The Time Between

   Between the silence of Good Friday and the slow crescendo of praise on what we know as Easter, I wonder what it sounded like between. But, not only in Jerusalem, but in heaven. As the tragedy of the sinless Christ taking on the sin of the world passed, I wonder what it sounded like in heaven.

   I know a bit of who God is, what He is like. I know that He is not the creator of panic and despondency that literally sucks up hope like a black hole sucks up light. He is source of hope, of joy, of the perfect plan. I can imagine with knowing that, that heaven’s citizens gathered around to praise God. Not to rejoice in the pain and suffering, but to marvel at the majesty of the sacrifice of love that was made. I imagine Jesus speaking to the thief who had joined him the day before in paradise. Perhaps providing a tour or introducing him to the actual Moses whose words he had most likely heard most of his life. I can imagine the people gathering to Jesus, those who He had healed, touched, or ministered to during his lifetime. Stories could have been passed, “do you remember when…” I can imagine God the Father greeting His Son. The Holy Spirit could have joined them in a close embrace, as the plan that they had enacted together was changing so drastically for people.
   I would imagine that the praise started much sooner in heaven on earth. And on earth, it was a time of doubt and fear.

Don’t Get Plank Eye

There is so much going on between Jesus entering the city up to this point. We have witnessed the words of betrayal, hope, fear, future, and past. Words that have taught of trials to come, hints at a future, and a perspective that is truly shattering have been shared. Words of treason, of love, and of instruction wrapped up in whispers of conspiracy and murder, shrouded in hope.

It is easy during the reading of these words to become impassioned. “I wouldn’t have done that!” “I would have done this!” “How could they?” And yet, I think those are the moments we get plank eye. I know that I am a few days behind to line this directly up with Easter – what can I say, there is just so much here. Knowing that, I am still going to continue and finish up the story, even if it is a few days after the day we mark on our calendars.

Plank eye, you know that disease don’t you? What are the symptoms you ask? Well, there is single minded focus on self, self-righteousness and a tendency of the patient to temporarily forget their own screw-ups. They may be loud mouthed or loud mouth-hearted during this time. If left untreated, they may even develop a callous shell over their being which will hinder future growth. When we get the plank in our eye, we are losing sight of what is wrong in our own life and judging someone else.


This was a time when this group who wrote the words and lived these words suffered from some serious plank eye. First there is Judas, “waiting for the opportunity to hand Jesus over,” (Matthew 26: 16). Then, there is the warning of the betrayal which has already happened and not fully been acted out, “‘I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.’ Followed by ‘This very night you will all fall away on account of me,’” (Matthew 26:21).


There is betrayal and falling away to come. It is easy in the next few days to judge, to make those quick statements. And yet, I would say to examine your heart of hearts. Would you really have stood firm?

The Plot Thickens

Ever wonder why plots thicken instead of grow darker or thinner or spinning or some other action? While nearly everyone else is trying to be thinner, the plot gets thicker... The plot in this case is a story of the world, the people of the world, of you and me. The days we mark in the Easter celebration were not a celebration for the people who were intimately acquainted with the events of the day, who actually felt the tension, saw the strain. Instead, these were days of sleepless nights, worry and even despair.

The chief priests had been trying to stir up trouble, to discredit Jesus. They had set their hearts on killing him. Those who were drowning in sin were trying to kill their rescuer.

Jesus said to his disciples, “‘As you know, the Passover is two days away – and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified,’” (Matthew 26:1-2). What was his tone? Resignation, grief, dread, resolve? I don’t know. But I can imagine the response of my own self, disbelief, shock, denial, grief, and fear. Followed by tidal waves of anger, frustration, and vengeance, with perhaps even a microscopic ray of hope as the man who you have come to love as a brother, who inspires and teaches you, who is so pure and good is about to be shamed and tortured as a felon.

“Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. ‘But not during the Feast,’ they said, ‘or there may be a riot among the people,’” (Matthew 26:3-5). A sly way of arrest, sneaking around – sneaking around with the intent to kill. And why not during the feast? Well, the feast was Passover, when public opinion had not yet turned against Jesus. If the people rioted, then these men would lose a significant amount of their power base. Don’t you recognize the media control that is going on here, just like it has since and does today? Which news cycle can we get that in? How far back in the paper will it be so no one notices? Leadership is a very difficult thing, and we must remember to pray for our leaders. Yes, even these leaders needed prayers. Because, when it came down to it, they were drowning in their sins. And when the lifeguard tried to rescue them, in their panic and dismay – they tried to drown the lifeguard as well.

And the plot thickened....

Even Better than an Easter Bonnet

Do you remember hearing the song Easter Bonnet on old movies shown about this time of year?  Bing Crosby leans back and sings to Virginia Dale about her hat at Easter, praising the beauty of her and her comely hat.

Going back farther than the 1930s, there was a different celebration going on.  But, like all celebrations, it was going to take some preparation. 

Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!" (Matthew 20:17-19). 

This is no surprise party – Jesus gave the overall gist of what was about to happen in coming days.  Some terrible preparation would occur, but then life would concur! To prepare our hearts for Easter and the celebration of life, let’s take a walk through the days leading up to the events.  You can even wear your Easter bonnet if you would like.