To be, rather than to seem

To our eternal blessing, Jesus was rather than seemed.

During this week between Palm Sunday and Easter, Jesus would have been participating in Passover. Now, in the 21st century, Palm Sunday gets plenty of attention. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are also well known and observed. And of course and rightly so, Easter is the pinnacle of the week and celebrated by the Christian community.

However, in Matthew 11, there is a passage that doesn't get much attention. Over a year ago, Brian Habig taught on Matthew 11:11-25. The title of the sermon is "Becoming What He Prayed For" on March 21, 2010. Click here, find it and listen to it. Whether you love Jesus or are indifferent to him, listen to it.

To summarize the text: On Palm Sunday, Jesus goes to the temple and looks around. Then he leaves the city. The next day, he curses a fig tree and then goes to the temple and drives out the people doing business there. Jesus and his disciples again left the city, the fig tree had withered up, and Jesus teaches his disciples about trust, prayer, and forgiveness.

Sadly, the church is not always what she seems. Praise God, Jesus was content to be rather than to seem.