The Journey of Holy Week: Tuesday

I don't really like the last few days in the life of Jesus. Up until that point I think much of what he did was endearing. Sure, he spoke a truthful word, but he loved kids, honored women and healed...a lot. When we read about the last few days of his life, the tone seems a bit more hurried. It's almost as if he is trying to pack in all of the important things that he wants to say. The words are pointed. He fusses at religious leaders, he curses a fig tree, he tells stories that point clearly to a lack of faith. More than ever, I hear this need to communicate with those that may still be listening.

I have found this to be true of those that I have watched grow older, as well. It's as if with the compounding gray and the declining health, the gift of time seems fleeting. When the awareness of fewer days becomes a reality, the need to share truth is more pressing. I certainly don't think of myself on the downhill side of life, but as I've made my way up the mountain, I feel a since of freedom to share truth from my experience. At the same time, I see many opportunities to share my passions in the years to come, and Jesus knew that was not going to be his story.

It is not lost on me that one of the groups that Jesus had the harshest words for - all the way to the end - was the religious leaders. I am more and more and more and more convicted every day that as we step out in the ministry of Jesus, we are going to be held accountable for the ways that we lead people. I never want a human to cross my path and think that they are unlovable. Feelings of unworthiness and exclusion are incompatible with Jesus. As a leader in the church, I will fall on the side of love and grace. Every. Single. Time. Now, sometimes love FEELS harsh. I'm a mom to two teenagers, so I understand this on many levels. Jesus didn't promise us an easy life,  free from pain. But, he did promise us a comforter in the pain.

So wherever you find yourself on this Tuesday night, draw deeper into the truth of his final days. He wanted us to hear the depth of his love in the truth of his words. He gave us example after example of how to love. Now, it's our job to do it.