The Donkey Ride of No Return
As we walk through the story of the Gospels, we reach a point of no return for Jesus. This means we too will reach a point of no return in our faith of Jesus. Is this the week?
Last week, I began a short series on the days and weeks leading up to Easter. If you remember, I asked you to pay attention to the tension in the story as you read through the Gospels, specifically leading up to Jesus’s death.
The Storyline of the Gospel
If we were to mash the four Gospels together and make a movie, we would first create a plotline. In creating plot lines, a story has five accepted elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. A more nuanced explanation comes from David Trottier, a screenwriter and author about screenwriting. He gives “Magnificent 7 Plot Points”:
Number One. The Back Story haunts the central character.
Number Two. The Catalyst gets the character moving. It’s part of the story’s setup.
Number Three. The Big Event changes the character’s life.
Number Four. The Midpoint is the point of no return or a moment of deep motivation.
Number Five. The Crisis is the low point, or an event that forces the key decision that leads to your story’s end.
Number Six. The Climax or Showdown is the final face-off between your central character and the opposition.
Number Seven. The Realization occurs when your character and/or the audience sees that the character has changed or has realized something.
I haven’t given this too much thought, so I don’t know what would “haunt” Jesus from his backstory or the catalyst (maybe turning water to wine). However, I do know what I would make the Big Event and Midpoint.
The Big Event
In his article, Trottier goes into a little more depth on what the Big Event looks like, saying:
“The Big Event ushers us into Act 2 – the middle – where the central character reacts to the big change created by the Big Event. Usually, that first reaction fails, forcing new actions that precipitate a rising conflict.”
If we were writing a movie using the Gospels as a framework, I would argue making the death and resurrection of Lazarus (John 11) the “Big Event.” The raising of Lazarus from the dead put people into definitive camps. Those who believed Jesus was or possibly could be the Messiah, and those who thought he was a false prophet.
Last week, we looked at the role of Mary, the sister of Lazarus, in his resurrection by Jesus. This “big event” cemented in her mind that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. Though she initially questioned who Jesus was, it became clear he was the One they had been waiting for.
How Your Doubt can be Redeemed this Easter Season.
This month, we will walk the road to Calvary together with three devotions. Each will bring us closer to Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. With each step, we’ll find triumph, but we’ll also experience pain and disappointment. This is the story of the Gospels — we don’t experience God’s glory without walking through hurt.
We didn’t talk about the religious leaders in the second camp. It is Lazarus being raised from the dead that puts their plot to arrest and kill Jesus into motion.
Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest him. -John 11:57 NLT
This brings us to what we celebrate this Sunday (if you are reading this as it is released) and what I would call the Midpoint moment — Palm Sunday. From this moment, there is no return for Jesus.
Midpoint Moment: Palm Sunday
While it appears on the surface to be a triumphant entry into power, it begins the road to the Cross. Again, the events of Palm Sunday force people into one of two camps: 1. Jesus is (or possibly could be) the long awaited Messiah King, or 2. Jesus is a fraud, leading an already fragile nation to destruction.
Let me stop for a moment and invite you to feel the pressure surrounding Jesus. I’m asking you to feel this tension today because, honestly, it remains in our culture.
Who is Jesus?
If we were to ask 100 people the question, “Who is Jesus?” we would receive 100 different answers. We would hear things like prophet, teacher, liar, healer, fraud, god-like, supernatural, just a man, not real, god, king, lord. Most everyone has an opinion about who Jesus is, just like those who walked with Jesus had an idea of who he was. No matter the label you place on Jesus, it comes down to falling into one of two camps: Jesus is the Messiah you’ve been looking for, or Jesus is a fraud.
On Palm Sunday, hundreds, if not thousands, lined the streets of Jerusalem to declare Jesus as the Messiah King, but what did they mean by that?
Admittedly, the majority got the picture of “King” wrong. The prevalent belief, which you can see from the comments of his closest followers, was a powerful reign to overthrow the Roman government. Jesus was not that king, and that was not his kingdom. This picture of Jesus led to disillusionment, just like Jesus’s slow appearance to Bethany at Lazarus’s sickness disappointed Mary.
What is the Kingdom of God?
After Jesus entered Jerusalem, he explained to those around him that he would die. It created confusion because this wasn’t the King they expected or the Kingdom he would build.
The crowd responded, “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?” -John 12:35 NLT
Jesus didn’t come to lord over a political kingdom, which can disappoint us. His justice doesn’t come with an iron fist but humility, empathy, and grace. When Jesus entered Jerusalem on the donkey amid a victorious celebration fit for a king, there was no return. When you turn to this Jesus, meek and mild, there is no return.
Life is no longer about you, your kingdom, your power, or your ideas about power.
As the palm branches wave around you, be aware; Jesus is asking you to surrender all of you to him. That’s scary.
But it is incredible, too. It’s more amazing than scary once you’ve chosen to follow him wholeheartedly, make him king, and fully transfer allegiance to his kingdom. Your life begins to matter in ways it never did before. The road you walk will be narrow but wider than any highway you’ve driven.
Enter into the Kingdom
Friend, this is my prayer for you. I pray you will enter this kingdom, the Kingdom of God, without being swept up in the political drama surrounding us. It’s already here, all around us, but we must choose to bow our knee to the King of the Kingdom.
At one point, before this midpoint moment, Jesus is deserted by the crowds because of his difficult words. He turned to his disciples and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Peter (in a way only Peter can) exclaims:
“Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” -John 6:68 NLT
Have you reached this place in your pursuit of the Kingdom of God? Where else can I go?
May this Palm Sunday be a celebration of entering this Kingdom of God and fully submitting to the King of the universe.