Places of the Passion: Jerusalem

Ash Wednesday

March 2, 2022

Matthew 26:1-5

“Places of the Passion: Jerusalem”

We are learning in a whole new way just how unpredictable weather patterns are. That’s always been true, but it is especially true now as we see more weather extremes in our world: tornadoes in December as there were in Kentucky just a few months ago; drought in western states that scientists are telling us is the most extreme in over 1000 years; hurricanes and flooding that displace people. We have all lived through severe storms. You know how it goes: the sky grows dark and the wind begins to howl. Text messages and news reports all tell us to take refuge as we hear sirens go off. This is one kind of storm that life can throw at us, but there are others as well. The season of Lent begins today, and we begin a sermon series called “Places of the Passion.” Using Matthew’s Gospel, we will walk with Jesus to places like the Upper Room, the Garden of Gethsemane, Pilate’s Judgment Hall, and the hill of Golgotha. Today on this day called Ash Wednesday, we walk with Jesus to the city of Jerusalem. May the Lord’s rich and abundant blessing rest upon the preaching, the hearing, and the living of his Word for Jesus’ sake.

“When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples…” (Matthew 26:1). Matthew records five teaching blocks of Jesus, patterning his Gospel after the Torah, the Pentateuch – the five books of Moses that begin the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Five times Matthew writes, “When Jesus had finished all these sayings…” (Matthew 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). Matthew 26:1, which begins today’s Gospel reading, is the fifth and final time Matthew write, “When Jesus had finished all these sayings…”

So what’s the point? Matthew is finishing his Gospel. He’s wrapping things up. It’s all coming to a close, and it will end with a massive storm. Already the sky is growing dark and cloudy. The wind is beginning to howl and before long the storm will arrive in full force. But how? “He said to his disciples, ‘You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified’” (Matthew 26:1-2). This will be Jesus’ last Passover in Jerusalem. He is about to be betrayed, suffer, and die on a cross. That’s the coming storm.

You may know firsthand what it’s like to be stuck in a vulnerable and exposed place when a storm hits. But there are different kinds of storms in life. Sure, there is the storm of extreme weather that hits us, but what about the storm of strife and discord that disrupts home and family life? Or the storm of temptation that leads us down wrong pathways? Or the storm of health concerns for ourselves or loved ones? Lots of storms in this life. Most of them come and go, but there’s another kind of storm that comes, but never goes. It is the storm of sin that is behind all the other storms of life. It brings with it fear and pain and loss. What does this look like?

“Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, ‘Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people’” (Matthew 26:3-5).

Joseph Caiaphas was the high priest who held office from 18-36 A.D., far longer than anyone else in this area. This longevity is an indicator of his political skill and shrewdness. Caiaphas knew that a public arrest of Jesus would be very risky. There would most certainly be an uproar among the people because they believed that Jesus was a mighty prophet sent from God. Caiaphas’ dilemma was one of timing. He couldn’t have Jesus killed during the Passover feast when the population of Jerusalem swelled with the visiting faithful, but he couldn’t wait until Passover was over because then Jesus would likely leave Jerusalem and return to Galilee, and so escape again. But why this axe to grind against Jesus? Because the religious leaders were losing their place. They had a place of power and respect – until Jesus came. Jesus’ ministry attracted crowds. His words touched hearts. His hands opened eyes. His presence brought life that was full of grace and truth. And through this, the chief priests and elders began to lose their place. And so a storm was on the horizon.

That is sin: holding onto my place. Sin is not allowing Jesus first place, and making sure others stay in their place. When all is said and done, we’re not that different from the chief priests and elders. We do the same things they did. Eventually sin brings with it a storm that has the potential to destroy everything in its path.

What is Jesus’ response to all of this? He places himself in the middle of the storm. Remember his words in today’s Gospel lesson: “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified” (Matthew 26:2). There it is: Jesus knew that the storm was coming. And knowing this, he didn’t run and hide. He didn’t seek shelter to save himself. He walked head-first into the storm of our sin. On the cross at Golgotha, Jesus offered up his life in place of ours. He died the death that should have been ours. It is as Paul writes: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). That is what we keep our eyes focused on as we begin this Lenten journey.

Are you hurting? Jesus hurt. Are you wounded? Jesus was wounded. Do you feel like you’re gasping for air? Unable to breathe because of stress and burdens in life? Jesus gasped for air. Are you crying? Jesus wept. The point here is that we are not alone in the storm. In whatever storm we may be facing in life, Jesus who loves us and laid down his life for us, is beside in the storm. God knows how to get his people safely through the storm. That is the message of the Passover that Jesus would celebrate for the final time with his disciples. Passover is all about God doing whatever it takes to get his people safely through the terrible storm of their slavery in Egypt. In spite of Pharaoh’s stubborn refusal time and again, in spite of the waters of the Red Sea, in spite of the horses and chariots pursuing them, God led his people into freedom.

What was true then is true today as well: God knows how to get his people safely through the storm. That is the good news of Jesus for each one of us today. In the new Passover meal that Jesus has given to us, Jesus assures us that whatever storms in life we may be facing, he is with us; his Body and Blood are blessed assurance. Through this gift, first instituted in that upper room in Jerusalem, Jesus leads us from storm to a place of peace. Jesus has reserved a place for you at his table! Amen.