Recently, my children and I have been studying ancient
history and a big part of that is walking through the Bible one book at a time.
We are in Second Kings now. There are few things that have been standing out to
me in light of the upcoming Passion week.
1. How different life really was back then. In fact, how different life is for us here in America than many other places on this planet. There is a link going around on facebook that highlights the difference between a child’s bedroom in many of the developing countries around the world as compared to our children’s bedrooms here. The stark contrast is evident in the the size, the décor, the level of comfort items etc. Basically, there are many many people living today with practically nothing. To some of these, I imagine many of these people, it is just their way of life. It is not a bad thing or a good thing. It just is. This is how it was in Bible times. There was not much to be had by most. This is an excerpt from David C. Cook’s Journey through the Bible: an Isrealite woman spent almost all of her time working around the home. She had no time or money to spend on beauty care. Baths were rarely taken… Only a few women were wealthy enough to own makeup…. A woman spent most of her day preparing food and spinning cloth for clothing. It took hours to grind grain into flour… After the flour was made, it was baked into bread. Everything had to be done by hand. Each morning and evening, it was the woman’s job to walk to the well and draw water for the family’s needs…. At night, she awoke several times to refill the lamp that kept burning till morning.
2. These people valued the small things they did have. Allow me to read another brief excerpt – Almost everyone owned a cloak, but most people had just one. Cloaks were similar to the outer coats of today, but much more versatile, and taken almost everywhere. Most cloaks were made from animal hides, goat or camel hair, or from wool. Because it took so much time to make them, cloaks were valuable and were not thrown away until completely worn out. It was a common sight to see a cloak that had been patched many times. A cloak was worn as protection against the burning sun, and for warmth in the cold night. But these were just two of its uses. On a warm night, a cloak made a soft pillow. At a meal, it was lid on the ground and represented a special seat for an honored guest. A bundle of goods was carried home from the village in a cloak. A farmer tied his cloak into a bag, emptied his seeds into it, and planted his fields by hand…. A cloak was sometimes given to a lender as a pledge for a debt. And when torn into pieces, a cloak symbolized great sorrow or grief.
1. How different life really was back then. In fact, how different life is for us here in America than many other places on this planet. There is a link going around on facebook that highlights the difference between a child’s bedroom in many of the developing countries around the world as compared to our children’s bedrooms here. The stark contrast is evident in the the size, the décor, the level of comfort items etc. Basically, there are many many people living today with practically nothing. To some of these, I imagine many of these people, it is just their way of life. It is not a bad thing or a good thing. It just is. This is how it was in Bible times. There was not much to be had by most. This is an excerpt from David C. Cook’s Journey through the Bible: an Isrealite woman spent almost all of her time working around the home. She had no time or money to spend on beauty care. Baths were rarely taken… Only a few women were wealthy enough to own makeup…. A woman spent most of her day preparing food and spinning cloth for clothing. It took hours to grind grain into flour… After the flour was made, it was baked into bread. Everything had to be done by hand. Each morning and evening, it was the woman’s job to walk to the well and draw water for the family’s needs…. At night, she awoke several times to refill the lamp that kept burning till morning.
2. These people valued the small things they did have. Allow me to read another brief excerpt – Almost everyone owned a cloak, but most people had just one. Cloaks were similar to the outer coats of today, but much more versatile, and taken almost everywhere. Most cloaks were made from animal hides, goat or camel hair, or from wool. Because it took so much time to make them, cloaks were valuable and were not thrown away until completely worn out. It was a common sight to see a cloak that had been patched many times. A cloak was worn as protection against the burning sun, and for warmth in the cold night. But these were just two of its uses. On a warm night, a cloak made a soft pillow. At a meal, it was lid on the ground and represented a special seat for an honored guest. A bundle of goods was carried home from the village in a cloak. A farmer tied his cloak into a bag, emptied his seeds into it, and planted his fields by hand…. A cloak was sometimes given to a lender as a pledge for a debt. And when torn into pieces, a cloak symbolized great sorrow or grief.
Keeping this in mind let’s read Matthew chapter 21:1-11
"Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethpage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them’ and immediately he will send them.' All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet saying: “tell the daughter of Zion ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying “Who is this?” So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
"Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethpage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them’ and immediately he will send them.' All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet saying: “tell the daughter of Zion ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying “Who is this?” So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Remembering the glimpse we have taken into the life and culture of these people it is astonishing and humbling to hear of them laying their garments, their cloaks, on the road to honor the King of Kings. Some of them may not have even been sure who He really was. Still they laid down the one thing that was so incredibly valuable to them. The one thing that could cost much time and money to replace. The one thing that they could call theirs and they most likely cherished. They laid it down on the dirty road in front of a couple of lowly donkeys. Yet they laid it there in honor of the One who came to them. In honor of the One who, in a short time, would actually be laying His life down for them.
What do you have today, that you are willing to lay down in
front of the King? What have you been holding on to, thinking “I might need
this someday?”. What have you cherished, and coddled and held as a treasure? Or
maybe it is something you have hidden away to keep it safely whole. Maybe it is
something you have not been willing to bring out into the light. Maybe it is an
acceptable addiction (or not so acceptable). Maybe it is the love of comfort.
Maybe it is materialism. Maybe it is hidden sin. Maybe it is your heart. Your
life, your talents, your calling, your dreams, hopes and desires. There is much
to be brought before him. Much that he wants and would be honored by our
relinquishing of.
Here we are tonight. Embarking upon the holiday we use to
commemorate the Life that was lain out, bare, before the world. The Man who
took all of our things, our stuff, our hidden secrets and personal treasures
upon himself. What is it that you will lay down before him in honor of His
life? In honor of his kingship? In honor of his Sacrifice? In honor of his
love?
Lay it out. Lay it down. Let it go and give it to Him.
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