“CSI: JERUSALEM”
MARK 11:1-11
11:1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage
and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus
sent two of his disciples
2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front
of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it.
3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’
say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’”
4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside
in the street, and they untied it.
5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What
are you doing, untying the colt?”
6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let
them go.
7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks
on it, and he sat on it.
8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others
spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.
9 And those who went before and those who followed were
shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna
in the highest!”
11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And
when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Judge
not that you not be judged. Jesus said that in the Sermon on the Mount. Even with those words to the wise there are times
when it’s hard not to judge.
For
example what would you do if you saw a man in dirty clothes begging in the subway? Would you give him some money or would
you figure that he’s probably just another drug addict looking for a handout? What would you do if you saw a mom in
an SUV make an illegal turn while talking on her cell phone? Would you smile and wave or would you mutter a few choice words?
Or how about Pastor David Pinckney and Raymond Guay? Their story was in the news a little over a week ago. That’s when
it was reported that Raymond Guay, a convicted child murderer, was now living with the New Hampshire pastor and his family. Needless to say some of the neighbors aren’t too happy about the arrangement. Both the pastor and his house guest have received several death threats.
I
wonder what Jesus would do if he lived across the street from the pastor and his house guest?
Jesus, after all, knew that judging others can be a dangerous. Just look
at what happened to the family that visited a church for the first time. After
the service they were driving home when the mother let it be know that she wasn’t very impressed. “The choir was awful,” she said. By the way choir
I want to assure you that they didn’t visit this church. The father agreed. “Not only that,” he said, “but
the preacher was so long winded I could hardly keep my eyes open.” By the
way choir I want to assure you that they didn’t visit this church. Next it was the daughter’s turn to complain. “I didn’t like it either,” she said.
“The Children’s Message was boring.” By the way Mike
I want to assure you that they didn’t visit this church. Anyway, the son,
after hearing all of their complaints just shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t
know,” he said. “I thought it was a pretty good show for a buck.”
Judge not that you not be
judged. There’s a very good reason why Jesus uttered those words of wisdom. All you have to do is look at the people of Jerusalem, the people who welcomed Jesus
into the Holy City on Palm Sunday. Over the years they’ve been judged very
harshly. The judgment goes something like this:
How
could the same people who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem turn against him as quickly as they did? How could the same people who shouted “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday turn around and shout “Crucify
him!” five days later on Good Friday? Were they really that faithless and fickle?
I
would like to suggest that all of those people are the victims of a bad rap. So, I’m going to invite you to join me
in a little detective work. We can call it CSI: Jerusalem. Our goal is to understand
what really happened after Jesus rode into the Holy City. Let’s start with
what we know. We know that Jesus rode into the Holy City on a tsunami of joy. We also know that the people waved palm branches and shouted “Hosanna to the
Son of David.”
Now
let’s fast forward the story a little. It’s Maundy Thursday. Jesus and the disciples have celebrated the Passover and are now in the Garden
of Gethsemane. It’s late at night. It’s probably one or two in the
morning. That’s when the soldiers show up and arrest Jesus. They could
have arrested him anywhere and at any time but they didn’t. That’s
because the high priest wanted it done quietly and discretely. He didn’t want anyone to know what was going on. So, they arrested Jesus there in the Garden of Gethsemane and after he was arrested
he was immediately dragged before the Sanhedrin and convicted of blasphemy.
Then
he was taken to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Why? Because the high priest
wanted Jesus executed and he knew that only Pontius Pilate could do that. The
high priest also knew that Pontius Pilate could have cared less about their little theological dispute. That’s why the high priest dropped the charge of blasphemy and substituted the charge of treason. The high priest told Pilate that Jesus wanted to be king of the Jews.
Now
remember all of this took place before the sun was even up. What that means is that the people who screamed and told Pilate
to crucify Jesus were the high priest’s cronies and henchmen. The people who welcome Jesus into the Holy City with shouts
of hosanna weren’t even up yet. Jesus was already arrested, tried, convicted and on his way to the Cross before they
knew what was going on!
That’s
what really happened my sisters and brothers. When you know the story behind the story you being to realize that the people
of Jerusalem have been judged unfairly all these years. What was it again that Jesus said?
That’s right. Judge not that you not be judged.
Judging
others is dangerous because there’s always, always, always the chance that you could be wrong! That’s why it’s best to leave the judging to Jesus. That’s
why it’s best to leave the judging to God’s only begotten Son. After all he’s the one who sees all and knows
all. You can see that by looking at what Jesus did right before he rode into the Holy City.
Jesus
was the one who knew where the disciples would find the donkey that he needed. Jesus
was the one who knew that the owner of the donkey was going to ask them what they were doing.
Jesus was the one who knew what the disciples needed to say to put his mind at ease.
Jesus knew what was going to happen before it even happened. Jesus sees
all and knows all. He’s the only one who really knows what’s in our
hearts which is why it’s best to leave the judging to him.
Just
look at Ellie Nesler. Do you remember Ellie Nesler? She died last December. Ellie Nesler is the woman who walked
into a California courtroom back in 1993 and shot the man who was on trial for molesting her son. She shot him in the head
five times. Some people praised her. Others
condemned her for her vigilante justice. Ellie Nesler went to prison for three
years. Things weren’t exactly black and white though when it came to Ellie
Nesler. Did you know that after she got out of prison she was arrested again
for selling drugs and went back to prison for six years? Did you know that her
son also went to jail a couple of years ago? Apparently, he stomped on a man and killed him in a fit of rage.
Things
aren’t always as simple as they seem which is another reason why it’s best to leave the judging to Jesus. If you’re
still not sure maybe this will clinch it for you. Perhaps the best reason of
all not to judge can be seen in a poem that someone sent me recently. The title
of the poem is “Look Who’s In Heaven” and it goes like this:
I was shocked,
confused, bewildered -
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the
beauty of it all, the lights or its decor.
…it
was the folks in Heaven - Who made me sputter and gasp—
The thieves,
the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.
There stood
the kid from seventh grade - Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him
was my old neighbor, Who never said anything nice.
Herb, who
I always, always thought
- Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting
pretty on cloud nine, Looking happy and incredibly well.
So, I nudged
Jesus, "What's the deal? -
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all
these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.
"
And why is everyone so
quiet, -
So somber - give me a clue."
"Hush, hush," He said, "they're all in shock. No one thought
they'd be seeing you!"
Judge
not, that you not be judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged.
That’s why it’s best to leave the judging to Jesus. Otherwise
your judgments just might get in the way of God’s grace; God grace not only for the people around you but also God’s
grace for you. Amen.
Rev.
Dr. Richard A. Hughes
April
5, 2009 – Palm Sunday.
