Great Moments That We Sometimes Miss

John 12:16

16      (His disciples didn't realize at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy; but after Jesus returned to his glory in heaven, then they noticed how many prophecies of Scripture had come true before their eyes.) (TLB)

I find reading the gospel of John very interesting because as you read it through you find all these little foot notes that he seems to interject as he writes.

This one is especially interesting. Because this was an important day in the history of the world.

In the old testament we read in the law that the Passover lamb was to be taken out of the flock five days before it was sacrificed.

Exod 12:3

3          Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. (NIV)

Exod 12:6

6  Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. (NIV)

This day we celebrate as palm Sunday was the day that Jesus was so to speak separated out from the flock and paraded before the family for inspection for the purpose of passover.

He had told his disciples to find a donkey and bring it to him. As he rode along the people surrounded him shouting  and celebrating.

I suppose that there was a mixture of thoughts going through the disciples minds. Many of them had hoped at least privately that he would be their deliverer from Rome. I suspect that at least some in that crowd thought that this might be the day when that would begin to happen. Surely the young miracle worker with all the ability could do something about their plight.

It was a different kind of a day however.

The crowd was ready to proclaim him king. But there were those who did not share their enthusiasm. And worse still they were among the leadership of the land. And they were quite vocal about it.

Luke 19:39

39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. (KJV)

And to make matters worse Jesus didn’t seem to be very diplomatic about the way he handled them.

Luke 19:45-46

45 And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;

46  Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

(KJV)

Now in all fairness if you had been there that day what would your discussion have been at the supper table. Would you have been excited about the way the donkey was obtained. Would you have been happy about the way the crowd shouted. Would your attention have shifted to the scowl on the Pharisees face.

Would you have been completely consumed about what happened at the temple.

And thinking about the repercussions of that event. Would you be trying to way out the thing politically to see if Jesus had done the right thing or not. John writing about the event later admits that they missed the whole purpose of the event entirely.

John 12:16

16    At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

(NIV)

John Is sitting down some time after the event recounting it. Maybe it’s a year later and maybe its longer. But as the pictures of the day begin to flood back through his mind something dawns on him and he just has to write it too. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

He’s admitting here that they all blew it. It was a very great day. One that would be celebrated for thousands of years later but not for what they had seen or talked about.

God was fulfilling his great plan in front of their very eyes.

We all have a window that we look at life through. And each of us have picked the curtains for that window.

Sometimes the curtains that we pick restrict the light that comes through our window and sometimes they block our view of the real event that is happening.

The day started great, there was a parade. But then it rained on the parade. And then it turned dark too quick and left everyone a little shaken.

But the sovereign God of the universe and his son had worked out his plan perfectly but John says its only now that I understand it.  

Is that same thing happening in your life.

Ps 139:16

16        You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!

(TLB)

Jesus said

Matt 25:40            "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' (NIV)

Matt 10:42

42        And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

(NIV)

A cup of cold water is recorded in heaven. A cup of cold water has value to it. A cup of cold water is so accounted for in heaven that it has an eternal consequence. Thousands of years into eternity and the act is still being accounted for in Gods great plan.

Is God still working his great plan out on earth. You bet your life he is. But it is not told on the CBC national at 11PM .

1 Cor 2:7-8

7          No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

8          None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (NIV)

Don’t look through a curtained window at life and say I do not see God.

Rather pick up the cup and give the child a drink and usher in the kingdom of God on earth.

Luke 17:20-21

20  Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation;

21 "nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."

(NKJ)

Guess what, he told the world in his day. If you go looking for what you think is something big you are going to miss it.

John said while we were wondering whose donkey it was and how loud the crowd shouted and what was the response of the religious leaders and whether Jesus should have upset the money changers God was working out his master plan right before our eyes but we missed it.

And just maybe the same thing is happening in our lives and we also are missing it.

Thomas sat that night at the table and said Jesus could never do anything in this city, there are too many against him. And years later John writes . We didn’t realize it but God was even using the people who were against him to fulfill his purpose.