Frontline Devotion for Wednesday, April 5, 2006 by Penny Risen

John 13: 21-32

“The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

Recognize these lyrics from the peaceful Christmas carol “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem”? They describe the tiny, obscure town God selected for Jesus’ birth and the beginning of His story. This is the place where it begins in a borrowed stable beneath a star, with shepherds, animals and a humble family.

“The hopes and fears …” sentiment easily can apply to Jerusalem: The large, vibrant city God chose for Jesus’ final days. This is where our Lord enters triumphantly to cheering crowds and waving palms. But His time here ends at an empty borrowed tomb, with two grieving women and an angel.

Where do we find ourselves as Christians as we approach Holy Week?

Are we still stuck in Bethlehem, holding on to the warm, cozy and benign images of Christmas? The picture of Jesus before Jerusalem is a friendly one, of a teacher who tells parables and heals the sick. He is popular in the hills of Galilee, a sought after speaker who easily gathers followers.

Are we instead present in Jerusalem, at the dramatic and humiliating events conducted in the shadow of a cross? Here Jesus is a more serious leader who speaks of commitment and servanthood, but also of danger and betrayal by His closest allies.

In the upper room where He’d chosen to be alone with them one last time, Jesus confides to the twelve:

"One of you is going to betray me.” The disciples looked around at one another, wondering who on earth He was talking about … one of them asked: "Master, who?” Jesus said, "The one to whom I give this crust of bread after I've dipped it." Then He dipped the crust and gave it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot. As soon as the bread was in his hand, Satan entered him … "What you must do," said Jesus. “Do it and get it over with."  The Message Bible

We can meet Jesus where He leads us both in Bethlehem and in Jerusalem. We as Christians witness the hopes and the fears; the forgiveness and the sins; the honored covenant and the broken promises; the joys and the sacrifices; the light of Easter’s Resurrection after the darkness and suffering on Good Friday. Just as He asks this of His disciples in Jerusalem, Jesus needs us His followers to pick up the cross and move on. He hopes we will champion His ministry and spread the Good News wherever we can.

Where the journey of Jesus Christ begins and ends was not chosen at random by God. The hopes and fears of the prophets and those who awaited a Messiah came together in both places. His birth in Bethlehem was a fitting site for the peaceful entry of the Son of Man. The mighty Jerusalem was a proper stage for the final victory of the Son of God. Let us meet Him in both the quiet and the busy places where faith may lead us this Holy Week.

Prayer for the Day:  Dear Lord, my hope is in You wherever You guide me.  Because of Your sacrifice, I have no fear that sin will triumph in my life. Thank You for Your mercy to me, someone who betrays You and falls short each day only to be forgiven.

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