Jesus' time had finally come. It was time for him to come face to face with those who hated him and his message. It was time for him to demonstrate the width and depth of God's love for human beings. The events of Jesus' last week seem to play out like a boiling pot. With each day, the temperature seems to elevate in the conflict between Jesus and the world. Finally, the boiling point is reached and the world decides it has had enough of God's radical messenger who refuses to do things the way they thought it should be done. As a result, Jesus is condemned as a blasphemer, a trouble-maker, and a criminal.
Is it criminal to be a Jesus follower? It's not yet; it might be someday. What Jesus does show us in his last week, though, is the lengths to which Jesus loves and expects his followers to love, even toward those who persecute us. How are we living out Jesus' radical message, dying to ourself, and rising to new life in him? It is the question that all Christians should ask of themselves.
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