Mar 28, 2010 - Remember The Words?

Matthew 21: 1-11 “When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ²saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. ³If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately.’ ⁴This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, 
⁵‘Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
   humble, and mounted on a donkey,
     and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ 
⁶The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; ⁷they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. ⁸A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
   Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’ 
¹⁰When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ ¹¹The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’”

Sometimes. Not always. Yet sometimes. People remember the last words that a loved one spoke to them.  And the memory of the words brings comfort to their lives: 

Famous last words of the writer, Joseph Addison ( d. June 17, 1719 - )

“See in what peace a Christian can die.”

Lady Nancy Astor, (d. 1964), When she woke up briefly during her last illness and found all her family around her bedside. She spoke, “Am I dying or is this my birthday?”

On a lighter note, there’s the joke of the hypochondriac whose last words include: “See, I told you I was sick!”

Sometimes. Not always. Yet sometimes. People remember the phrases of words that a loved one or friend said; and they add value to our lives.

My wife’s grandpa Ray spoke lots of familiar phrases that his family still remembers fondly: Like to those entering the house through the doorway by the television, “you make a better door than a window!”

We recognize some famous phrases such as: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” – Neil Armstrong. Or “Here’s lookin’ at you kid” - Humphrey Bogart.

Brenda Fossum still remembers the Palm Sunday when her 5-year-old niece, Stephanie, sat on her lap during the sermon. As the pastor described Jesus' approach to Jerusalem and how the crowds cried, "Hosanna, Hosanna!"  Stephanie perked up and began to sing, "Oh, Hosanna, now don't you cry for me!"

Sometimes. Not always. Yet sometimes.  People remember the Jesus’ last words from the cross. And it transforms their lives. “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do” “Truly, I say to you, this day you shall live in paradise with me”. These words of forgiveness, of love, of life beyond death - the last words of Jesus are magnified because they are from a cross; from a place of public display, from the place of pain and suffering. Yet the words have never died.

Author Max Lucado describes the pivotal nature of the cross in history and in each of our lives. The cross rests on the time-line of history like an (ancient monument). Its tragedy summons all sufferers. Its absurdity attracts all cynics. Its hope lures all searchers. History has idolized and despised the cross, gold-plated and burned it, worn and trashed it. History has done everything but ignore it. 

Jesus’ words from the cross that are presented through wonderful music today transform a device of death into wonderful words of life.  “Father forgive them… you shall live in paradise… it is fulfilled”.

These words of God’s beloved Son express his sacrificial loving actions that speak volumes throughout history from the One who would rather die than to go on living without us.  They are words of freedom from past mistakes, words of hope for life beyond death, words of forgiveness greater than resentment, words of love transforming hate. 

Max’s brother named Dee, drank too much for too many years, and smoked 3 packs per day for several decades too.  Though he turned away from the liquor store and went into AA, the lifestyle had taken its toll on him.  At age 54, Dee died suddenly of a cardiac arrest, and no one got to hear his last words or say goodbye. Yet Dee left word of his love for them. You see when the attending physician in the emergency room told the family the news and invited them to step into the room where Dee’s body lay, the family walked through the doors and saw Dee’s final message of farewell. His hand was resting on the top of his thigh with the two center fingers folded in and the thumb extended – the sign for “I love you.”

As it is said, “every saint has a past, and every sinner as a future.”  To the crowds shouting “Hosanna in the highest”, to the cruel ones shouting “crucify him”, to the loved ones at the cross grieving him, to the criminal on the cross next to him, and to all who still follow him, Jesus shares his last words and leaves an eternal message of love. 

Trudy Harris was caring for her terminally-ill grandfather in his final days. At the family home, Trudy shares “One day we were sitting looking out the window. Grandfather turned to me and asked, ‘who is that man standing there by the lake?` It’s the weeping willow tree,” she said.  ‘I see the tree, I mean the man standing underneath. Who is he?’” Trudy saw no one.  That evening though, she shared the story with her 10-year-old son. He asked “Do you think he saw Jesus?” Well, Trudy put the same question to Grandfather at bedtime. His simple straightforward reply was “Yes, dear, why?” And he died just a few hours later.

The Palm Sunday events beckon us to read and reflect on Jesus’ final days, his faithful teachings, and his farewell words. Because Sometimes. Not always. Yet sometimes.  People remember God’s Holy Word.  And it transforms the world.