Beyond Chocolate and Pastels A Deeper Easter Message

Uncover the profound message of Easter as we journey beyond the chocolate eggs and pastel-colored festivities to the roots of this transformative celebration in Christian faith. Together, we navigate the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, focusing on his message of unconditional love and the path to divine understanding he paved amid a world entangled in stringent traditions. With a passage from the Gospel of Luke as our compass, we trace his steadfast determination towards Jerusalem and the sacrifice he willingly made for our salvation. This episode promises to deepen your appreciation of Easter, offering a fresh lens through which to view this time of reflection and renewal.

Join us as we ponder the bold and challenging actions of Jesus in the temple and the profound implications of his choice to face the cross for humanity's redemption. This episode invites you to share in Pastor Scotty Smith's prayerful reflections, drawing upon the lessons of Palm Sunday to recognize a kingship like no other. Through prayer and narrative, we are called to carry Jesus's legacy of hope and to embody the beacon of light he represents. As Easter approaches, let us embrace the grace that transforms rebels into servants, eagerly awaiting the day when all is renewed.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:05

You know, as we step into the month of March and as we start to head towards Easter, I love coming out of Christmas and Christmas is like this, this huge celebration. And then we talk about the birth of Jesus and we looked at the prophecies that were set in place and just how much of an impact that night meant for the world. People came from far and wide just to try to grasp a moment of how incredible it was that God had loved us so much that he came to resign among us. And then 30, about 33 years later the conclusion of that night we would find ourselves with a man who had done nothing wrong, who had healed the masses, who had loved people unconditionally, who fed thousands, a man who had done nothing more than simply show a world the God that they had been missing.

Speaker 1: 2:33

You know, when we talk about Easter, I think sometimes we get a little confused with it. We do, we have different traditions, things that we practice, and you know, some people have an Easter bunny and they do the Easter bunny thing, which is, you know, that's cool. And we talk about eggs and handing out candy. We talk about dressing up on Easter Sunday and everyone wears their best and they go out and buy a little outfit. If you have more than one kid, they all match accordingly. We all take pictures and it's so cute. We look forward to that Easter meal with our family and getting together and for some reason, just like Christmas, we think that we can eat like 3,000 calories that day and we're not going to have an upset stomach the next day. We find ourselves surrounded by a culture that kind of embraces Easter a little bit, but really it's a celebration and so many churches have different ways of doing it. And listen, I'm not saying those things are bad, but what I think we need to understand is that the real reason Easter exists, the real reason, the real reason that Jesus chose to do what he did, was because of you. He saw a world that was broken. He saw a world that was overburdened. He comes into a culture that has so many rules and laws and all of these traditions and obligations and he looks at them and he's burdened with the realization that nothing they have done up until this point will ever be enough, that he is the one that would take on the sin of all of humanity. He would carry the cross, he would carry our burden, so that you and I could be free.

Speaker 1: 5:08

There's a moment in the Gospel of Luke that's one of my favorites and it's become one of my favorite scriptures, and it's Luke 9, starting in verse 51. And Luke was a very detail-oriented author. He captures a lot of things that we don't see in other gospels. And so he's talking about Jesus and he says Luke 9.51, says when the day drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And in this moment Luke's talking about Jesus and he says that there's this shift in the life of Jesus. He's been healing, he's been teaching, he's been trying to get people to understand, he's been arguing with the Pharisees, he's been answering the questions that they're asking in their head and they can't figure out what's happening. He has this moment in his life, in his ministry, when, knowing what was about to happen, that he turns his face towards Jerusalem with this resolve, this determination that everything that I have done is leading me to this moment. And so Luke continues, says and he sent messengers ahead of him speaking to Jesus, who went in and entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for him, but the people did not receive him because his face was set towards Jerusalem and when his disciples, James and John, saw it, they said Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them? But he rebuked them and he went on to another village. I can imagine that as he enters the city of Samaria, as he enters the village of Samaritans, there's just something about his demeanor that's different. They realize that he is on a mission. He is a man who is determined to accomplish what he has decided he needed to do.

Speaker 1: 7:30

Have you ever met someone so determined that they annoy you, like they're just so focused that they walk over you to get done what they need to get done? My wife would tell you stories of how early on in our marriage that my OCD would get in the way sometimes. I remember there was one time when I was working on one of our cars and I was doing the front brakes on the car and one of the bolts would just not, it just wouldn't release. And as a big guy, that became a problem for me because I'm like why can't I get this to like? This should be easy for me. And I remember that I was determined in my head that I was going to change the brakes no matter what, and 12 hours later, at 4 in the morning, I did it. I'm not proud of that, but have you ever met someone who just understands their purpose? And they're so focused on this moment that it almost looks like they're not paying attention?

Speaker 1: 8:56

I can imagine that Jesus had this kind of resolve as he headed towards Jerusalem, as he headed towards rejection, as he headed towards the beating, as he headed towards being spit on and cursing and the torture and, ultimately, his death. He was so determined to save us that there was nothing that would stop him. Luke has this incredible way of capturing the life of Jesus in just all of these moments. Like I said I love that verse that he turned his face, he set his path, he understood that everything that he was about to accomplish, that it was desperately needed by a world who could not save themselves. You and I cannot save ourselves, no matter how good we are, no matter how many things we do right, no matter how much money we have, no matter how nice our clothes are or aren't. The world has taught us and continues to preach this idea of you can help yourself, and it's not entirely wrong. There are things we can do to make ourselves better, but our eternity is not one of them. We cannot do anything to set our eternity, and Jesus understood that. And so as we start this journey of the cross, we start with Luke 19, 28 through 40.

Speaker 1: 11:26

So after Jesus had said this, he went on ahead and he went up to Jerusalem there's the approach, beth, page and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olos. He said to his disciples, saying to them go to the village ahead of you and as you enter it you will find a cult tied there which no one has ever written. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you why are you untieing it? Say the Lord needs it. Those who were sent ahead went and found it, just as he had told them, because they were unsigned to cult it. Its owners asked him why are you unsigned to cult? They replied the Lord needs it. They brought it to Jesus through their cloaks on the coat and put Jesus on it, and as he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

Speaker 1: 12:18

When he came near the place where the road goes down to the Mount of Olos, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for the miracles they had seen. Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace and heaven and glory and the highest. Some of the Pharisees and the crowd said to Jesus teacher, rebuke your disciples. I tell you. He replied if they keep quiet, the stones themselves will cry out. And so Jesus has this moment where he walks into Jerusalem and the crowds are cheering him on and they're loving it, they're throwing down their coats and in palm branches and I know I'm ahead of the game here, but this is where we get palm Sunday, you know, talking about one of those traditions that we practice they're just, they're so excited because and if you look, luke says that they're praising him because of everything that he's done for them. So they're rejoicing in the miracles, in the feedings, in the teachings, not completely understanding that this was, that this moment was about to lead him to do something that they desperately needed.

Speaker 1: 13:47

If you were a Jew back then, you were dealing with a lot of oppression, roman oppression and all the different times that they've been kidnapped, and so you start to see Jesus as this king-like feature person who's going to come in and they want him to overthrow the government and they want to reestablish themselves as the nation and they see Jesus as this savior. But they don't quite understand what that means, because they see saving as this physical thing. They want to be restored, they want their king to reign and in the Pharisees do everything they can to try to shut it down. The Pharisees are terrified because Jesus is a threat to them. The Jews command the disciples to go into the neighboring village near Jerusalem and find a cult tied up. That would be written for the first time plays out just like the prophecy.

Speaker 1: 15:05

Then the story moves from Christ's prophet to Christ's royalty. As Jesus takes his seat on the cult, richard Vinson explains lifting him on to the animal and spreading their cloaks on the road are both indications of respect. Respect and then having the cloaks thrown on the ground, where their recognition of this new king and their hymn of praise celebrates him as the coming one. They say blessed is the name of the Lord, the one who's coming, the king. Yet there are indications that Luke in his gospel does not regard king as an unambiguous title for Jesus. The royal acclamation also enforces Jesus' status as prophet, since he predicted the Jerusalem one not see him until they said blessed is the Lord's name in the coming one, the disciples saying peace and heaven and glory in the highest. They echo the angels who announced his birth in a manger far from the emperor's palace. When they call him the coming one, they're echoing John the Baptist, who said Jesus would baptize with holy spirit and fire.

Speaker 1: 16:16

A coming prophet, not a coming king. Yes, god has given Jesus' kingdom, but it is the one in which the youngest and the slaves are most important. The coming one has now arrived, ready to offer peace and and and. So there there's this understanding that that you and I have this incredible hindsight and we look back on this moment and we realize that Jesus was coming and and had come to establish his kingdom, that that's why he had arrived, that's why he, he was here. But but it wasn't this earthly kingdom that that you and I get stuck on. It was this, this understanding that there was this spiritual side of who we are. There was an eternity to come once this world washes away.

Speaker 1: 17:12

And so, as Jesus enters into the Jerusalem, he has this overwhelming sense of grief because, as as much as he loves his creation, he understands that, that they don't quite get it, that that the same men and women who were praising him throwing down their clothes, throwing down the palm leaves, were about to be the same ones who would call for his crucifixion. Can you imagine the, the weight of that, that moment, the, the burden of, of knowing that these people, who all you want to do is save them, that these people would reject you because they couldn't see past themselves? You know, I this week I've been struggling with a lot of different things, and I know that I'm not the only one, but my life has has seemed a little overburdened recently. I've been to more doctors appointments in two weeks and I've been to in 37 years of living by the way, I don't recommend that my uncle passed away last Saturday. I have all these plans in my life, all these things that I want to do in in life's kind of been put on pause. Nothing has gone as planned. And yet, as we come into about halfway through this week, I felt this overwhelming burden. But. But it wasn't that. It's not a burden, but this overwhelming realization that, yes, to me nothing has gone as planned, but to God everything has played out exactly how it was supposed to, right, and and so when, when Jesus is coming into the city, he understands that everything is playing out exactly how it's supposed to. You know we, as we walk through this journey, we're going to see a lot of different reactions, and they talked about in that short video.

Speaker 1: 20:16

You know Jesus overturned some tables. By the way, if anyone ever asks you what would Jesus do, turning over a table is within the realm of possibility, but, but, but he, he has this grief because the people have have become so overburdened, and and one of the reasons he flips over these tables is because of of the thievery that's happening, and and you know they're supposed to be buying things for sacrifices and people are are having to over pay for their sacrifices. You know people are tipping this kales in their favor, and and and so they, they've taken this system, that this incredible thing that God has given them, that this relationship with God, and and they've made it this really weird transactional thing that if you're rich or great and if you're poor you don't stand a chance. And and so Jesus, and all of his frustration, tips over some tables. But he understands it in that moment that everything is happening exactly how it has to happen, because this is the moment that the Pharisees start looking at him and they start finding a way to take his life and and so the people, they, they, they start to lose faith in him. The crowds, they, they, start to dissipate his own disciples, start to challenge some of his, his thought process, because they, they do not understand that this is the plan.

Speaker 1: 21:57

The cross has always been the plan, the moment Jesus was born. There's an understanding that His death was coming, because Jesus knows what you and I don't, and that we cannot save ourselves. But it is only through the death of a sinless one, a perfect creation, that you and I even have the remote chance of getting back to God. And that's one of the most beautiful burdens I think I've ever known To understand that everything Jesus had to do was necessary and it was for you. Jesus could have established His own kingdom. He could have had thousands of people follow Him, he could have taken over any nation he wanted to and no one could have stopped Him. He had thousands of angels at His back in call, and yet he understood, the moment that he stepped into Jerusalem, that that was never the plan, that through each gospel account even though each gospel account has its own unique twist on Psalm 118, they all focus their energy on painting a picture for the audience who receives the account, bach finds general agreement on the accounts of these states. The king praise and the Davidic cope of fulfillment dominate all four accounts.

Speaker 1: 23:58

As Jesus enters the city, he presents Himself as the king who brings the nation's eschatological well, eschatological hope. A week later he will be taken outside the city. From the eyes of the nation, he is a messianic imposter who must be stopped. The nation will say no. Just as Jesus predicted, a donkey now bears Him as king and soon he will bear His own cross. Jesus understood that the moment he walked into Jerusalem was the moment His death was set in stone. And yet I am convinced with everything in me that he would do it every single time. That, as he looks at broken humanity, as he looks at the burdens you and I carry, as he looks at how broken the world is, that nothing in His life would have changed, because that's how much you mean to Him that burden of knowing everything that he was going to go through, he took it upon Himself so that you and I could be free. Like that's what Easter is about. All that other stuff it's nice, it's great, do it, don't. But at the end of the day, as we come into this season. We have to understand that Jesus died in order to save us. That's the beauty of the Gospel.

Speaker 1: 26:22

We talk about this idea of a burden and I feel burdened by that. I feel there's something this week that's just a weight that's been sitting on my chest and I'll be honest, I'm going to say this and you probably aren't going to like it. I'm praying that you also feel burdened. I know you guys go home and say my preacher prayed against me. I didn't pray against you. I'm not praying that your life falls apart, but I'm praying that you feel burdened by the knowledge of what Jesus did, so much so that you can't stop talking about it, because what the world needs is what they need to understand is that the burden he took on Himself was so that you and I could swap places with Him, so, as he took on our burdens, we could lay them down at the foot of the cross.

Speaker 1: 27:25

There's so much going on in life, there's so much chaos that Jesus died. He took all of it, every single sin, every moment, every suffering, and he did it all so that you and I could approach His cross and lay it down and say God, I can't do this anymore. And he looks at us and he picks it up and he says you don't have to, because I will. I will carry this for you. I will give my life for you. I will make sure that I will do everything in my power to restore you back into relationship with your Creator. All you have to do is let me. All you have to do is accept me. All you have to do is show up, because everything that you needed I've already done. Every burden you carry, I've already carried. Every pain you felt, I've already felt. Every death you should have died, I've already died.

Speaker 1: 29:06

When Jesus made that decision in Luke 9, when he turned his face to Jerusalem, he knew everything that was coming and he still did it anyway. You and I, the church, would not exist had he not done that. There'd be no hope, there'd be no light, there'd be no one to understand our burdens, there'd be no one to understand our struggles. So, for those of you who believe, I pray that you are burdened with that knowledge and that desire to tell someone about everything Jesus has done. For those of you who aren't quite there yet, I pray that you find the peace that only comes in knowing who Jesus is. I pray that you find peace in knowing that you can lay down your life at the foot of the cross and what he will give you next will be glorious. Not just eternity, not just restoration and being brought back into relationship with God, but the understanding that, as you lay down your life, that he will give you one you can't even imagine that he will save you from your sin.

Speaker 1: 31:04

Easter can be a lot of things to a lot of people. From my hope and my prayer every single day is that Easter offers every single person hope, hope for the life to come, hope for the life that is here now. Had Jesus never stepped into Jerusalem, there'd be no hope. But man, I'm glad he did, and I hope, and I pray every day, that you find that same peace in knowing who he is and knowing that you don't have to do this alone and knowing that our hope and our prayer is for you to understand that he loved you so much that, even if you are the only person on the face of the earth, I am convinced that he still would have died for you.

Speaker 1: 32:19

I'm going to end with this prayer. It's not mine, it was written by Pastor Scottie Smith and I thought it was beautiful. I'll ask you guys to stand actually as I read on it. I know some of that I don't normally do, but I do love. I think it's just such a powerful message. This is Dear Lord Jesus. Who will exhaust the glory of this passage? When the Amazon River flows backwards, the sun turned into a snow cone and yellow fin tuna yodel. Who is it that fulfills Zachariah's magnificent vision? It is you, king Jesus, and we welcome you and rejoice in you.

Speaker 1: 33:04

On this Palm Sunday Said no other king could vanquish war horses and warriors riding the fold of a donkey. No other king could break the battle bow and backbone of warfare by the brokenness of the cross. No other king could replace the dominion of darkness and the tyranny of evil with the eternal reign of grace and peace. No other king would give his life and death for the redemption of rebels and idolaters like us. No other king can possibly make slaves of sin into prisoners of hope.

Speaker 1: 33:40

Lord Jesus, you are that king, the king of glory, the monarch of mercy, the governor of grace, the prince of peace, the king of kings and lord of lords. Great is our rejoicing, because grace is our salvation. You have come to us and for us, righteous and victorious, loving and sovereign by the riches of your grace, continue to free us from waterless pits, broken cisterns and worthless idols by the power of the gospel. Enable us to live as prisoners of hope and agents of redemption until the day you return to finish making all things new. So very amen. We pray in your holy and matchless name, amen.