“Die?” asked the crowd. “We understood from scripture that the Messiah would live forever. Why are you saying the Son of Man will die? Who is this Son of Man you are talking about?”
He looked at them compassionately and replied, “My light will shine out for you just a little while longer. Walk in it while you can, so you will not stumble when the darkness falls. If you walk in the darkness, you cannot see where you are going. Believe in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.”
He smiled his best smile, turned around, went away and was hidden from them.
If life was a musical I think this would be the time Jesus would sing a soft ballad. Something to ease the crowd while provoking thought of what was about to happen. He would have to sing something that could convey his message; something to remind us to let go. Perhaps he would sing, “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. And in my my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be.”
Perhaps he is whispering these words of wisdom to us as we gather this Sunday morning, “Let it be.”
Jesus' part in the story is coming to an end. Next week, we will gather and celebrate the entry of the king. We will lay our palm branches and our coats for a donkey carrying the Christ to walk over. We will rejoice that Sunday. Come the following Thursday, we will witness his betrayal. On that Friday, we will crucify him. On that Saturday, we will hide and mourn. Then, bright and early the following Sunday, we will rise up. That will be then.
As for today, let us look at Jesus one last time and let us hear his words to us, “Let it be.”
We have been preparing ourselves for these next two weeks. Our scriptures have focused on the journey to the cross. The cross as a way is becoming a reality. His words of prophesy are coming true. Do we have the faith to look up upon the cross with trusting eyes and hopeful hearts, hearing his words, “And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me. Shine until tomorrow, let it be”?
That has been the question we have been asking ourselves for the past 40 days. We have been asked to look upon the cross, not as something that is abstract and romanticized, but something that is very real. We have been asked to take up our crosses, carry them and when the time came to die upon them, to lose our lives for the gospel's sake. We are being shown the cost of bringing the kingdom of heaven to life. We are being shown the way, the way to the cross.
Let it be.
The best stories involve characters who are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve their goals. Characters who are willing to leave the comfort of the shires and travel into the fires of Mordor, they are characters we remember. Who will remember a Messiah who prefers the comforts of the throne and the power of the crown? Who will remember a Messiah who willing sacrifices others but will not sacrifice himself?
Our faith is built on the greatest story ever told. A story of a Christ who came to us as a carpenter's son, advocated for the poor and selflessness, preached of a kingdom that was coming, brought a message of love, grace, and mercy, willing went to the cross with the faith that death would not win. It is the story that will give hope to the early church as they faced death. It is the story that will challenge the powerful Roman church through the reformers. It is the story that has found its way into our lives. It is the story for which we are gathered. It is a story of a character who willing lays down his life for his friends.
Are you willing to lay down your life for the sake of the gospel?
Is that not the question Jesus asks when he says, “All those who want to be my disciples must come and follow me, because my servants must be where I am.”
Is that not the question we have been struggling with?
Let it be.
The next two weeks always bring up the tough questions. Many of us have grown up with the familiar answers. In a way, we've tamed the gospel because we do not find the struggle of the cross in our own lives. We struggle to grasp the story at hand because it has become a natural part of our faith. Perhaps though this Easter could be different. Perhaps this Palm Sunday will be different. Perhaps this Good Friday will be different.
Perhaps I will stop asking questions and saying, “Perhaps.”
Perhaps.
Until we know the answers, let us be satisfied with our questions. Let us trust there will one day be an answer and let it be.
Words of wisdom, let it be.
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