exchange our earthly body for a "body of glory", one fitted for a very different life. It will have no trace of sickness, infirmity or debilitation. In the fulfilment of the Kingdom we will still be serving God and our risen, reigning Christ. It is a place of joyous praise and worship, marked by fellowship with God and with one another.

It is because of this hope of glory, of the life everlasting; which ever beckons us onwards, that we persevere in the present through every trial and difficulty. We are resolute in our discipleship and in our Kingdom-service. It is because Christ has done so much for us, because He constantly fills and empowers us by his Holy Spirit day by day, and because we are travelling on to his "welcome home!" that we are enabled to "stand firm" in the fray. It is for this reason that we can always give ourselves "fully to the work of the Lord". We know nothing we ever do for Him can be wasted, unfruitful, or in vain. God bless you all.

Yours very sincerely,

John Evans

Dr J O Evans
Greyfriars Presbyterian Church
PO Box 67-039
Mt Eden, Auckland 1003, New Zealand

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